“I hope they burn in Hell!”

by frog

Peter Dunne has been at pains to emphasise that United is not a Christian party. Reported the Dominion Post back in April:

Mr Dunne is adamant United Future is not a “Christian” party. “It’s very difficult to look at the last two and a half years and say that those fears have in any way been borne out. On the moral issues (euthanasia, prostitution, civil union), people have voted according to their conscience, we’ve not treated them as party issues, and every other issue I think you’d be hard-pressed to say that those extreme fears being expressed had any merit.”

So, why do people consider United to be a Trojan horse for a pretty ugly, unforgiving, reactionary brand of Christianity? Well, I have an idea. Perhaps it’s because one of its MPs, Marc Alexander, says of his opponents things like:
I hope they burn in Hell!

Yup, that’s right. That’s what he had to say about the Greens on Morning Report today. Our sin? Well, we pledged support for the Government’s Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Bill, on which United had decided to pull the plug. Our release on the issue is here. No Right Turn has an interesting commentary here.

I was somewhat taken aback my Alexander’s ferocity. Hell means agonising pain for eternity. He is wishing on the Greens excruciating misery forever. And I think we’ll all agree that forever is a long, long time. So, what awaits our MPs if Alexander has his way? Well, presuming he is referring to the Christian version of Hell, Wikipedia says we have this in store:

The Biblical descriptions of Hell tell about a place of darkness, fire, sulphur, an oven of fire, and lakes of fire and sulphur, where weeping, tears, creaking of teeth and torment are eternal for those souls that will be condemned to live there…

According to Western Christian beliefs, the Devil and his angels (demons), who will be in charge of punishing the soul of the sinners also reside in hell… Matthew 25:41 mentions the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. According to the Book of Revelation, after the Day Of the Lord soul and body will be united again, and so those who were condemned to Hell will remain there physically, tormented by eternal fire that will never consume them nor be extinguished.

According to Luke 16:19-28 nobody can pass from Hell to Heaven or vice versa, and fire is not the only tormentor, thirst being another, and more that are not described; in this biblical passage it is also mentioned that the souls that are in Hell can see those that are in Heaven and vice versa, but nothing is said of the sight of God; those that are in Hell can see the happiness reigning in Heaven, and those in Heaven do not feel compassion for the others in Hell.

Well, I suppose, if we can’t handle the heat, we should get out of the legislative kitchen

There’s been much consternation around the office this morning about Mr Alexander’s condemnation of us. Does he hope that only our MPs burn in Hell, or did he mean to include the several-thousand Green Party members around the country? What about the Greens’ Parliamentary staff? And, croak, me? Are frogs part of Alexander’s vision of Hell?

The interesting thing is that Alexander is said to be the only atheist in United’s Caucus. I can imagine his fellow MPs will be admonishing him for his very un-Christian condemnation of the souls of Green MPs. I can assure them, however, that we shall be responding in a very Christian manner, by granting Alexander forgiveness and, charitably, hoping for his redemption. Or, as I just overheard Rod saying, “We’ll be trying to create Heaven on earth”.

Yes, Marc. We don’t wish for the extinction of any of the world’s beings. Not even those who hope we burn in Hell.