Most people remember Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) for his masterpieces Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Adventures of Tom Sawyer. But Mark Twain was a prolific writer. Very few people are aware of the fact that Mark Twain, raised A Presbyterian, married to a Presbyterian, one of his best friends was a Presbyterian minister, and he was buried in a Presbyterian cemetery — but he became very anti-bible and very anti-Christian. He wrote some scathing satire that would make most ministers mad. Well, that’s not quite right. Most traditional ministers are already quite mad, mad, as insane. Stay tuned. We will explore Samuel Langhorne Clemens’ thoughts on Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. Did he die a Christian? Or did he die a Christian? or did he die an unbeliever, an infidel, an atheist? Did he go to Hell as many Christians who read Clemens anti-Christ writings believed?
One thought on “All Right then, I’ll Go To Hell”
I have always loved this quote from Huck Finn and never forgotten it since reading it some 40 years ago. To me it has always stood for the idea that one who only focuses on his own eternal welfare can not truly be saved. At the same time when we abandon all selfish thought and act even wrecklessky on behalf of others we are truly doing the work of Jesus. Obsession with one’a own salvation can only lead to damnation as I see Twain’s point.