Religion through Asian Eyes

My understanding is that hell is a temporary abode, a Purgatory. It's not a place of "burning in Hell for eternity", despite the notion of the "fire and brimstone" version of Hell.

There is nothing in the Bible to confirm such an event, save by misinterpretation of "fire and brimstone".

Yet brimstone is a euphemism for "cleansing", as is the fire symbology. Everything in the Bible points more to "sins" being "burned away", leaving the soul purified.

Though, Revelations appears to have been written to prevent believers from committing suicide were they to believe in reincarnation. The early church councils ruled against incorporating reincarnation into their doctrine because it was likely not to get believers to stick around long enough to amass property that would be bequeathed to the Church on death.

Even today, in rare situations, unscrupulous religious leaders might pressure new converts to confess their sins so that later, subtle emotional blackmail could be used to keep them in the fold and be willing to pay tithe. Most converts are well aware that they are under no obligation to confess their sins openly, yet may do so before a trusted church leader in order to facilitate spiritual healing.

Why? Because man is a social animal, the risk of "excommunication" motivates most converts to do whatever is necessary to become a part of the congregation. By confessing their sins, converts resolve to "sin no more" and thus be repentant. In doing so, they are healed spiritually and are welcome into the congregation.

In contrast, I like the Chinese way of worship, where a believer has a rich spiritual life by not only paying his respects as a Buddhist for the afterlife, as a Taoist for health, and as a Confucian for family.

When you closely examine Falun Gong, it looks like a smorgasbord of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and qigong. Indeed, you could practice the qigong but not join the protests, and they put no pressure on you with that regard.

However, within the Japanese sensibility about spirituality, there is a generalist flavour to it where a spiritually minded person can be Buddhist and Shintoist, yet have a Christian wedding, and even participate in pagan rituals known as matsuri.