I have recently started reading the series Penny for Your Soul, or more specifically the tie-in miniseries and I intend to read the main series when I can get around to it. The underlying concept of the series is that Mary Magdalene has decided to marry Lucifer so that she can help the tormented souls in Hell.

Generally speaking I do not like stories based in Heaven and Hell very much because I find that they lack a degree of relevance as there tends to be a lack of context (for instance if Superman goes to Hell to fight the devil or some silliness.) This is not as bad because it tends to show the effects of Hell on those that have earned their place there. Mary traverses the many levels trying to ease the suffering of the lost souls. In one scene Lucifer forces her to have a bath where she is bathed, but the crime of the bathers seems to be only affection for one another.

My immediate response to this was that the series, which was already taking a less serious look at Christianity, was also including a mild critique of the treatment of homosexuals. Whereas the punishment for others which Mary comes up with still befits their crimes, in this case the two background characters are "punished" by being allowed to do what they "did wrong" in the first place. It seemed like a subtle critique for me, not very harsh, but still something which the creative team might think is wrong with the outlook of the religion.