Commentary on Egoic Hell

“The belief in hell is inescapable to those who identify with the ego.  Their nightmares and their fears are all associated with it.”  (A Course in Miracles, FIP ed., T-15.I.4)

Threatened people can be, and frequently are, vicious. And threatened people are people who have considerable investment in the things of the ego—the materialism in particular.

This is the lamentable condition of this world, for many there are who believe in hell. And hell is very, very scary. Most individuals in this world do, in fact, identify with the ego; those who don’t are the rare exceptions. (And we are seeking to be those of this rare exception.) If we identify with the ego, we will oscillate between joy and despair, and our nightmares (daytime and nighttime) will offer little solace to us. We will live a fearful life. We will not be happy on any kind of extended basis…