[Discussion] What is hell?

[NarutoActor]

What is hell?
Is it the stereotypical fiery landscape, or is it personalized, like in the book, No Exit; In the sense that hell is a realm, in which a torture exist uniquely for that person. Is there even a hell, or is that an ideal, to scare people in to believing in cretin doctrines, and when life ends, there is no hell. Can there be hell on earth? If hell does exist, why does it, and why do humans end up there?

What do you think? :3

[droomph]

As heaven is the presence of God, hell is the absence of God.

Just as heaven doesn't necessarily reside on clouds, hell is not necessarily full of fire.

However, there is a pool of burning fire (or was it sulfur?) in hell, that's for sure - the Bible says so.

But honestly I think being eternally locked out of heaven would be the worst punishment.

[Kanto_Johto]

There's lots of different perceptions of hell. My perception of hell doesn't really go further than what I see in cartoons, because I don't believe that the fiery, lava filled hell that is explained in religious teachings exists at all, be it in the real world or in the afterlife.

I suppose the closest thing to describe as hell would be the effect of a great crisis or extreme poverty in certain countries.

[Went]

Hell is a concept created by religions to describe the "wrong" end of life (eternal punishments and all).

But I do agree that living in the large amount of freedom-less, war-filled, hunger-struck countries sounds a lot worse for someone who doesn't believe in any religions such as me.

[Pingouin7]

I would be disappointed if I went to hell and there was no lava.

[Forever]

Um okay well, I'm afraid of almost everything lmao well, I question things a lot, I think about afterlife a lot and so on, but there's never any Hell in my mind. Like I'm afraid it might exist but I think it's more that I'm so sure it doesn't that it doesn't ever enter my mind. Why would God want us to suffer - effectively a nicer thing would be to remove all the bad and only remember the good/only the good sides of you are in Heaven, a much nicer thought than sending someone to Hell. That was just something I thought of, though, so I don't believe it yet or whether it's logical or not. XD;

[Renpuu]

If you're speaking in terms of religion, Hell for me would be no afterlife. I've had alot of friends and family pass away and it would pain me to find out there is nothing left after death and that I can't see them anymore.

There is already a hell, it's called living in the third world.

[Scarf]

"Hell is other people."

But my real answer is basically what Went said. I don't believe in any religious/afterlife version of hell.

I do rather like the idea I've read here and there that says that we are in hell right now - the whole "separate from god" idea. Were I religious and believed in hell I think this is how I would form my ideas around it. A pit of fire seems silly.

[shnen2]

Hell is whatever you want it to be, there is no way we can actually find out what it is until we get there other than following whatever your religion's scripture says
also this is interesting and semi relevant

[Bluerang1]

I really hope that there isn't a hell. I hope God offers those who go to hell redemption. It just sounds far too horrid, even for horrendous people.

I am a Christian so I believe on heaven and hell.

[outfox]

The concept of "Hell" was taught to me as a spatial destination where various kinds of torture, via material instruments such as fire, takes place. That seems to be the mental image that pops up in most people's minds, where I live anyway. Personally, I find that description difficult to accept. I've been exploring Zen Buddhism and Eastern Orthodox Catholicism, and although I adhere to neither, I believe in the mutual teachings that we are inseparable from oneness. It is taught in the East that hell is the experience of God's presence depending on your spiritual state. A friend of mine who's versed with the subject explained it like, those who have rejected love will be eternally pervaded with the potent love of God, and to them it will excruciatingly burn. An interesting perspective and one I can perceive logically, given my personal beliefs about the soul/body/mind. Anyway, I suppose until 'the end' Hell is nothing but a concept to man.

[AdvancedK47]

Hell is where Plato, Aristotle, Buddha, Voltaire, Lagrange, Edison, Hilbert, Einstein, Bohr, Schrodinger, Dirac, Plank, Curie, Feynman, Russel, and Sagan are.

Heaven is starting to sound like the place where I'd hate to be.

[PsychoToxin]

Hell, was an idea thought up by men who wanted a way to control the population by using scare tactics. It is a place where good or bad people can go because they only way to avoid it is to truly accept Jesus Christ as your savior. But, with all due respect to any religious people out there, your god sounds VERY insecure.

[pleb]

A cave full of lava pools with no exit

[Shiny Celebi]

I think it was something made up to scare people into behaving a certain way for whatever reason the people that invented it wanted, back when people didn't know any better. I don't believe in hell at all.

[Livewire]

Remember the bible is very heavy on imagery and metaphor, so what seems like a literal representation probably isn't.

[FierceDeity1]

It doesn't exist bro hell isn't real

[AdrianD]

Originally Posted by FierceDeity1

It doesn't exist bro hell isn't real

Agreed. Just as how God is suppose to love everyone and yet "hates homosexuality" God or the existence of him which is a piece of each of us loves us no matter what and we should love each other not judge each other.

[Patchisou Yutohru]

My belief for afterlife and all that are really complex to explain, but put simply, I've convinced myself that this is hell.

[Nintendork15]

I do not believe in heaven, nor hell.

I believe you fall asleep in the last 7 minutes of your life, and that dream you relive your live, but time in dreams can be longer than reality, so you live your life again, start afresh.

Which makes me think?
Have I died yet?

[Khawill]

If anything, I'd think purgatory is hell. I couldn't go through time watching the people I know die, then sit in eternal loneliness as nobody can see, hear, or speak to me.

I don't think there is a hell where people are tortured, I don't think it is an afterlife, I think hell is the one place that everyone fears in their own mind. Maybe some sort of reality or person they have to encounter head on.

Personally I don't believe in any afterlife, I think that when we die our lives just start over. Kind of like a loop, and you just live the same life again and again. (Maybe that can explain Deja Vu, we get flashes of our memory back). Though this idea implies that reality is personalized.

[machomuu]

Factually, it is a place (real or otherwise) that is used to scare (or inspire, but I'd say it's the former) people into doing what is "right". Whether it exists or not is irrelevant, but that's what it is originally. That's assuming you're talking about "Hell", "hell" is simply a word that is used for the sake of swearing, it may not have been created for that purpose.

Now, my personal interpretation of Hell is the world we live in now. I don't believe that the Christian Hell exists, but as a concept it is quite useful. Granted, I still enjoy life, but I'd say that our world, as it stands, fits whatever subjective description that "Hell" appeals to.

[PersianTrainer]

To me hell doesn't exist, except in media as entertainment for horror movies/books/games/music. Thats my current opinion

(If I had joined 7 years ago I would have said something stupid and idiotic)

[_Dean_]

Well. Revelations 20:10 says "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (kjv) So I assume it's an actual fiery pit. There are other passages that talk about "what hell is" by literal and metaphoric definition. But the bottom line is: it's infinite, utter torment.

It's hell.

EDIT
I would also like to point out that Christianity isn't the only religion that "has a hell." Many other religions and beliefs far and wide - with no connections to Christianity or the Bible - have their own concept of hell.

However, the all depict a place of eternal suffering and torment, and most include a fiery pit or "lake of fire."

[gimmepie]

If there is a Hell it is probably beyond the comprehension of those who aren't there. We can ponder about whether there is a Hell or not or what it is but we won't know unless we end up there.