Religion & Law

It has long occurred to me that the doctrines of heaven and hell can undermine spirituality. If one lives a life primarily to avoid hell and to gain access to heaven, one is in danger of leading an individualistic, instrumentalist and egoistic life. I can recall, however, the late Father Robert Smith arguing to me that the notion of heaven was not consumerist in any way. Properly understood, the desire for heaven was a desire to be close to God. The goal is to live a life trying to be close to God, and it is natural to hope that an afterlife deepens that connection. So understood, the religious and spiritual fuse.