Difficulty Quote by C. S. Lewis
“The whole difficulty of understanding Hell is that the thing to be understood is so nearly nothing.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Problem of Hell, The Problem of Pain, 1940
Understanding Hell is difficult because it is defined by the absence of being, making it conceptually elusive.
In simple terms: Hell is hard to grasp because it’s defined by nothingness.
Key Takeaway
Recognize limits of human comprehension about evil.
Themes
theology
philosophy
existence
nothingness
Mood
somber
inquisitive
Type
theological
philosophical
When to use this quote
- sermons
- philosophical debates
- personal contemplation
Key Concepts
metaphysics
ethics
spiritual reflection
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “nothingness” mean to you?
- How do you reconcile belief in hell with love?
A Different Perspective
Human language may fail to capture the concept fully.
![“Tony [Campolo] and I might disagree on the details, but I think we are both trying to find an alternative to both traditional Universalism and the narrow, exclusivist understanding of hell [that unless you explicitly accept and follow Jesus, you are excluded from eternal life with God and destined…” quote by Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9d1/brian-d-mclaren-8226_accepting_tony-campolo-and-i-might-disagree-on-the_577840.jpg)
