. . . and I've been worried about sin

One local Evangelical Lutheran clergyman, writing in the E-R, said, "God does condemn those who do not believe in his son, Jesus Christ, as the only Savior and Redeemer. . . [and that that same] Jesus taught about the horror of hell many times in the gospels."

The pastor punctuated his remarks with the words of John 3:36: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life." This is faith, as described to me in my youth by the Catholic Church.

After all these years, I still have a problem with faith, defined in the dictionary as "a firm belief in something for which there is no proof." I cannot get beyond common sense.

The complexity of human existence suggests to me that a sentient entity created everything. However, I am not convinced that he still cares or has provided any reality for us after death, be it heaven or hell.

The nuns told us youngsters that even at the last moment of life we could repent and try to convince God that we had had faith all along. I have committed a few minor transgressions along the way, but I was never "truly sorry." I did it, it was wrong, and common sense told me not to do it again. Strength and redemption came when I didn't repeat the offense.

If I happen to end up in hell, I hope it will be in solitary confinement, because the ultimate torture would be having to associate with even one of those whom we know is already there.