AND A LOVING GOD MADE A PLACE CALLED HELL?
TMCW Company Review
And A Loving God Made A Place Called Hell?
by Bolu Animashaun TMCW
24th September, 2022.
A dinner discussion between the author and a fictionalized date, in which their conversation ranges from question on the existence of hell to the reality of god’s love.
ELYA
(chuckling) Don’t say that. You could go to hell, yunno.
BOLU
Hell?
ELYA
Hell. Yes. Trust me you don’t want to stay one minute there. It’s wesser than you can ever imagine. (Sips her champagne)
BOLU
Hmmmm. So you’re telling me you believe hell exist?
ELYA
(confused & surprised) Yes, I do. Like, everybody does, right?
BOLU
You’ll excuse me from your list of everybody Elya (chuckles). You know, this is another instance where you ‘Christians and Jesus believing people’ make the world see how confused you are. (pauses) I’m sorry if that sounded insultive. But, why will a God you say is merciful, compassionate, and loving, create a place called hell, for his creations?
(ELYA is silent, thinking. She sips her champagne again)
BOLU
(scoffing) Oh I gerrit. It’s what your pastors have made you believe so you’ll fear and respect God the more, right? (Laughs. Softly) so sick. Those people won’t stop psyching you people, will they?
ELYA
Bolu despite being an atheist, you say you still read the bible right?
BOLU
Yes I do. It’s a great book. No cap (laughing). Songs of Solomon is my favourite followed by the Psalms and Proverbs….. And the letters? Yes, I think so.
ELYA
Okayyy. So the Psalms is one of your fav. Do you know what it says in the 16th verse of the 91st chapter?
BOLU
(Dryly ) “I will satisfy them with a long life and” bla bla bla. Look Elya, you best believe me when I tell you, I know the scriptures more than you do (laughs as he sips his champagne)
ELYA
You don’t believe it, do you Bolu?
BOLU
Of course I don’t. It’s just a mere literature piece; lies upon lies.
ELYA
Really?
BOLU
Really, really. If it weren’t so, why would my mom have died of cancer. (emotional) She believed God to heal her, but he never did. You don’t get it, do you Elya?
(ELYA is silent)
BOLU
You get it. She believed God, or so she told me. (Clears throat)
ELYA
(Sighs) well, truthfully Bolu, I don’t know. (Heaves) I don’t know and it hurts me to admit that you’re not wrong. And I don’t have any answer to your question, no not question, valid question (laughs).
Howbeit, despite the fact that, I don’t know why bad things happen to good people. I…I… I still believe. I believe God- his word. I believe what the bible says and (sniffs). And I believe that if his word says, beyond the blessings and promises, that there’s a place called hell, then there’s a place called hell.
BOLU
And a loving God made a place called hell?
ELYA
Permit me to ask Bolu but your mom, she loved you right?
BOLU
Yess.
ELYA
But there were days she wasn’t so all seemingly ‘loving’. Like, the days when you offended and she went all out on you?
BOLU
(Laughing deeply) yes. Just so you know. What about that, anyways?
ELYA
I know right. I can relate. I mean, I’m Nigerian (laughs). Anyways, about that, it’s the same with God. He loves the sinner but not the sinner’s sin. So when the sinner refuses to renounce his sin (pauses) they are two opposite ends. I don’t know if you get what I mean.
BOLU
Yes I do. But I’m an atheist Elya, not a sinner.
ELYA
Well the unrepenting or is it unrepentant sinner thinks God being capable of forgiving his sin is unrealistic. An atheist believes trusting mere words on paper is not realistic. You don’t trust the words of someone you don’t believe, do you? (Smiles)
BOLU
It has gotten really dark and I think we have to get going. Nigeria as it is doesn’t afford us the luxury of late night trips. Do you think?
