Yesterday I watched part of the programme 'Banged up Abroad' which as the name suggests covers the stories of UK citizens imprisoned abroad.  This particular episode included time served within a Venezuelan prison where tellingly the guards manned the walls but the prisoners ran the prison.  Inside this prison there were no rules, no protection, no compassion or any moral value just self interest and anarchy.  A downward spiral of mistrust, hate and violence.  They spoke of witnessing an inmate being raped but being powerless to do anything about it.  One of the prisoners called enduring a sentance in such a place 'his Hell'.

I think this gives us a small insight into the horror of Hell.  What is Hell but the absence of God and with that the absence of love and the absence of law.  Indeed the Devil is called the 'lawless one' for this very reason.  Without love there is no mercy or compassion.  Without law there is no society or any value structure to adhere to.  Hell will be so much more terrible than this prison, but we see in this example just a fraction of what man becomes when his own evil intent is unrestrained and unleashed.  This evil is in all of us. Those that do not trust in Christ shall experience such uncomprehendable suffering for eternity.

I read at the weekend the government was thinking of introducing care credits a system where engaging in charity work would earn someone care credits that could be used at a later date in your life.

Many religions believe in that by doing good in this lifetime we can bring favour with God, but the Bible states this is not the case. Christians cannot earn their way into heaven by good deeds but it is Gods grace that we rely on. As Paul writes in Ehesians 2 v8-9 “ for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast”. Jesus is the saviour that died on the cross that gave us our “credit” and by believing in Jesus we gain salvation. We could never earn enough credits to enter heaven as we are all born with sin and live far from perfect lives.

If, as you say, we are merely the bi-product of Evolution why do you care about the fate of the Chilean Miners?  If, as you say, we possess the 'selfish gene' so all our actions must logically be towards self preservation, did you take pleasure in seeing the trapped men freed?  If, as you say, death is simply part of the natural process of 'being' would you have been saddened had the rescue mission failed?

Where does care or concern for others come from in an Evolutionary existence.  There is neither need nor place for such things.  Isn't it true that if we all looked out only for our own interests, acknowledging that this is the natural order of things, the world would be a better place?

Surely not?