I don't recollect anything said about medieval theology.
Anyway, I agree with the point that religion-inspired "horrors" can't be logically derived from belief in personal immortality.
I tend to think in any case that many secular leftists -- myself occasionally included -- have a kneejerk negative reaction to religion and nonrational ideas in general that borders on the silly. The proper attitude to such things is not "pernicious irrationalism" but "how the hell do I know if it's true or not?" in my very humble opinion.
Chris Doss The Russia Journal ------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2002 02:24:13 -0600 From: Jeffrey Fisher <jfisher at igc.org> Subject: Re: Nietzsche and the Nazis
fwiw, origen is the better reference here than pseudo-dionysius.
said the medieval theology dweeb.
jeff
On Thursday, March 7, 2002, at 02:21 AM, Chris Doss wrote:
>
> That's the doctrine of divine judgement and damnation, not personal
> immortality. There was a great deal of controversy in the early Church
> about
> whether, ultimately, anyone would be damned (cf. Pseudo-Dionysius).
> There
> was even a controversial thesis that even the Devil would ultimatelt be
> saved.
>
> Chris Doss
> The Russia Journal
> ------------------
>
>
> Once you introduce the doctrine of personal immortality, there is no
> theoretical limit to horror except a commonsense refusal by believers to
> proceed down the slippery slope. X makes you in danger of hellfire.
> Given that, there is no horror forbidden at the level of theory.
>
> Carrol
>