Universalism

Many people I meet probably float in the pool of universalism. Consistent denial of the supernatural simply requires more angst than is often sustainable, but the even bigger problem is that of death. Nothing disrupts our mazeway like the curse of death. So, in order to restore comprehension to our cosmos, we eventually succumb to some form of spirituality, some belief in an afterlife, whether by adopting an already established religion or by designing our own. The latter, I think, is increasingly popular, usually manifesting as universalism in one form or another. Universalism avoids the hard theological questions such as "What happens to the heathen who never hears of our Messiah?" We had lunch with some friends, not all Bible-believing, and someone said, "I can't believe in a religion that says Gandhi goes to hell." Laura said, "No one said hell was for bad people." But really, we're all bad people. I looked in the university library for some theological work of William Channing, credited with having much influence on the formation of Unitarianism. I found only humanitarian related commentary among his writings.
Hell is a hard thought. If the "Noble Savage" really does exist, surely loving God can impart to him righteousness as He can an unknowing child. I have much greater concern for my dear friends who consciously and persistently reject so great a salvation through Jesus Christ.