“It’s in the guilt-producing, control business and if you have heaven as a place where you’re rewarded for your goodness and hell as a place where you’re punished for your evil, then you sort of have control of the population.
“And so they create this firey place, which has quite literally scared the hell out of a lot of people throughout Christian history, and it’s part of a control tactic.”
The Right Reverend John Shelby Spong was the Bishop of Newark in New Jersey, between 1979 and 2000.
He is a staunch believer in reforming Christian dogma, challenging the Church on what he thinks are outdated or dishonest practices and beliefs.
