You're Really Telling them, "Go to Hell"

As I’m reflecting on all the wonderful things that I’ve been told I am today (on Father’s Day), I’m faced with a harsh reality. I wonder if I was too harsh, even judgmental, to a fellow teacher on Fri.

She said, “I tell my students, ‘You’re going to miss out of heaven,’ when they do wrong things.”

I said, “This may sound harsh, but you’re really telling them, ‘Go to hell,’ because what’s the opposite of not going to heaven? …unless you believe, there’s some other place to go.’”

She politely said, “I’ve never thought about that. That’s deep. I’ll have to give it some thought.” Then the conversation fizzled out.

An ironic part about the “but” in my response is it actually meant “but I’m going to say it anyway.” I’m wondering if the “But” actually should have been the End of that thought.