The Christian Doctrine of Hell

The Christian Doctrine of Hell

By Joseph Wheeler

Narrated by Oberon Michaels

It is often popularly considered that the Twenty-First Century marked the emergence of a truly aggressive anti-theist movement. The rise of the "New Atheism", spearheaded by figures like Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins, has been seen as a fresh attack on the hegemony of organized religion.

However, vigorous anti-theism has been a developing trend for the past three centuries. One of the strident voices in this movement was the English free-thought writer, Joseph Mazzini Wheeler. Between 1882 and his death in 1898, he produced ten volumes, all highly critical of religion in general and of Christianity in particular.

In this essay, the author asks: "Who goes to hell?" His answer: "According to the Bible, and the creeds, the immense majority of mankind." He later comments that the idea of the inevitable damnation of the unbeliever "has probably done more harm to humanity than it has benefited from the rest of the gospel."

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