An interesting idea came to me while reading Dante’s Inferno. In the brief summary over Canto III it states “They hear the groans of those who have led uncommitted lives, choosing neither good nor evil during their time on earth.” Then in Canto IV it states “these are the sinless souls who died unbaptized or were born before Christ; their punishment is not physical but mental, knowing they can never be saved.
These people are in hell, still in the first stages, but nevertheless in hell. What interests me, is the reflection that Dante’s Inferno has on the accepted religious beliefs at the time. I am no historian but I’m pretty sure that what Dante put down on paper reflects the orthodoxy of his time.
Now I’m going to sprinkle this blog post with some religious inquiries. To me it seems that maybe these people who are in hell, deserve a better state than what they are in, especially those who were not baptized because they were born before Christ. If you think about it, God is all powerful, all knowing, and just, yet merciful. To me there is a major paradox in this belief, if God allows those who were born before Christ to an eternity of hell just because they were born before Christ, or who did not know him, or were not baptized, where is the justice and mercy?
Religion is a very interesting subject; hell is a very interesting subject, a subject that Dante tackled. His writings reflect the religious beliefs of his time. I will end on one more thought, if Dante’s portrayed view of hell, and those who are condemned to hell, is a direct reflection to what was perceived religious orthodoxy of the time, then if Dante lived today, and wrote about hell, would it be a similar text? Or would it be a completely different work?
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