Inferno: If God Is Love, Then How Can Hell Be So Terrible?
The Inferno is a detailed account of Dante's journey through Hell. While on this journey, Dante witnesses the punishment of the damned through the use of all senses. He smells the foul stenches, sees the horrific sights, feels not only the heat but also the cold, and hears the disturbing cries of all sinners. Ironically, the purpose of this journey is to demonstrate Hell to Dante so that he will spend eternity in Heaven. As we undertake this journey with Dante, we begin to see that man is neither smart nor strong enough to face the hardships in life without divine intervention. However, said intervention does not guarantee salvation. It is the choice made by man that brings, or forbears, salvation. A reader may wonder how God can allow this kind of suffering and pain. Dante justifies the coexistence of an omnipotent, just, and loving God with a hell that is treacherous, disgusting, and eternal. The power of God is one of the recurring themes in The Inferno. Dante-the-character is a mere mortal. God places him in the hands of Virgil, a renowned Roman poet who represents human reason withi
God loves men and women so much that He encourages them to build meaningful relationships with Him. God uses trials to enable men and women to form a desire for salvation, rather than forcing a relationship. Although God is omnipotent, He allows each person the choice of following His will or giving in to secular pleasures. God's power is demonstrated in Canto Nine when a heavenly messenger is sent to open a gate that no one else can. While Hell may, in actuality, be different from the one Dante describes, the idea of harsh punishment sinners remains the same, for humans were created free. God sends Dante through hell to demonstrate the consequences of the path he is on. Just as God has the power to save, He has also the power to damn. The point of this journey is for Dante to fear hell so much that he amends his ways and thus God can return to Dante salvation. Promises of an eternal paradise are not necessarily enough to convert a person to Christianity, and therefore earn salvation. Hence, God uses His wrath to instill fear into a person who has fallen onto the wrong path, as Dante has. The basic concept behind justice is that each person gets what he or she deserves. A just God can do this because he forewarns men and women of the consequences of their actions, and then makes it each person's choice whether they go to hell or earn their salvation. In The Inferno, this is the reason for which Dante is sent through hell - so that he will desire and willingly choose salvation. Out of love, God wants this eternal happiness for him.
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Acceptance Essays
