Why do people even believe in hell?

[Samof94]

It seems wrong and unethical. At least North Korean prison camps don’t make you immortal in the worst possible way. Why would someone in the 21st century in a Western democracy believe in such a doctrine in today’s world?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The Astral plane is indeed the Afterlife and there may or may not be reincarnation, people assume the worst because we don't know what Astral plane and Purgatory can be interpreted as Hell or middle ground between Judgement day and rapture with Christ comes back

Greeks called Purgatory as Underworld and it can be called Astral plane too, we go there every night when we dream

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Hell is the necessary consequence of God's plan for mankind, for not all accept His offer of reconciliation for our sins, and if He forced it upon us then we would not be properly adopted sons of His. He will pour out His love upon His creation, for if He did not do so then it would not be truly reconciled to Him, yet not all of us have chosen to be made into vessels of His grace, and He respects our choices.

[wimp]

It really does seem that most Christians only believe in hell as part of the "package deal", and try not to think about it.

For a lot, I imagine they only think "really bad" people like serial killers, mass murderers, and rapists go there.

AFAIK its not mentioned in any notable CCM at all.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

I believe that the eternal patience and forgiveness of the Lord erases Hell as a theological necessity. Eternal Hell was invented by man to keep people in line, but it is inconsistent with a benevolent, merciful, eternally patient God. Your story will go on, because if there's not a happy ending, it is because God's ultimate plan has not yet been fulfilled.

That is not to say there will not be loss. And that loss may be simply having all of one's efforts in this life revealed as nothing more than selfishness and wasted potential.

There is uncertainty here, as with all things. But the more intimate I have become with my faith, the more I doubt the existence of eternal suffering, which neither corrects sin nor allows the sinner to repent for what they have done. It is purely a threat of retribution, not restitution.

[Samof94]

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

I believe that the eternal patience and forgiveness of the Lord erases Hell as a theological necessity. Eternal Hell was invented by man to keep people in line, but it is inconsistent with a benevolent, merciful, eternally patient God. Your story will go on, because if there's not a happy ending, it is because God's ultimate plan has not yet been fulfilled.

That is not to say there will not be loss. And that loss may be simply having all of one's efforts in this life revealed as nothing more than selfishness and wasted potential.

There is uncertainty here, as with all things. But the more intimate I have become with my faith, the more I doubt the existence of eternal suffering, which neither corrects sin nor allows the sinner to repent for what they have done. It is purely a threat of retribution, not restitution.

Hell seems like the kind of tool that a conquering army would use to intimidate people.

[afleitch]

Masochism.

[°Leprechaun]

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

I believe that the eternal patience and forgiveness of the Lord erases Hell as a theological necessity. Eternal Hell was invented by man to keep people in line, but it is inconsistent with a benevolent, merciful, eternally patient God. Your story will go on, because if there's not a happy ending, it is because God's ultimate plan has not yet been fulfilled.

That is not to say there will not be loss. And that loss may be simply having all of one's efforts in this life revealed as nothing more than selfishness and wasted potential.

There is uncertainty here, as with all things. But the more intimate I have become with my faith, the more I doubt the existence of eternal suffering, which neither corrects sin nor allows the sinner to repent for what they have done. It is purely a threat of retribution, not restitution.

How many times can you find the phrase "eternal hell" in the Bible or the word "hell" in the gospel of John?

[vitoNova]

Of course it's fiction, but belief in Big Red Scary Monster is an overall net benefit to society, because there will always be a segment of people who cannot control their dark impulses, and the only thin line preventing them from rape, pillage, and unleashing hell upon their fellow citizens is fear of make-believe Red Scary Monster.  

*shrugs shoulders and rolls eyes*

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

I believe that the eternal patience and forgiveness of the Lord erases Hell as a theological necessity. Eternal Hell was invented by man to keep people in line, but it is inconsistent with a benevolent, merciful, eternally patient God. Your story will go on, because if there's not a happy ending, it is because God's ultimate plan has not yet been fulfilled.

That is not to say there will not be loss. And that loss may be simply having all of one's efforts in this life revealed as nothing more than selfishness and wasted potential.

There is uncertainty here, as with all things. But the more intimate I have become with my faith, the more I doubt the existence of eternal suffering, which neither corrects sin nor allows the sinner to repent for what they have done. It is purely a threat of retribution, not restitution.

How many times can you find the phrase "eternal hell" in the Bible or the word "hell" in the gospel of John?

"Hell" is simply a translation of "Sheol" (New Testament translation, which actually refers to the grave or temporary abode of the dead) or Gehenna, which was a physical place outside of Jerusalem where some of the kings of Judah sacrificed children, garbage was burned, and lepers and outcasts were sent. It was deemed to be cursed.

The underlying theme in the New Testament is that no matter how badly mortals treat you, they cannot destroy your soul. Therefore, God has final authority over all things.

But the harshest language in the NT is directed toward not the commoner, but the rich and powerful who are self-serving and oppress others (especially in God's name) using religious law. Notice how religious Judaism doesn't really give us a direct answer on Hell, or Heaven for that matter. So did Jesus invent the concept of everlasting punishment after you die? No. But the same God who is capable of frying your soul in a metaphorical brazen bull is the only one who can save you from entering that brazen bull yourself.

If the Kingdom of God lies within you (Luke 17:21), then so are those things which remove you from the Kingdom of God. And it is the "unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12) which only God can extinguish. The irony of the Pharisees and the Sadducees is that they believed they had inherited everything, including God's favor, when they did not.

If you want proof of Hell, look around you. I've met plenty of Christians who are in Hell right as we speak. They just don't realize it now.

[°Leprechaun]

If the Kingdom of God is within (that still small voice), then what beliefs are in your brain shouldn't matter. Most people on planet earth are not Christians, so that shouldn't be a necessity to avoid an eternity in hell. A person's ethical beliefs are more important than their religious beliefs. Perhaps ethics are intuitive, and those who listen to the thoughts of their selfish (one might even say narcissistic) ego instead of the still small voice within chose evil instead of good.

[The Puppeteer]

Because hell is a terrifying place for humans and threatening children with it if they so much as question what they are taught will teach them from an early point in life not to question what they are told and they will be more likely to carry that habit of not questioning their beliefs for as long as they live and likely pass on this belief to their children.

[Samof94]

Because hell is a terrifying place for humans and threatening children with it if they so much as question what they are taught will teach them from an early point in life not to question what they are told and they will be more likely to carry that habit of not questioning their beliefs for as long as they live and likely pass on this belief to their children.

I strongly agree.

[John Dule]

Lies, fear, and emotional manipulation.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Your death is a repayment for your sins and Catholics called it PURGUTORY and it's the middle ground between Heaven and He'll and Pope is the stand in for God until Judgement day, that's how it's supposed to be interpreted because Satan isnr condemned in a lake of fire until Judgement day

People interpreted that and Protestant denominations say you are judged when you die and only the privileged get Resurrected on judgement day

[Statilius the Epicurean]

"But what a spectacle is already at hand — the return of the Lord, now no object of doubt, now exalted, now triumphant! What exultation will that be of the angels, what glory that of the saints as they rise again! What the reign of the righteous thereafter! What a city, the New Jerusalem! Yes, and there are still to come other spectacles—that last, that eternal Day of Judgement, that Day which the Gentiles never believed would come, that Day they laughed at, when this old world and all its generations shall be consumed in one fire. How vast the spectacle that day, and how wide! What sight shall wake my wonder, what my laughter, my joy and exultation? as I see all those kings, those great kings, welcomed (we were told) in heaven, along with Jove, along with those who told of their ascent, groaning in the depths of darkness! And the magistrates who persecuted the name of Jesus, liquefying in fiercer flames than they kindled in their rage against the Christians! those sages, too, the philosophers blushing before their disciples as they blaze together, the disciples whom they taught that God was concerned with nothing, that men have no souls at all, or that what souls they have shall never return to their former bodies! And, then, the poets trembling before the judgement-seat, not of Rhadamanthus, not of Minos, but of Christ whom they never looked to see! And then there will be the tragic actors to be heard, more vocal in their own tragedy; and the players to be seen, lither of limb by far in the fire; and then the charioteer to watch, red all over in the wheel of flame; and, next, the athletes to be gazed upon, not in their gymnasiums but hurled in the fire—unless it be that not even then would I wish to see them, in my desire rather to turn an insatiable gaze on them who vented their rage and fury on the Lord. " This is he," I shall say, the son of the carpenter or the harlot, the Sabbath-breaker, the Samaritan, who had a devil. This is he whom you bought from Judas; this is he, who was struck with reed and fist, defiled with spittle, given gall and vinegar to drink. This is he whom the disciples secretly stole away, that it might be said he had risen—unless it was the gardener who removed him, lest his lettuces should be trampled by the throng of visitors! Such sights, such exultation,—what praetor, consul, quaestor, priest, will ever give you of his bounty ? And yet all these, in some sort, are ours, pictured through faith in the imagination of the spirit. But what are those things which eye hath not seen nor ear heard, nor ever entered into the heart of man? I believe, things of greater joy than circus, theatre or amphitheatre, or any stadium."

[Mopsus]

Because sometimes people who do bad things die before the score can be settled (there's also Plato's doctrine that being a bad person is its own punishment, but he may have just been coping because he knew that his fellow Athenians were never going to be punished for killing his teacher, either in this life or in the next). Alternatively, there are those that would like to see every soul saved, but the idea that wicked people should be taken into heaven without being cured first just doesn't seem right. Either way, the fact that this question is being asked as if the answer isn't obvious (whether you believe in it or not) is bizarre and a testament to the decadence of modern Western "men".

If you're going to quote it in full, at least pull a Nietzsche and quote it in the Latin.

[Samof94]

Lies, fear, and emotional manipulation.

One Germanic warlord refused to convert because he was told his ancestors were in hell.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

How many times can you find the phrase "eternal hell" in the Bible or the word "hell" in the gospel of John?

That's quite a strained request, don't you think?

The phrase "bestiality" doesn't appear in the Gospel John either, but that doesn't mean Jesus discounted it, nor does it mean that the writer of the Gospel didn't believe in the concept. Basically, there is nothing in any book of the bible that claims any given book is exhaustive.

But in the Gospel of John, Jesus did speak of the resurrection of the dead, followed by judgment, and the fire that consumes the condemned...so clearly the author believed in the concept of Hell:

John 3:18,36 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son...36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

John 5:29 "those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned."

John 15:6 "If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."

And when you venture out beyond the Gospel of John, you'll find the concept of eternal punishment for the condemned spoken of repeatedly throughout the New Testament...so, clearly the early church believed in the concept of Hell.

So, to answer the OP...why do some people even believe in Hell? Because Jesus and Apostles did. I don't accept the concept of Hell based on what I like or dislike, nor on what others find "offensive", rather I base my beliefs on what the bible repeatedly teaches.

Actually, all one can conclude from John is that those thrown into the fire at the day of judgement is that once thrown, they don't get unthrown. Those passages are entirely consistent with the doctrine of annihilationism. The concept of an eternal Hell assumes the punishing is eternal, but annihilationism only assumes the punishment is eternal and will never be undone.

Revelation 21:4 says that when the new earth and heaven are established "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." That can't be the case if souls are still being tormented in Hell.

Revelation 20:10 is the basis of probably the strongest argument in favor of the concept of eternal Hell, but even then it depends on how one interprets the scope of "εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων". Is it forever and ever or until the end of the old cosmos since the passage in question occurs just before the Great White Throne Judgement that marks that end in preparation for the new cosmos? I think  the latter since the lake of fire was part of the old order of things and is unnecessary in the new.

[Kingpoleon]

I have met far too many clever people who were desperately immoral to deny the reality of Hell.

[Samof94]

I have met far too many clever people who were desperately immoral to deny the reality of Hell.

I beg to differ. The idea of a Sikh man going to a Christian hell makes zero sense.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Because without Hell, God is no different from Santa Clause.

[Torie]

Belief in or fear of hell is very out of fashion these days.

[Kingpoleon]

I have met far too many clever people who were desperately immoral to deny the reality of Hell.

I beg to differ. The idea of a Sikh man going to a Christian hell makes zero sense.

I was actually referring to a Calvinist acquaintance of mine.

[Alben Barkley]

People like to believe there will be “justice” for bad people, especially those who may not get it in this life.

But nobody thinks THEY will be the ones going to hell…