"Somewhere, and I can't find where, I read about an Eskimo hunter who asked the local missionary priest, "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?"
"No," said the priest, "not if you did not know."
"Then why," asked the Eskimo earnestly, "did you tell me?"
- Annie Dillard, at Whiskey River
14 comments:
Ironic, ain't it?
"We bring the antidote, and the poison that you'd never have gotten otherwise. Aren't you glad?"
Zhoen: Yes, the gift that keeps on giving.
I asked my aunt, married to a preacher, pretty much the same question, only she said yes, all unsaved souls go to hell. That was the day (two days before my mother died) that I quit my religion.
Now that is to the point and infinitely wise.
Love it.
Where the hell did you get my photograph from?
Steve: Yes, it is, and I wish I had thought of it.
Lisa: Me, too!
BB: Your high school yearbook?
Scotland Yard's Most Wanted posters down at the post office?
Last year's driver license?
Mrs. BB gave it to me? (Nah, you know better than that one.)
:)
Crow, My Pa has answered your questions over at my blog!
Ooh, I want to read the story of you quitting your religion.
There was a good UK radio comedy called 'Old Harry's Game', about life in hell. Everybody was there, because no one was good enough for the other place, and Satan was a rather world-weary and lugubrious character with a quiet hankering to be nice to people, who turned out to have been framed over the whole rebellion and casting out thing by the other archangels who wanted to keep their positions.
And it's not even like there's purgatory as a compromise any more...
BTW Martha, that green fish ought to have died by now, it never gets any of the food! Maybe it's got a private supply we don't know about.
striking photo and a powerful quote; I also liked the comment regarding the poison and the antidote.
your posts are so good for the heart and mind
I grew up Catholic and I remember praying for those who did not know god because they were in purgatory.
Now, of course, I know better. We just go on to our next life and try to clean up the messes we made in our previous ones.
That is such a perfect little story I read it to my husband and that's a rare thing.
Thanks for passing it along and I hope you are well.
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