Where did hell come from?

[KingNothing]

I grew up a baptist and was consequently terrified of hell. I once read the entire Bible to learn all I could about hell. All I found were a few comments about 'gnashing of teeth'.

Can someone spare me the research and educate me on how hell has developed into this fiery place of everlasting suffering? :devil:

 

[Gentoo]

I believe that it was borrowed from the Zoroastrian culture. Wikipedia says:

"Zoroastrianism developed the abstract concepts of heaven, hell, personal and final judgement..."

"After death, the soul is allowed three days to meditate on his/her past life. If the good thoughts, words and deeds outweigh the bad, then the soul is taken into heaven. Otherwise, the soul is led to hell."

 

[Hacker]

I grew up a baptist and was consequently terrified of hell. I once read the entire Bible to learn all I could about hell. All I found were a few comments about 'gnashing of teeth'.

Can someone spare me the research and educate me on how hell has developed into this fiery place of everlasting suffering? :devil:

Wasn't hell created by God according to the bible?

 

[A. Leaf]

Two reasons, Hell as where the soul (Intelligent Energy) goes when it becomes negative through means of going through a life in a biological body that has seriously sinned e.g. raped, murderd, broke the divine rule of Love and has not repented. Or Hell being created by some of the powers that be to keep control over the masses?

 

[KingNothing]

I'm interested in the concept of hell. For this discussion I'm not interested in what it actually is. What I want to know is why people believe it to be whatever they believe it to be. None of the descriptions I've ever heard are contained in the Bible.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

I believe that it was borrowed from the Zoroastrian culture. Wikipedia says:

"Zoroastrianism developed the abstract concepts of heaven, hell, personal and final judgement..."

"After death, the soul is allowed three days to meditate on his/her past life. If the good thoughts, words and deeds outweigh the bad, then the soul is taken into heaven. Otherwise, the soul is led to hell."

The Christian concept of Hell is an amalgam of many different cultures. Remember the famous History of Hell class in college, Gentoo?

Thrown into the cultural mix (which includes Sumerian, Greek, Egyptian, and others) is the influence of writers like Dante and Milton whose fictional literature helped provide the landscape and characters of Hell that we know and love.

 

[SB Habakuk]

Hell- the very concept is terryfing

Hell came about from the Creation of the Cosmos- that matter which fell into a state of misfunction became known as Hell
As Christ referred to it Outer Darkness

It is in a state of Perpetual chaos-Chaos that cannot bring itself to be molded into anything for all the particles of it are jealous of the other

Over it is being called Belial-

 

[Random]

Hell- the very concept is terryfing

Hell came about from the Creation of the Cosmos- that matter which fell into a state of misfunction became known as Hell
As Christ referred to it Outer Darkness

It is in a state of Perpetual chaos-Chaos that cannot bring itself to be molded into anything for all the particles of it are jealous of the other

Over it is being called Belial-

That's some great pseudoscience there, Habakuk. Scary stuff...

 

[FatMan]

Hell came about from the Creation of the Cosmos

I always knew Pele and Beckenbauer were evil!!

Sorry if this flies over everyone's head, I'm feeling cheeky today.

 

[Doktormartini]

Well, I have a book on Norse Mythology, there is a Norse Goddess called Hel (note one L) and she is the Goddess of the underworld. It said that the Christians so feared her, that they named their place of torment (Hell) after her. Dunno how true this is though.

 

[Silicon Hero]

I cannot give any sort of reply based on logic or facts because I have never studied this issue, but I beleive that Satan created hell when he turned away from God as a domain for him and his followers. He didn't fall alone after all, and though there is no population cound of heaven, 1/3rd of its inhabitants is pretty huge.

 

[porkchop]

I grew up a baptist and was consequently terrified of hell. I once read the entire Bible to learn all I could about hell. All I found were a few comments about 'gnashing of teeth'.

Can someone spare me the research and educate me on how hell has developed into this fiery place of everlasting suffering? :devil:

Hell is mentioned in the Bible, and it hasnt developed into a fiery place of everlasting torment, it always has been that way, there are many descriptions of it, i will be back with the scripture!!

 

[Laila]

This is my understanding from my faith:

We get locked in the concept of time,
Where was the beginning and where will we end?
What was, was always and now,
We forget as we're anchored by form,
The process continues our conscience is closed,
These are the gates of Hell,
Fragmentation and detachment,
Heaven can be found by attachment,
Connecting the soul with the whole,
All praise be to God.

 

[porkchop]

Torment after death:

Lk 16v24: And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Danger of fire:

Mt 5v22: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

A fire everlasting:

Mt 18v8-9: Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Unquenchable fire:

Mk 9v43-44: And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

From a Chritian point of view it's Jesus Christ talking about Hell ,so if anyone knows about it, it'd be Him.

 

[Green Gaia]

I always knew Pele and Beckenbauer were evil!!

Sorry if this flies over everyone's head, I'm feeling cheeky today.

:redcard:

Leave Pele and der Kaiser alone!



As for the OP question: Dante's Inferno.

 

[KingNothing]

Thanks Stimpleton. My bible had a different translation of those passages. I did 5 minutes of googling, and it looks like some translations use the word hell up to 54 times while some not at all. Apparently there is a debate within the Christian community concerning those translations and the concept of hell. I'm glad for this since this fear factor is the biggest disagreement I have with mainstream Christian doctrine.