Some Christians trip over themselves hysterically to avoid any trappings of pagan religions, yet in places like Luke 16:19-31, Jesus used ancient mythology to explain an aspect of the afterlife. Why? The word translated as hell is Hades, originally referred to as the house of Hades, a Greek god of the underworld, the place of the dead. Hades was also called Pluto, the giver of wealth. Greek mythology closely linked wealth and hell. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man Jesus also linked the two. Why? Is it a sin to be rich? No, it is not. That is not the point. Wealth and luxury deceive us into thinking that we have no responsibility towards those around us who are suffering. We build walls so that we can ignore their torment. However, walls cannot remove our guilt.
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