"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
Luke 16:19-31
I can disagree about Terri Schiavo and immigration without blowing a gasket (or stomping my cyber feet and unionizing everyone who agrees with me to annoy and insult others for thinking differently -- you know who you are); my faith is a different thing entirely.
On top of that, you have been nasty toward me within the past week regarding less important matters, so I am reluctant to continue conversation with you. However, your post deserves an answer, and here is my final word: Jesus was not giving an actual instance of a dead person; it was one of his many vivid illustrations. Otherwise, Jesus would be unquestionably contradicting the writings of the psalmist in 146 (uncredited; possibly David, his earthly forefather) and Solomon, author of Ecclesiastes, regarding the condition of the dead.
There are many more reasons why I don't believe this illustration proves there is a burning hell, but I don't wish to get into the original Greek and all that. It leads to a never-ending conversation back and forth, and I prefer my arguments to end, regardless of whether I win, concede an error, or agree to disagree.