I certainly read that statement the way you did: redemption has been provided for every soul, but salvation relies on accepting that redemption. It seemed very clear to me, and I'm surprised to see that some read it differently. I suppose it should not have; a lot of people don't understand anything except "pop theology".
My personal beliefs about Hell have been very influenced by those of CS Lewis, most especially in The Great Divorce, in which we are shown that Hell is a choice--very simply the choice to live outside the presence of God, whether it is because one refuses to believe at all, or because one rejects God's grace and forgiveness.
Instead of the torture depicted by Dante, Hell is simply a state of heart. And all one must do is change that state of heart--in which case, in accepting grace, all is changed for eternity--the idea that even the past can be blessed retroactively by the act of choosing to accept forgiveness and love. (I almost said "state of mind", but I don't think that this state is an intellectual one.) Anyone who refuses to accept will exist in a lonely state of dreariness--not being tortured by fire and demons.
I've no idea how orthodox or unorthodox such a view is, but I find it very much more likely than the "Circles of Hell".
I think often people's use of wishing someone to "go to Hell" has less to do with a belief that they deserve unending torment as it is a wish that whoever that person is would go away, and perhaps also a bit of vengefulness that they'd get some sort of punishment. But most people if pressed would not say they feel anyone deserves to burn and be tortured forever. Most people blaspheme casually, without ever thinking about what they are really saying when they say "damn" or "hell". Those sorts of blasphemies are barely even considered cussing these days.
no subject
My personal beliefs about Hell have been very influenced by those of CS Lewis, most especially in The Great Divorce, in which we are shown that Hell is a choice--very simply the choice to live outside the presence of God, whether it is because one refuses to believe at all, or because one rejects God's grace and forgiveness.
Instead of the torture depicted by Dante, Hell is simply a state of heart. And all one must do is change that state of heart--in which case, in accepting grace, all is changed for eternity--the idea that even the past can be blessed retroactively by the act of choosing to accept forgiveness and love. (I almost said "state of mind", but I don't think that this state is an intellectual one.) Anyone who refuses to accept will exist in a lonely state of dreariness--not being tortured by fire and demons.
I've no idea how orthodox or unorthodox such a view is, but I find it very much more likely than the "Circles of Hell".
I think often people's use of wishing someone to "go to Hell" has less to do with a belief that they deserve unending torment as it is a wish that whoever that person is would go away, and perhaps also a bit of vengefulness that they'd get some sort of punishment. But most people if pressed would not say they feel anyone deserves to burn and be tortured forever. Most people blaspheme casually, without ever thinking about what they are really saying when they say "damn" or "hell". Those sorts of blasphemies are barely even considered cussing these days.