In Dante Alighieri’s Inferno there are several circles of Hell in which different types of souls inhabit. In Canto IV we are introduced to the First Circle of Hell, called “Limbo”, which is home to those who, in their lifetime, were virtuous but were not worshipers of Christ. Although they are not being tortured like the souls in “nowhere”, they are also denied entry to Heaven and are left “cut off from hope” and “liv[ing] on in desire” (Line 42). Virgil states that the souls there, including himself, “have not sinned” (Line 34) but that “their great worth alone / was not enough, for they did not know Baptism” (Lines 34-35).This means that although they were virtuous, that quality alone was not enough to grant them salvation as they also need to be followers of Christianity.
The fact that there are people in Hell who are virtuous and have no moral faults other than not being christians means that virtue is not what is essential to being in God’s good grace. This shows a flaw in Christianity, and perhaps all theistic religions, if the basis for salvation is your devotion to god rather than the content of your character. While to God this might be a suitable punishment for these souls, as they are not his worshippers but also not sinners, to me it is not. Christianity, along with other theistic religions, preaches acceptance and forgiveness, and so for these souls to be outcasted not for their sins but only because they chose (or perhaps did not chose) to not be christians shows a contradiction to the God’s values and his actions. This also implies that those who belong to a different religion, who probably grew up around people who all followed that same religion and therefore affirmed that it was right, and think they are doing the right thing in accordance to their rules are wrong for simply being misinformed. It also implies that there is no use being in virtuous if you are not Christian, as you will never be accepted by God and will inevitably be sent to hell. This is obviously problematic as it is a type of encouragement, to those who belong to different religions or simply do not want to convert, to do whatever they please as they will end up in the same place regardless. I find also find it problematic because the source of laws in any religion is debatable as no one has been told directly by a god what the right thing to do is. Therefore. it is just as probable to that a path other than Christianity is the right one, and people should not be punished for following it.