Over the last year since buying a Kindle I have found myself reading and re-reading a lot of classic dystopian literature. Like many others reading this genre I have found myself constantly drawn into the stories and as a result more aware of my current reality - its failings and flaws.
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As an elementary school teacher I find myself further exposed to dystopian literature, particularly since the advent of the wildly popular teen fiction Hunger Games series.
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While I am by no means an expert in English literature, from what I can observe, an underlying storyline that seems present in almost all dystopian literature is humanity's failure and the effect this failure has on society. Whether it be our failure to establish a healthy and safe use of technology leading to a takeover by machines; failures in moral or political decisions leading to totalitarian regimes; or our poor environmental decisions leading to equally harsh future possibilities.
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Reflecting on the underlying theme of humanity's failure persistent in so many dystopian storylines, I found myself thinking about how in many ways the depictions of hell in the Bible might in some ways be read as a form of dystopian literature.
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To be clear, I am not making any comment about whether Hell is actually real or fictitious - that is a far larger discussion than space permits me here. Instead, I wonder whether perhaps reading and examining depictions of hell as dystopian writing might teach us something new about why they are written as they are, what their function might be, and why they are included in this way in the Bible.
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My sense is that a central function of dystopian writing is not to dwell, obsess over or give undue focus to the possible future world. Rather, it is typically crafted as a kind of mirror to the failures and potential threats these failures lead to. Ultimately it stands as a warning that if humanity continues on a certain path, it faces a less than utopian future. That said, as I look in the hellish mirror presented in scripture where there is incessant suffering and separation from God - I see in many ways a reflection on what some people might consider their present reality.
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When I read the compelling and overwhelmingly desperate struggles of the characters in 1984, for example, I ought not stay trapped by their story but instead I should come away from it examining the political and social structures around me that even today oppress and harm others. If left unchecked, George Orwell proposes, these present political and social realities will develop and grow into the kind of future depicted in his dystopian writing.
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The same in many ways is true of how the writers of the Bible use the notion of hell. The emphasis in a sense ought not to be on the future is depicted, no matter how positive or negative. Instead, the focus should be on the need for humanity to shift its focus away from its current self-absorbed ways to seek a relationship with the divine, while caring for the present suffering and anguish in the world. Otherwise the seeds for the miserable future hellishly illustrated in the Bible are already being planted by our present day actions.
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Peter Lublink is completing his Masters in Theological Studies with a focus on the peace teachings of Jesus while living and working in The Middle East with his wife Alison. Prior to packing up their bags and moving, Alison and Peter lived and worked in the beautiful city of Victoria, BC, leading a church community with The Salvation Army. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/peterlublink.
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