I remember a conversation I had while in seminary among several persons of different faith practices. Our conversation settled on the Afterlife and what to expect. We agreed, after much laughter and serious postulating, that two versions of the Afterlife held prominence.

We thought, “a full Heaven and an empty Hell” or “a full Hell and an empty Heaven.” We laughed because we humans were trying to wrestle with the question of Divine Judgment and Final Destination. I was arrogant enough when I was a young believer; I thought I knew the mind of God and could say with authority “this person and not that person!”

However, my many years of ministering among people during incarceration, hospitalization and the verge of death taught me that I know nothing about God’s mindset. How could I boast, yes boast, about whose lifestyle merited Eternal Damnation or Paradise Bliss?

My birthday was last weekend and I consider myself blessed to be an older person. I now trust that everyone has a spirituality; there is something for everyone to believe. People believed during the health-care crises of COVID. People believed during the environmental climate change. People believed during Black Lives Matter, the D.C. insurrection and the maturing of our presidential administration.

My prayer is that what we all believe and hope for unites us again as Americans, as people of faith, and as humanity.

 

James Weathersby

Augusta

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