What is hell?

[halbhh]

In my tradition, "Hell" is not a place of damnation but rather the incapacity of a soul to apprehend the saving love of God, because it has totally excluded itself from it by its manner of living and being: "This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell."" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1033).

My church does not affirm that anyone is actually 'in' this eternal state or condition after death, it merely teaches that on account of human freewill we cannot "deny" that it is a possible choice before every one of us.

St. Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510) thus stated: "The separated soul goes naturally to its own state. The soul in the state of sin, finding no place more suitable, throws itself of its own accord into hell. And the soul which is not yet ready for divine union, casts itself voluntarily into purgatory. Heaven has no gates. Whoever will can enter there, because God is all goodness. But the divine essence is so pure that the soul, finding in itself obstacles, prefers to enter purgatory, and there to find in mercy the removal of the impediment…” (The Doctrine of Catherine of Genoa).

As to the nature of this possible 'spiritual state of being' after death - hell - the Church Father Saint Isaac the Syrian (a 7th century fathers) contended that heaven and hell are both postmortem encounters with the Love of God, albeit experienced differently as a result of the different conditions of souls:

‘Those who are tormented in hell are tormented by the invasion of love. What is there more bitter and more violent than the pains of love? Those who feel they have sinned against love bear in themselves a damnation much heavier than the most dreaded punishments. The suffering with which sinning against love afflicts the heart is more keenly felt than any other torment.

It is absurd to suppose that sinners in hell are deprived of God’s love.

Love.. is offered impartially. But by its very power it acts in two ways. It torments sinners, as happens here on earth when we are tormented by a friend to whom we have been unfaithful. And it gives joy to those who have been faithful. That is what the torment of hell is – remorse.’

[St. Isaac of Nineveh, ‘Ascetic Treatises’, p 326]​

I believe in the omnipresence of God and therefore accept He is present even in the state of Hell.

A particularly striking argument to this effect, that God is present even in Hell no less than in Heaven, can be found in the works of St. Angela of Foligno, (1248 - 1309), an Italian mystic of the Catholic Church:

In a vision I beheld the fullness of God in which I beheld and comprehended the whole creation, that is, what is on this side and what is beyond the sea, the abyss, the sea itself, and everything else. And in everything that I saw, I could perceive nothing except the presence of the power of God, and in a manner totally indescribable. And my soul in an excess of wonder cried out: "This world is pregnant with God!" ...

God presents himself in the inmost depths of my soul. I understand not only that He is present, but also how He is present in every creature and in everything that has being, in a devil and a good angel, in heaven and hell, in good deeds and in adultery or homicide, in all things, finally, which exist or have some degree of being, whether beautiful or ugly.

She further said: I also understand that he is no less present in a devil than a good angel. Therefore, while I am in this truth, I take no less delight in seeing or understanding his presence in a devil or in an act of adultery than I do in a good angel or in a good deed. This mode of divine presence in my soul has become almost habitual

(Paulist Press, 1993, pp. 212-213)​

There's a modern Christian hymn, which contains the following lyric in its bridge: "No matter how far I run, I run into Your love":

This song expresses the underlying idea well.

Christ famously (or to me it is) went to those 'spirits in prison' in 1rst Peter chapter 3, I think it's verses 18-20, or thereabouts. Where it seems He is offering a chance to turn and repent and salvation to all souls that had not heard the gospel in life, based on Romans 2:11 For God does not show favoritism. And that time is not any kind of impediment or problem for God, to reach all souls in all of time, without effort.

 

[ChristineM]

using 'hell' in most translations --

Do you know what the untranslated word is and it's meaning,

 

[Colt]

Hell was invented by primitive man who had no concept for "death". That is to say that they assumed everyone went on to the spirit world. So those who weren't nice in the tribe went to a hell place while those who adhered to the basic prohibitions of the "taboo" went on to a good place.

Its fiction.

 

[cataway]

there was once was a man named Jonah. he knew he was in hell ,the place of destruction. its the same with hell ,the grave . its the place of destruction of the dead . in time the body is gone . more time and even the bones are gone.

 

[SalixIncendium]

In an other thread i discussed what hell is, and gave an answer, but after some reflection i think my answer was incorrect.

What does your religion or spiritual teaching say about Hell?
What is you own understanding of what Hell might be?

In my understanding, Hell is the state of mind resulting from suffering brought about by attachments or desires.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I dont think all atheists experience hell and i think many who claim to be believers may end up in hell before Atheists

I think an atheist can experience hell every bit as much as a theist can.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Hell was invented by primitive man who had no concept for "death". That is to say that they assumed everyone went on to the spirit world. So those who weren't nice in the tribe went to a hell place while those who adhered to the basic prohibitions of the "taboo" went on to a good place.

Its fiction.

What evidence do you have to support this?

 

[Colt]

What evidence do you have to support this?

It comes from the Urantia revelation of 1955.

 

[SalixIncendium]

It comes from the Urantia revelation of 1955.

So no, then?

 

[Colt]

So no, then?

So no then what? Hell is a concept that has been around for ages and across many religions. Its part of evolved religions. Its like blood sacrifice is common to multiple religions. The concept of the afterlife is also common, even the Neanderthals would burry items with their dead presumably for use in the afterlife.

 

[Spirit of Light]

I think an atheist can experience hell every bit as much as a theist can.

Yes it can happen to anyone, the meaning of my words was to say, many atheists act much better then some people claming to be religious but do action or speak not out of their religious teaching.

 

[cataway]

I think an atheist can experience hell every bit as much as a theist can.

considering that its nothing more than the grave ,the place where dead people are put , yes i'm sure you are right

 

[Vinayaka]

In an other thread i discussed what hell is, and gave an answer, but after some reflection i think my answer was incorrect.

What does your religion or spiritual teaching say about Hell?
What is you own understanding of what Hell might be?

My personal opinion is there is no hell, so the question "What is hell?" has a false assumption in it, making it moot.

 

[SalixIncendium]

considering that its nothing more than the grave ,the place where dead people are put , yes i'm sure you are right

I don’t project my understandings onto you. I’ll thank you to afford me the same level of courtesy and respect.

 

[Clara Tea]

Hell is jail for evil spirits. It is possible that God allows Satan to exist to keep that jail (keep out evil from the rest of the universe).

Hell is surrounded by a vortex of psychic energy (ESP), which painfully keeps in bad souls. Heaven has the same kind of barrier, but it is designed to keep out bad souls.

This runs against scriptures, but I think that God is composed of billions of spirits, and he puts them in humans to guide humans to do good or evil. The evil spirits (or souls) will go to hell, but the good spirits will rejoin God.

 

[ajay0]

In an other thread i discussed what hell is, and gave an answer, but after some reflection i think my answer was incorrect.

What does your religion or spiritual teaching say about Hell?
What is you own understanding of what Hell might be?

I love this saying by Tryon Edwards...

'Hell is truth seen too late. Duty neglected in its season.'


As per the Prajapita Brahmakumaris, peace and joy are the natural qualities of the soul, but these are obscured by intense desires in the form of cravings and aversions for pleasure and pain, due to identification with the mind-body complex, and which produces misery and suffering.

Rather than being in the state of pure consciousness, one identifies with the temporary body and consequently experiences negative emotions and vices in the form of lust, hatred, greed, inordinate attachment and egoism.
This state is known as body-consciousness, and body-consciousness is considered as the source of all vices.

Thus heaven and hell is considered as a state of mind or consciousness.

Considering oneself as an eternal conscious soul in a temporary body and identifying with the consciousness within is considered as soul-consciousness. This generates peace and tranquility in the system.

Identification with the temporary body on the other hand generates fear, hatred and other negative emotions leading to vice. This lower state of consciousness productive of suffering is also termed as body-consciousness, and leads to hellish states of mind in the individual, family and society.

 

[SalixIncendium]

what i see you saying is please allow your self to be ignorant . ignorance is bliss

Then your eyes are deceiving you.

What I was actually saying in a friendly way is this: I find it rude to attempt to correct others using your own unsubstantiated beliefs, so knock it off with the proselytizing.

 

[cataway]

Then your eyes are deceiving you.

What I was actually saying in a friendly way is this: I find it rude to attempt to correct others using your own unsubstantiated beliefs, so knock it off with the proselytizing.

Y'all want to believe what you want to believe ? perhaps that is your privilege . so letting blind people walk off and over a cliff, is just ,perhaps ,a good way to get rid of them?? would that not be the same as pushing them off to their death ? Yes, you all want to believe what you want to believe . perhaps that is your privilege . yet if i were to let you walk off that cliff ,would someone hold it against me if i should not say anything , and then let you walk ? avoid the splat .its not the fall that hurts ,its that sudden stop that does the damage .

 

[SalixIncendium]

Y'all want to believe what you want to believe ? perhaps that is your privilege . so letting blind people walk off and over a cliff, is just ,perhaps ,a good way to get rid of them?? would that not be the same as pushing them off to their death ? Yes, you all want to believe what you want to believe . perhaps that is your privilege . yet if i were to let you walk off that cliff ,would someone hold it against me if i should not say anything , and then let you walk ? avoid the splat .its not the fall that hurts ,its that sudden stop that does the damage .

If I step off a cliff, that’s my choice. It doesn’t affect you, so why bother trying to prevent it?

You spoke of ignorance previously. Is it not ignorance that leads one to assume that if one steps off a cliff that one will fall? There are those who step off a cliff and take flight.

 

[Trailblazer]

Y'all want to believe what you want to believe ? perhaps that is your privilege .

You believe your religious beliefs are true, just like most believers, but I do not share your beliefs, I believe my beliefs are true. Can you prove your beliefs are true? If not they are just beliefs, not facts.