... Or You will burn in Hell

... Or You will burn in Hell

Soul burning in Hell

My Experience in the Mall

Fifteen years ago, I was in the local mall with my three year old daughter. It was the holiday season a few days before Christmas. As we were walking down the shops inside the mall, a young lady approached us and wished us "Merry Christmas". We are not Christians but I responded her greeting with the like. She smiled and handed a fake $1M note to my daughter. She pointed to a table and told my daughter to use the fake dollar to buy anything she wants from the table.

Seeing my daughter's excitement, I decided to approach the table set up with gifts, flowers, and books. Soon I realized that I was just suckered in buy an innovative trick by a street evangelist also known as "Bible Bashers". I was in double mind whether to follow through or turn back when the same young lady approached me.

Here is word by word representation of my conversation with this young lady?

Evangelist Girl: "Merry Christmas, do you believe in Jesus?"
Me: "Yes, I believe Jesus was a great man and his message of love is still relevant today"
Evangelist Girl: "No Sir, Jesus was not a man, he was the son of God."
Me: "Aren't we all children of the same God?"
Evangelist Girl: "No, He was the son of God who sent him to save us"
Me: "Respect for the sacrifice of Jesus but my religion teaches that the same creator created us all"
Evangelist Girl: "No, Jesus was the only son of God"
Me: "Can you prove that he was different than us apart from his knowledge? Was he not born like you and me? ate food and drank like us? walked and slept like us? went to toilet like you and me? and died like we all will one day?
Evangelist Girl: "No he didn't die, he was resurrected and will be reborn on the Second Coming when Jesus Christ will return to earth in fulfillment of His promises. Matthew 24:30). Revelation 19:11-12 proclaims this about the Second Coming,"
Me: "Don't we all take rebirth based on our Karma? Whats so different about Jesus?"
Evangelist Girl: "I can prove it to you ... the Bible quotes God sees us only through the eyes of Jesus. Only those who follow Jesus will be saved."
Me: "Guru Nanak taught us that God is always benevolent and forgiving ... He sees all of us with the same eyes,"
Evangelist Girl: "No God will punish those who do not follow Jesus"
Me: "Are you telling me that God will punish someone who has lived his or her life as good human being just because he is not Christian?"
Evangelist Girl (getting irritated): 'Yes, anyone not following Jesus Christ will burn in hell .. I am giving you the choice to save yourself from that hell"
Me: "I don't think you need to worry about me burning ... in our tradition, we are cremated after death. I am no scared of burning as its my destiny. Only the mortal body can be burned, the soul is immortal and can not be burned .. it will eventually merge with God, the prime soul."
Evangelist Girl: "You will burn in hell."

Traditional Cremation in India - Hindu and Sikh

As she walks away from me, I take my daughter to the table and get her some candies from the fake dollar and we go back home with a sweet taste in our mouths.

My Explanations

1. I have profound respect for Jesus Christ and his message of love, tolerance, and for sacrificing his life for his principles. He deserves this respect from all human beings regardless of religion.
2. I admire the work of Christian Churches and organizations in guiding its congregations, giving shelter to the poor, is charity works, setting up schools and hospitals all over the world.
3. But Christianity is one of the many religions prevalent today - Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, etc. Each with its on spiritual philosophy and belief system.
4. Religion is important in guiding the society in differentiating between the good and the bad.
5. In a multi-cultural society of today, its important that we acknowledge the existence of various religions, belief systems, and respect each others choices.
6. My religion is dear to me in the same way as your religion is to you. No one has the right to criticize other person's religion as false or evil. 
7. This applies to the agnostics who do not believe in any religion but may live a honest and principled life.
8. Our mortal remains merge with the mother Earth eventually whether we bury or cremate. My personal preference is cremation as its more Eco-friendly.

Understanding Hell

Hell depiction based on Abrahamic Tradition

Whether you are a Christian or not, chances are that you have heard about the idea of hell. A place somewhere under the ground, where bad people who died and did not believe in God burn and suffer in the hellfire for eternity.

The Hell is an afterlife location in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering. Christianity and Islam depict hell as eternal destination,  whereas dharmic religions  such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism with reincarnation theory, depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations, with Nirvana or Moksha being the eternal destination.

The Second Coming or the Second Advent is a Christian and Islamic belief regarding the future return of Jesus after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago.

Second Coning of Jesus Christ

In the Islam, the second coming of Jesus is heralded in Az-Zukhruf (the Quran's 43rd surah or chapter) as a sign of the Day of Judgment.And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way. 43:61. According to Islamic tradition, Jesus' descent will be in the midst of wars fought by the Mahdi ("the rightly guided one"), against the Masih ad-Dajjal ("false messiah"or the Antichrist). Jesus will descend from the east, dressed in saffron robes—his head anointed. Jesus will slay the Antichrist Dajjal, and then only the People of the Book (ahl al-kitāb, referring to Muslims, Jews and Christians) will be saved.

Prophet Mohammad watches shameless women burn in hell for exposing their hair to men

In Sikh thought, Hell and Heaven are not places for living hereafter, they are part of spiritual topography of man and do not exist as locations. They refer to good and evil stages of life respectively and can be lived now and here during our earthly existence.

So many are being drowned in emotional attachment and doubt; they dwell in the most horrible hell.
— Guru Arjan Dev ji, Guru Granth Sahib 297,

Links:

https://thechristianlife.com/why-no-one-will-burn-forever-in-hell/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Coming