Selected from various Friends’ sources

We consider that no Christian can condon or support the killing of another human. It is the worst blasphemy to destroy what the Lord is prepared to redeem. We stand against murder by personal violence, by execution, by abortion, and by war.

Our stand against war was strongly and clearly stated in 1660, in a Declaration from the Harmless and Innocent People of God called Quakers, which was presented to Charles 11:

“We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fighting with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world. The Spirit of Christ, by which we are guided, is not changeable, so as once to command us from a thing as evil and again to move unto it; and we do certainly know, and so testify to the world, that the Spirit of Christ, which leads us into all Truth, will never move to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of the world.”

We do not regard this as a “peculiarity” of our own denomination, to be questioned by others. Rather it is we that should gently ask others who profess Christianity why they will not obey Christ in this.

For if they can show us where Christ, or any disciple or apostle afterwards, commanded that we should take up the sword again, after he had commanded us to put away the sword [lest we perish by the sword], then we shall confess that we are wrong.

But they cannot show us, for it is expressly against the gospels and against the Spirit of the living Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Although governments may strive after it and many try to obtain it by politically demonstrative means, only Jesus Christ can give us true peace [see John 14:27]. Peace comes within our own hearts, when we surrender our lives to Christ.

“And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” [Philemon 4:7]

People keep asking me about Hell, citing the parable in Luke 16:23. ("Abraham’s bosom" is used in a symbolic sense for the afterlife of believers.) Some in the West believe in a sadistic god, who perpetually tortures people in Hell. But Christians in the East always knew what the Bible's references to Heaven and Hell meant. They never believed in a sadistic god. The early Church writers teach that God is both Heaven and Hell, according to each person's righteousness. He loves everyone and He will embrace everyone, but not everyone will see Him as light. Some people will be unable to tolerate His Love and they will suffer, because they have learned only to hate.

When we say that God is both light and fire, Protestants often ask us: "Where did you find that in the Bible?" Even though they know that it's irrational to believe that God tortures people, they need quotes from the Bible to be convinced. Of course, we Christians don't need to see something written in the Bible in order to believe it. But we are going to present a few biblical passages that support our opinion. Thus, the Protestants will be able to abandon the western, blasphemous notion of a sadistic God, and they will see that the teachings of the Lord's Church are always true. Let's start with Isaiah 33:

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with the everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil. He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. --Isaiah 33:14-16

Notice who will dwell with the everlasting burnings! Not only the unjust, but the righteous as well! Do you see that they are the same? What is feared by sinners is considered “high� by the righteous. And what is the "devouring fire?"

For our God is a consuming fire. --Hebrews 12:29 KJV

This "fiery" God is "light" for other people. According to Isaiah:

For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.--Isaiah 60:17-20

 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory --1 Corinthians 15:41

But the passage from Isaiah mentions materials. It is obvious that God will replace the lesser materials with materials that are more valuable and more able to endure fire. What does this mean? The apostle Paul explains:

It is important that in this passage various materials symbolize each person's actions. Good actions are like valuable materials that can't be harmed by fire. On the other hand, evil actions are mentioned as materials that can be burned. Then, the fire of God's grace will burn the unworthy deeds and he who committed them shall be damaged, because he won't have anything valuable to show. Both good and evil actions, both righteous and unjust men will go through this fire... The prophet Zechariah says that the fire purifies valuable metals. The fire doesn't burn them, but it cleans them and it illuminates them. When a metal stays in the fire, it too becomes bright as fire. But the fire also makes wood black and burns it:

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. --Zechariah 13:9

The next passage also shows us that the righteous and the unjust will go through the same flame. Although the sinners will feel burned by the fire, the just shall rest in the fire of the presence and the glory (brightness) of the Lord:

In the Revelation to John, we read about the river of the Grace of God that springs from His throne. This river is the river of life for the righteous:

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. --Revelation 22:1-2

But this river is also described as "fire":

A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him... --Daniel 7:10

We see the difference between how the righteous and how the unjust perceive the Grace of God. This is because, according to the author of the Psalms, the fire of the Lord is divided by Him into illuminating and burning energy:

The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. (Psalm 29:7; Masoretic Text)

When that day comes, are we going to feel God's grace as "fire" or as "light?" The decision is ours… (Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiries)

I believe that the Greek Orthodox Church explains best the truth about Heaven and Hell.

On the Last Sunday of Lent "we commemorate the Second and Incorruptible Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." The expression "we commemorate" of the Book of Saints confirms that our Church, as the Body of Christ, re-enacts in its worship the Second Coming of Christ as an event and not just something that is historically expected. The reason is that we are transported to the Celestial Kingdom, to meta-history. It is in this Orthodox perspective, that the subject of Paradise and Hell is approached.

In the Gospels (Matthew, Ch.25), mention is made of  "the kingdom" and of  "eternal fire." In this excerpt, which is cited during the Liturgy of this Sunday, the "kingdom" is the divine destination of mankind. The "fire" is "prepared" for the devil and his angels (demons), not because God desired it, but because they are impenitent. The "kingdom" is "prepared" for those who remain faithful to the will of God.

"Kingdom" (the uncreated glory) is Paradise. "Fire" (eternal) is Hell (eternal Hell, "everlasting punishment," 25:46). At the beginning of history, God invites man into Paradise, into a communion with His uncreated Grace. At the end of history, man has to face Paradise and Hell. What this means, we shall see, further down. We do however stress that it is one of the central subjects of our faith--it is Orthodox Christianity's philosopher's stone.

Mention of Paradise and Hell in the New Testament is frequent. In Luke 23:43, Christ says to the robber on the cross: "Today you will be with me in paradise." However, the robber also refers to Paradise in Luke 23:42, when he says: "Remember me, Lord … in your kingdom." According to Theofylaktos of Bulgaria (P 123, 1106), "…for the robber was in Paradise, in other words, the kingdom." The Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12: 3-4) confesses that, while still in this lifetime, he was "swept up to Paradise and heard unspoken words, which are inappropriate for man to repeat." In Revelations, we read: "To the victor, I shall give him to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of my God." (Rev.2-7). And Arethas of Caesaria interprets: "Paradise is understood to be the blessed and eternal life." (PG 106, 529). Paradise-eternal life-kingdom of God, are all related.

References on Hell include Matthew 25:46 ("to eternal damnation"), 25:41 ("eternal fire"), 25:30 ("the outermost darkness"), 5:22 ("the place of fire"). 1 John 4:18 ("…for fear contains Hell"). These are ways that express what we mean by "Hell."

Paradise and Hell are not two different places. This is an idolatrous concept. They signify two different situations or ways, which originate from the same uncreated source, and are perceived by man as two different experiences. Or, more precisely, they are the same experience, except that they are perceived differently by man, depending on man's internal state. This experience is the sight of Christ inside the uncreated light of His divinity, of His "glory." From the moment of His Second Coming, through to all eternity, all people will be seeing Christ in His uncreated light. That is when

In the presence of Christ, mankind will be separated ("sheep" and "goats," to His right and His left). In other words, they will be discerned in two separate groups: those who will be looking upon Christ as Paradise (the "exceeding good, the radiant") and those who will be looking upon Christ as Hell ("the all-consuming fire," Hebrews 12:29). Paradise and Hell are the same reality. This is what is depicted in the portrayal of the Second Coming. From Christ a river flows forth: it is radiant like a golden light at the upper end of it, where the saints are. At its lower end, the same river is fiery, and it is in that part of the river that the demons and the unrepentant ("the never repentant" according to a hymn) are depicted. This is why in Luke 2:34 we read that Christ stands "as the fall and the resurrection of many." Christ becomes the resurrection into eternal life, for those who accepted Him and who followed the suggested means of healing the heart; and to those who rejected Him, He becomes their demise and their Hell.

Patristic testimonies:

It is a myth that the damned will not be looking upon God; just as the "absence of God" is equally a myth. The Franks had also perceived the fires of Hell as something created (e.g., Dante's Inferno). Orthodox tradition has remained faithful to the Scriptural claim that the damned shall see God (like the rich man of the parable), but will perceive Him only as "an all-consuming fire." The Frankish scholastics accepted Hell as punishment and the deprivation of a tangible vision of the divine essence. Biblically and patristically however, "Hell" is understood as man's failure to collaborate with Divine Grace, in order to reach the "illuminating" view of God (Paradise) and selfless love (per 1 Corinthians 13:8): "love … does not demand any reciprocation"). Consequently, there is no such thing as "God's absence," only His presence. That is why His Second Coming is dire … It is an irrefutable reality, toward which Orthodoxy is permanently oriented ("I anticipate resurrection of the dead …")

The damned--those who are depraved at heart, just like the Pharisees (Mark 3:5: "in the callousness of their hearts")--eternally perceive the pyre of Hell as their salvation! It is because their condition is not susceptible to any other form of salvation. They too are "finalized"--they reach the end of their road--but only the righteous reach the end of the road as saved persons. The others finish as damned. "Salvation" to them is Hell, since in their lifetime, they pursued only pleasure. The rich man of the parable had "enjoyed all of his riches." The poor Lazarus uncomplainingly endured "every suffering." The Apostle Paul expresses this (1 Corinthians 3:13-15): "Each person's work, whatever it is, will be tested by fire. If their work survives the test, then whatever they built, will be rewarded accordingly. If one's work is burnt by the fire, then he will suffer losses; he shall be saved, thus, as though by fire." The righteous and the unrepentant shall both pass through the uncreated "fire" of divine presence, however, the one shall pass through unscathed, while the other shall be burnt. He too is "saved," but only in the way that one passes through a fire. Efthimios Zigavinos (12th century) observes in this respect: "God as fire that illuminates and brightens the pure, and burns and obscures the unclean." And Theodoritos Kyrou regarding this "saving" writes: "One is also saved by fire, being tested by it," just as when one passes through fire. If he has an appropriate protective cover, he will not be burnt, otherwise, he may be "saved," but he will be charred!

Consequently, the fire of Hell has nothing in common with the Frankish "purgatory," nor is it created, nor is it punishment, or an intermediate stage. A viewpoint such as this, is virtually a transferal of one's accountability to God. But the accountability is entirely our own, whether we choose to accept or reject the salvation (healing) that is offered by God. "Spiritual death" is the viewing of the uncreated light, of divine glory, as a pyre, as fire. Saint John the Chrysostom in his Ninth Homily on 1 Corinthians, notes: "Hell is never-ending … sinners shall be judged into a never-ending suffering. As for the 'being burnt altogether' it means this: that he does not withstand the strength of the fire." And he continues: "And he (Paul) says, it means this: that he shall not be thus burnt also--like his works--into nothingness, but he shall continue to exist, only inside that fire. He therefore considers this as his 'salvation.' For it is customary for us to say 'saved in the fire,' when referring to materials that are not totally burnt away." Scholastic perceptions-interpretations, which, through Dante's work (Inferno) have permeated our world, have consequences that amount to idolatrous views. An example is the separation of Paradise and Hell as two different places. This has happened, because they did not distinguish between the created and the uncreated. Also, the denial of Hell's eternity, with their idea of the "restoration" of everything, or the concept of a "good God" (Bon Dieu). God is indeed "benevolent": (Matthew 8:17), since He offers salvation to everyone. ("He wants all to be saved …" (1 Timothy 2:4) However, the words of our Lord as heard during the funeral service are formidable: "I cannot do anything on my own; just as I hear, thus I judge, and my judgment is fair." (John 5:30). Equally manufactured is the concept of  "theodicy," which applies in this case. Everything is finally attributed to God alone (i.e., if He intends to redeem or condemn), without taking into consideration man's "collaboration" as a factor of redemption.Salvation is possible, only within the framework of collaboration between man and Divine Grace.

According to the blessed Chrysostom, "the utmost, almost everything, is God's; He did however leave something little to us." That "little something" is our acceptance of God's invitation. The robber on the cross was saved, by "using the key request of  'remember me …'" Also idolatrous is the perception of a God becoming outraged against a sinner, whereas we mentioned earlier that God "never shows enmity." This is a juridical perception of God, which also leads to the prospect of "penances" in confessions as forms of punishment, and not as medications (means of healing) … The mystery of Paradise-Hell is also experienced in the life of the Church in the world. Besides, this lifetime is evaluated in the light of the twin criterion of Paradise-Hell. "Ask first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness," our Christ recommends (Matthew 6:33). Vasileios the Great tells the Young (Ch.3) "Everything we do is in preparation of another life." Our life must be a continuous preparation for our participation in "Paradise"--our community with the Uncreated (1 John 17:3).

A further note from Robert Barclay's Catechism and Confession of Faith

Question, What saith the Scripture of the Resurrection of the Dead?

A. And have Hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a Resurrection of the Dead, both of the Just and Unjust [Acts 24:15].

Q. To what different End shall the Good be raised from the Bad? and how are they thereunto reserved?

A. Marvel not at this; for the Hour is coming, in the which all that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice, and shall come forth; they that have done Good, unto the Resurrection of Life; and they that have done Evil, unto the Resurrection of Condemnation [John 5:28-29]. But the Heavens and the Earth, which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto Fire against the Day of Judgment, and Perdition of Ungodly Men [2 Pet. 3:7].

Q. What must be answered to such as ask how the Dead are raised; and with that what Body?

A. Thou Fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it dye: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that Body that shall be; but bare Grain, it may chance of Wheat, or some other Grain: But God giveth it a Body as it hath pleased him, and to every Seed his own Body.All Flesh is not the same Flesh; but there is one kind of Flesh of Men, another Flesh of Beasts, another of Fishes, and another of Birds: there are also Celestial Bodies, and Bodies Terrestrial; but the Glory of the Celestial is one, and the Glory of the Terrestrial is another: there is one Glory of the Sun, and another Glory of the Moon, and another Glory of the Stars; for one Star differs from another Star in Glory; so also is the Resurrection of the Dead; it is sown in Corruption, it is raised in Incorruption; it is sown in Dishonour, it is raised in Glory; it is sown in Weakness, it is raised in Power; it is sown a Natural Body, it is raised a Spiritual Body: There is a Natural Body, and there is a Spiritual Body [1 Cor. 15:36-44].

Q. The Apostle seems to be very positive that it is not that Natural Body, which we now have, that shall rise, but a Spiritual Body?