One of the most troubling images in Jesus's teaching is the sorting of the sheep and the goats (the "sheep" being the "righteous" who are rewarded with eternal life, the goats the "unrighteous" condemned to punishment). At first glance the stakes appear to be "heaven" and "hell," with our human actions the determining factor in our eternal fate. But such an interpretation - while not entirely mistaken - does not fit particularly well with our understanding of God's love and the larger project ...
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