There is some deep philosophy contained in this fridge magnet. If you aren’t familiar with the Tui ads in New Zealand – it is a form of sarcasm that appeals to the Kiwi sense of humour. This fridge magnet is in my staff tea room – and I was intrigued by this message that one of my staff had constructed: “Jesus is watching you fry, Yeah Right” The import of this is that Jesus would hardly enjoy seeing any of us frying for all eternity in hell. The truth is God is giving us every opportunity to come back home to be with Him. It was the Christian belief in eternal damnation that first made me think about finding a more rational and loving philosophy. Krishna consciousness teaches that hell does indeed exist – but it is temporary. No one is ever disqualified from returning to the spiritual world. We can choose to remain suffering for as long as we wish – but no matter how sinful we might be, redemption and atonement are always available to us. Just as a parent could never cast out their child for all eternity, God likewise can never turn His back on any of His children. A parent can never be happy knowing that their child is suffering; and God never gives up on us knowing that we are separated from Him and suffering here in the material world. So the Tui Ad fridge magnet statement is very accurate – God never condemns us. God is always waiting for us to take a step towards Him. He is very near and very dear.
Abhay Charan dasa
Hare Krishna I used to think that the devotees teach the doctrine of a temporary hell,but then what about Bhagavad gita chapter 16, where Krsna says the envious are perpetually put into lower and lower species?Also I have read that Madhvacarya classifies some souls as eternally tamasic ie doomed to hell forever.Also those who commit offenses.Could you explain this please?