A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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You probably already know what universal reconciliation is, but have never heard it's proper nomenclature. 
Allow me to define universal reconciliation. Simply put, it is -- "every soul eventually winds up in heaven." That's the definition. It is also a lie, but it is the current lie some modern religionists are promulgating these days.
Oh, it's not new. This "feel good work around" to actually having to face the fact of eternal punishment for one's sins has been around since before the American Revolution.
“It’s a heresy that goes back all the way to the third century of the Church. It came to America in 1740 and was propagated among the churches of New England, where it found fertile ground and has been never totally eradicated.” SOURCE: http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2013/April26/263.html
Universalism, as universal reconciliation is sometimes called, was brought to the American colonies by the English-born physician George de Benneville. (Just so you know.)
Here of late, some of America's more, uh, "modern" denominations have accepted this heresy as truth. See, it FEELS good. and after all, isn't religion supposed to make us feel good?
Actually, the answer is no -- not exactly. Religion should not make us feel good. In my opinion, religion should comforted the afflicted and afflict the comfortable to be effective. That's my opinion, of course.
" ... no traditional Christian doctrine has been so widely abandoned as that of eternal punishment." SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_reconciliation
I bring the subject up today because in nearly every TV drama and Hollywood movie we see some reference to universal reconciliation. No matter how bad the bad guy -- or the GOOD guy -- was, inevitably his final destination, we are assured, is (you've got it!) Heaven.
You'd think red flags would go up the instant the promotion of some supposed article of faith comes from the political left. But -- it is reinforced from the pulpits of some of the most prestigious religious denominations in America.
They are both wrong.
OK. So, I'm an old fuddy-duddy, an old moss-back, who won't "get with the program." I'll admit to that. I'll even tell you I didn't "get with the program" when I was a child OR a young man. It ain't in my nature.
I'm not into moral relativism and that, so far as I am concerned, is the root of universal reconciliation. Moral relativism is the belief that there is no black and white. No absolutely right and no absolutely wrong. Everything is relative. Everything is in a state of "gray."
Moral relativism should be filed under "Bovine Scatology."
Allow me to inquire: What was the purpose of Christ's visit to earth, his death, burial, and resurrection, if all human souls will eventually get to heaven anyway? Makes absolutely no sense to this ole country boy.
Something else troubles me about universal reconciliation: What is the point in living a good, decent, law-abiding life? Why not live like the devil -- raise hell, and be a "Good-time Charlie" for your life span on this earth IF- you're are going to heaven anyway.
Where's the incentive for good morals?
Here's the thing, as I see it. I believe not in the basic "goodness" of man but the basic "evil" of mankind. In my view, man is a creation of God that went rogue.
We are a sorry lot, we humans. We rebelled against our Creator -- and you don't get much lower than that. We burned our bridges to God and He set us loose with the burden of free will. We were shown to the gates of the Garden of Eden and tossed out on our derrieres and forbidden to ever return.
From that point things went from bad to worse for man. It became so bad, that God repented that he had ever made man in the first place. He sent a global flood and wiped all humans from the earth -- save for a single eight person family.
It was time to start over.
And WE screwed it up again, and again, and again.
So the Creator offered us a way to clean the slate, begin again, and reconnect with our Creator, our God -- now and forever. That was through the sacrifice of his on Son Jesus, the Christ.
The down side? As always, and in all things, there are those who just refuse to (as I said earlier) get with the program. Humans like to play the odds, to hedge their bets, etc.. It is a form of thinking and behavior that is born of arrogance. (Man is nothing if he is not arrogant.)
The scriptures make it extraordinarily plain that God created TWO places of eternal residence for human souls after life on this earth. The good news is -- we get to choose where we will spend eternity -- in Heaven or in Hell. See, I know Hell exists as surely as I know evil exists. We saw evil at work just a few days ago in Boston, at the school in Connecticut, and numerous other places where Satanic inspired deeds bring pain, death, destruction, horror, and terror to our world.
I ask you -- what's the purpose of a place of punishment IF no one is to be punished?
Then there is the prospect of living for eternity in a heaven along side Hitler, Stalin, John Dillinger, Osama bin Laden, and, well, the list of evil-doers just goes on and on.
I must tell you, I have serious reservations about coexisting with the aforementioned crowd of evil doers in the same city, behind those Pearly Gates -- golden streets, or not!
No. I am not buying universal reconciliation, at all. I believe it is a lie ranking right up there with the lie that "there is no Devil" -- Satan's greatest trick!
Old Nick must be truly proud of the universal reconciliation crowd.
© J. D. Longstreet
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