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| | In the English translation of the [[Bible]]'s [[Old Testament]], the word '''Hell''' normally corresponds to the [[Hebrew]] ''sheol'', which was simply the place of the dead. But in the [[Greek language|Greek]] [[New Testament]] the word used is either ''Gehenna'' (the garbage dump outside the walls of Jerusalem where fires were kept eternally burning to consume the refuse and keep down the stench) or ''Hades'', the [[Greek mythology|Greek]]s' dark, gloomy underworld. The modern English word appears to derive most directly from "Hel", goddess of the dead in Germanic/[[Norse mythology]]. When the [[Anglo-Saxons]] later embraced [[Christianity]], the existing word in the language was reused in the new Christian concepts. | | In the English translation of the [[Bible]]'s [[Old Testament]], the word '''Hell''' normally corresponds to the [[Hebrew]] ''sheol'', which was simply the place of the dead. But in the [[Greek language|Greek]] [[New Testament]] the word used is either ''Gehenna'' (the garbage dump outside the walls of Jerusalem where fires were kept eternally burning to consume the refuse and keep down the stench) or ''Hades'', the [[Greek mythology|Greek]]s' dark, gloomy underworld. The modern English word appears to derive most directly from "Hel", goddess of the dead in Germanic/[[Norse mythology]]. When the [[Anglo-Saxons]] later embraced [[Christianity]], the existing word in the language was reused in the new Christian concepts. |
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| − | According to [[G.K. Chesterton]], Hell is God's great complement to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human choice.<ref>{{cite web |title=Famous quotes by Gilbert Keith Chesterton |author=Gilbert Keith Chesterton |publisher=Quotes.net |url=http://www.quotes.net/authors/Gilbert+Keith+Chesterton |quote=Hell is God's great compliment to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human choice.}}</ref> To Christians, Hell is a place where the souls of the wicked are punished eternally for all the [[sins]] they perpetrated during their lifetime on Earth. Since all have sinned (Rom 3:23), Hell cannot be avoided on one's own merits, but through the love gift of [[Jesus]] one can know, love, and serve [[God]] and share eternity with Him in [[Heaven]]. | + | According to [[G.K. Chesterton]], Hell is [[God]]'s great complement to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human choice.<ref>{{cite web |title=Famous quotes by Gilbert Keith Chesterton |author=Gilbert Keith Chesterton |publisher=Quotes.net |url=http://www.quotes.net/authors/Gilbert+Keith+Chesterton |quote=Hell is God's great complement to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human choice.}}</ref> To Christians, Hell is a place where the souls of the wicked are punished eternally for all the [[sins]] they perpetrated during their lifetime on Earth. Since all have sinned (Rom 3:23), Hell cannot be avoided on one's own merits, but through the love gift of [[Jesus]] one can know, love, and serve [[God]] and share eternity with Him in [[Heaven]]. |
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| − | Christian and [[Muslim]] religious traditions often emphasize the ''Gehenna'' aspect: Hell is extremely hot and filled with fire and [[brimstone]]. Opinion varies on the question of whether, while Hell itself is eternal, the experience of it purges away the sins of sufferers to the point of eventual redemption. See [[purgatory]]. A minority of Christians do not believe in an eternal Hell as punishment, believing instead that the souls of the wicked are annihilated. This view, which is directly contradicted by Scripture, is referred to as [[Annihilationism]]. Other deniers of Scripture question whether Hell has a literal burning fire, or it is merely separation from God and therefore has the same torment as if there were a burning fire. This view has been supported by writers such as [[J.P. Moreland]], although the [[Bible]] clearly contradicts this view and other symbolic interpretations of Hell. In truth, Hell is a real, spiritual place where God is absent and the wicked are punished for their sins. | + | Christian and [[Muslim]] religious traditions often emphasize the ''Gehenna'' aspect: Hell is extremely hot and filled with fire and [[brimstone]]. Opinion varies on the question of whether, while Hell itself is eternal, the experience of it purges away the sins of sufferers to the point of eventual redemption. See [[purgatory]]. A minority of Christians do not believe in an eternal Hell as punishment, believing instead that the souls of the wicked are annihilated. This view, which is directly contradicted by Scripture, is referred to as [[Annihilationism]]. Other deniers of Scripture question whether Hell has a literal burning fire, or whether it is merely separation from God and therefore has the same torment as if there were a burning fire. This view has been supported by writers such as [[J.P. Moreland]], although the [[Bible]] clearly contradicts this view and other symbolic interpretations of Hell. In truth, Hell is a real, spiritual place where God is absent and the wicked are punished for their sins. |
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| | == Hell in the Bible == | | == Hell in the Bible == |
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| | === The journalist and ex-atheist Peter Hitchens and fear of hell === | | === The journalist and ex-atheist Peter Hitchens and fear of hell === |
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| − | The journalist and [[ex-atheists|ex-atheist]] [[Peter Hitchens]], who is the brother of the late atheist [[Christopher Hitchens]], said upon seeing an art exhibit of [[Michelangelo]]'s painting ''The Last Judgment'' he came to the realization that he might be judged, which startled him.<ref>[http://vimeo.com/10354237 Interview of Peter Hitchens] - Video at Vimeo</ref> This started a train of thought within Peter Hichens that eventually led him to become a [[Christian]].<ref>[http://vimeo.com/10354237 Interview of Peter Hitchens] - Video at Vimeo</ref> | + | The journalist and [[ex-atheists|ex-atheist]] [[Peter Hitchens]], who is the brother of the late atheist [[Christopher Hitchens]], said upon seeing an art exhibit of [[Michelangelo]]'s painting ''The Last Judgment'' he came to the realization that he might be judged, which startled him.<ref>[http://vimeo.com/10354237 Interview of Peter Hitchens] - Video at Vimeo</ref> This started a train of thought within Peter Hitchens that eventually led him to become a [[Christian]].<ref>[http://vimeo.com/10354237 Interview of Peter Hitchens] - Video at Vimeo</ref> |
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| | == See also == | | == See also == |