I do not believe that the Christian Hell exists. I believe that the Islamic Hell might exist, but that the probability is very low.
Why would a Christian concede that the Islamic Hell might exist? I have no logical explanation, but I have always taken this statement as an axiomatic truth: if Hell exists, then it must be the Islamic Hell.
When I was young and growing up in a Christian milieu, I was very dedicated to the Christian faith, and I made a conscious effort to uphold Christian values. Yet I was told that I would go to Hell. I had difficulty trying to reconcile these contradictory ideas, and I eventually began to hate Christianity. What allowed me to remain Christian was adoption of the axiomatic statement in the previous paragraph. I know it sounds absurd, but this axiom allowed me to preserve my mental equilibrium until I had a more mature understanding of Christianity. I might indeed go to Hell, but it would be the Islamic Hell, not the Christian Hell.
Even though that spiritual conflict occurred many years ago, I often wistfully recall the time when I had a robust appreciation for the Islamic Hell and for my hypothetical existence in it. My postings today about the sun on the Islamic Day of Judgment are examples of this nostalgia.
malechristian,
There has been much written about the word, Hell in the Greek Scriptures. Look up what I will point out to you and this should be cleared up for you.
The term Hell is a corruption of the original word Hades, which is the Common grave of mankind. This is proved by a comparison of the words Hades, Greek and Sheol, Hebrew. Look up Psalms 16:10,11, then compare what is said about the same thing at Acts 2:27,28. Here, Jesus is spoken about, both in Hebrew, using Sheol as the common grave of mankind, and the Greek, Hades, where both are speaking about Jesus going to Hades, or Hell, when he was sacrificed for out salvation. We know that Sheol or Hades could not be a place of torment, because if it was Jesus, Who was perfect and never sinned, would not have gone to a place of torment, 1Peter 2:22.
When false religious teachers wanted to frighten people into their religion they changed Hades to Hell, thinking more people would pat attention if they thought they might go to a place of torment.
In the first century the word torment was used as a name for the person in charge of a jail, they were called Tormentors, because they kept them locked away from society, not for actually tormenting the jailed ones. This term is used in the 16:11 translation of The KJV, at Matthew 18:34, and the Revised English Bible, and others.
Another point to show that Sheol was not a place of torment or torture is recorded at Job 14:10-15. Here Job was asking God to allow him to go to Sheol, Hell, or grave, to get out of his misery, for he had boils all over his body, Job then wanted God to call him back when times were good.
At John 5:28,29, the Bible speaks about the time when Jesus, with the power God gives him, will resurrect, probably billions of people back from the grave of mankind, Sheol, Hell, Hades sometimes even called the pit, but all the same place, the Common Grave of Ma kind!!
Now, there is another place thatmankind can go, called Gehenna, sometimes called the Lake of Fire, or even The Second Death, Matthew 5:29,30, 23:33, Mark 9:43-48, Revelation 20:13-15, 21:8, 22:15. The people who are so evil or wicked, that God does not want them resurrected are these that go into Ghenna, or the Lake of Fire and Sulfur, the Second Death. All those in the memorial tombs will be resurrected back to earth, which will be made Into a Paradise, where mankind will live forever, Psalms 37:29, 115:16, 45:18.
This was God’s Original Purpose for mankind, and when God States a Purpose,it is Certain to come true, Genesis 1:26-28, Isaiah 55:11. Agape!!!