The Door of the Closet.

The main reason why closeted Christians are not able to come out is that they think, consciously or  unconsciously, that everything below the waist, meaning sex, especially homosexual sex, is of the Devil and Hell.

This fear has been drummed into them by terrified parents and priests.

Coincidentally this demonization of sex is the main reason why the generation of hippies and baby boomers rejected the Church.  They refused to believe that sex was a sin.

By the same token this is the main reason that rock musicians and stars sell their souls and worship the Devil.  They believe that everything below the belt is of the Devil and Hell.  And that's what they want.

This is not true.  The Devil does not exist.  The concept is part of an explanation which is based on dualism.  Dualism - good and evil - is a primitive mental construct not entirely based in fact.

Hell does not exist.  It relates to a concept of God as a judging, punishing deity who watches all our actions and writes them down in a big book, balancing and tallying the ledger.  This is simply not true.  My experience of God is that He is never angry or judgmental but always mild, helpful, and loving towards his children.  I have never known Him to punish or harm anyone or anything.  So the concept of Hell is totally out of character and impossible.

The time for these concepts is up.  Mankind will no longer stand for destructive and negative ideation.  Our intuitive understanding of God will not stand for it.  Like blood sacrifice and an eye for an eye these concepts will disappear from the world and we will all be the better for it.

Once these concepts are gone from the mainstream culture the door of the closet will be open and men and women will no longer live in fear.

The concept of sin is attached to these concepts of the Devil and Hell.  Fear of sinning is what stops people acting on their sexual impulses.  If they sin they think that they will go to Hell and any temptation is of the Devil. This is why Muslim women wear the burqa so that their men will not be tempted and go to Hell.  It is also why women are portrayed as evil - they are a source of temptation.

Homosexuality is even more threatening.  The Koran talks constantly about the sin of Lot and the punishment reserved for those who practice it.  This is why gay rights are so bad in some Muslim countries.

But the Koran, like the Bible, is not literally true.  It needs to be deconstructed in the way that the Christian Bible has been and more fully understood before any progress can be made on these issues.

The progress of our concepts cannot be stopped.  At some point they will become self-evident.  So as long as we address the issues with integrity we are progressing towards a new understanding.

Likewise evil is a dualistic concept.  It exists in the world only as a reactionary mental concept.  It has no independent reality.  Anyone who is embracing evil as a reaction to hypocritical religion is only harming themselves and others.  There is no profit from evil.  There is no Devil to reward them.  So when they realize what has happened they will stop.

Death and Hell will be cast into the fire.

They will exist no more.

What will exist is a new holistic understanding of God:

God is everywhere and everything.
Immanent and panentheistic.
God's nature is entirely benevolent.
God does not judge or punish.
God loves us like a father loves his children.
There is no fear in God.
Everyone is forgiven.
No one will perish.

What is real is God's love.
Unconditional, universal love.


Photo Credit: Doug Kline Flickr via Compfight cc