What is the purpose of hell in Christian or Muslim theology?
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Anonymous
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I've always wondered about this.
It can't be rehabilitation, unless hell is temporary or the purpose is to make people regret their actions except they will still be suffering forever. It could be deterrence if people who are living decide to make choices to avoid punishment. The threat of not going to heaven also allows for deterrence, though. It could be incapacitation, but hell is unnecessary for that purpose if people are dead. In the Bible or Quran, is there any information about the purpose of hell? |
Anonymous
| I was taught and have processed it to be that Hell is the absence of God. The ultimate reward for a life well lived is to spend eternity in the presence of God. To be denied that ultimate reward would be the agonizing punishment of Hell. To know there is something so good that you will not ever experience would be Hell. And Hell is permanent so there is no rehabilitation. In my faith that is called Purgatory - sort of an in-between area where souls are still being held accountable for choices made but not yet permanently damned nor ready to experience permanent salvation. |
Anonymous
| Hell doesn’t exist, it’s just a concept used to manipulate people through fear. |
Anonymous
| To scare the masses into compliance. |
Anonymous
You're getting warmer (pardon the pun). Deterrence is basically another word for getting people to behave how you want. How do you do that? Carrot and stick. Make promises of how great life would be if they do as you say, and how awful it will be if they don't do as you say. |
Anonymous
Ding ding ding! Exactly. It’s a mechanism for mass control. |
Anonymous
| Hell can be temporary in Islam. Because God has mercy and may free you. |
Anonymous
Yup. ex-Muslim |
Anonymous
So then what's the purpose of doing good in this life, if you can gain mercy after being sent to hellfire? I grew up Muslim, and while I know that religion never makes sense, your assertion just proves it even more so. |
Anonymous
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Shhhh..
If hell is a made up place for bad people, conversely heaven is a made up place for good people. Now how will you ever get the masses to do what you say?? How will you ever gain sole (and soul) authority and control? |
Anonymous
| Hell is the complete separation from God and His love for all eternity. It is reserved for those who deliberately decided to sever themselves from Him in this life and refused to seek forgiveness and be reconciled. |
Anonymous
Your god is pretty brutal with his children. ‘Do what I want or else’ is quite literal. |
Anonymous
| I self identify as Muslim and i was taught that hell is like a "hospital" its a place where people with a "sick" soul would go to recuperate and that with time everyone in hell, even Satan will enter into paradise after learning to submit to the will of God and being grateful to Him. I think the the hadith that even satan will enter Paradise is a fairly common one but I also know that since my family moved to the USA in the sixties, the extremist Saudi Salafi tradition has taken hold and most muslims believe in what i think is a "christian" hell- eternal hellfire. I was taught that we dont believe that by our teachers in teh eighties but times are different now, none of my parents friends wore hijabs or shorts, just regular modest clothes and some even drank so we are not particularly inclined to believe in eternal hell, but i dont really know what modern day Wahabi types believe. |
Anonymous
| Supplication and compliance |
Anonymous
| Supplication and compliance |