Someone on Twitter said something snarky about Dolly Parton's recent admission that she thinks black lives matter. Apparently this viewpoint doesn't sit well with some Christians.

In the ensuing snowballing of anti Dolly comments one lambasted her for not being a really Christian and just being in it for the money. Then someone else chimed in something like "she doesn't even believe in hell".

I could take it no longer and pointed out that actually hell is barely even mentioned in the New Testament and even then only in relation to where bad angels are sent, also that is perfectly possible for people to be good without buying into the modern invention of hell.

Predictably that didn't sit well and the OP chimed in to lambast me for my error and quoted Mathew 5:29

"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell"

Perfect. I told her the original oldest record of this is scripture is Greek. In that it doesn't say hell, it says γέεννα (English transliteration "Gehenna" ) which is the name of a valley that was South of Jerusalem in Biblical OT times. There trash and bodies those denied "proper" burial were burned. So it makes perfect sense that a body (or parts) of someone no longer considered worthy of a proper burial would end up in γέεννα No hell required at all.

That didn't go down well and I was told "You’ve twisted Scripture in order to justify your sinful lifestyle." and she told me "goodbye". Not to be deterred I pointed out it was bogus translations that were twisting the original scripture which many Christians consider the literal written word of God.

I then tried to be somewhat Socratic and asked what would happen if someone she respected (not me) proved to her hell was a human invention. Would she change her behavior, does it change how she feels about being good, is hell necessary to her to be good or to convince others to be good?

I'm not expecting this to go any further. I'll probably get blocked but I figure it is worth a try.

For now I'll get back to my "ainful lifestyle". Woot, no hell for me, just moldering in the grave - or hopefully turned to compost and into a tree.