No, I certainly do not believe in universalism.  I believe that “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)  I believe that “the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:23).  I believe that “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3).  I believe what Jesus said, which is that “I am the way, the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).   Those who do not put their faith in Jesus are not saved by the blood of Jesus.

It is true that some Christian theologians have agreed with the idea of Universalism.  Universalism was a tiny fraction of believers before the nineteenth century, but with the age of Reason, it gained some supporters.  To tell you the truth, I wish it were true.  I wish that all people will be saved by Jesus.  The problem with this idea is that it is not supported by the Christian scriptures.  Hell is real.  It is not a figment of Jesus’ imagination.  Jesus talked about hell nearly as much as he talked about heaven.

You say that “the Bible in its original writings” support universalism.  OK.  So, what is the evidence for this?  Such a theory, which is not based on actual evidence, is rather weak.  A theory without evidence is mere speculation.  Not only to such universalism scriptures from the first century not exist, but there are not even any early church leader quotes from such scriptures.

If you go to my website and do a search for the word hell, you will find many dozens of statements about hell and about the reality of hell.  I just did a quick search and found sixty articles at my website which mention hell.  So, your statement is not true.  I believe in heaven because it is mentioned in the Bible and because Jesus clearly believed in heaven. I believe in hell for exactly the same reasons.  It is wishful thinking that hell is not real.  God is a just and holy God, and those who willfully choose not to accept his offer of salvation will face a judgement day.  I get no pleasure from saying this, believe me!  But the truth is the truth, and it is fully clear that the Bible and biblical Christianity includes both the idea of salvation and heaven and the idea of hell.  Revelation 20:11-15 should not be ignored.  To do so is to make a dangerous mistake.

You say that this belief is not reasonable.  Perhaps you are right.  The question is not whether it is reasonable, but whether it is true.  Wishful thinking does not create God in the image that we prefer.  There are things which I do not like but which are true.  That Jesus is God and is also with God (John 1:1, 1:14) is not reasonable, but it is true.  That Jesus could die to pay the penalty of another is not reasonable, but it is true.  Human reason is not the ultimate decider on what is true.  The Creator/God and the Scripture which he inspired is the ultimate source of truth.  I understand that you find the idea of hell to be abhorrent.  I get that.  I, too, wish that all will be saved in the end.  But the problem with this wish is that it is not true, if we take the Bible and the statements of Jesus seriously.  I hope this helps.

John Oakes