Talk:Hell

There are different theological perspectives on this--whether the people who go there are "wicked" or are simply unbelievers. Many other religions also have some form of hell, and this should be mentioned, even if the Christian theology is discussed the most.--John 01:45, 5 March 2007 (EST)

I'm unsure as to whether other religions actually use the word Hell for their respective damnations. I know that in practice, for instance, many Muslims do, but I'm not sure if that's actually the term they use. In any event, this is an interesting point that you bring up. MountainDew 02:48, 5 March 2007 (EST)

The English word "hell" does not derive from Hebrew "sheol." It is a Germanic word related to the same Indo-European root from which the English word "cell" (i.e., a prison cell) originates. This type of information is readily available in a dictionary or on the internet.

Agreed. Anyone who doesn't have access to the Oxford English Dictionary (which has comprehensive etymologies) can look to Online Etymology Dictionary for etymological questions. In this case the likely etymology of "Hell" can be found here. JesusSaves 07:50, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

More to the point, "hell" derives from "Hel" or "Hela", the daughter of Loki in Norse mythology, and warder of the unremarkable dead. [1] Her hall is often called "Helheim" or "Hel", as well. While Hela is herself rather gruesome to look at, ending up in her care is seen as the normal case for the dead in this mythology, and not really a bad thing. The really bad people end up in a place called Nastrond. People who have lived remarkably may end up in one of the halls of Asgard. When the Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity, the existing word in the language was co-opted for Christian purposes. While the proposed "cell" origin is interesting, it feels to me like linguists grasping at straws. --Abell 14:00, 17 March 2007 (EDT)

Siricou, if you're going to write about what Christians believe, then you need to study Christian theology and history. Your statements are false. Hell was created for the devil and his angels, not humans. And the Catholic church does not believe that only Christians go to heaven. Please be careful what you insert. Learn together 14:21, 30 May 2007 (EDT)

This is an alternative viewpoint. The notion of something corresponding to a hell is highly objectionable, offensive, insulting, and illogical. A God is not going to punish anyone in a horrible fashion especially not forever for happening to not believe in a certain thing or person or idea. If there are souls, most would deserve to go on to something corresponding to a heaven. The relatively few really bad apples could be easily simply snuffed out, they would not continue, but be eliminated. Traditional standard beliefs are often nowadays without merit, all things need to be reconsidered and reevaluated, modified, improved, updated, for the benefit of all mankind. Many are resistant to change or modification, the old holds sway everywhere over many people, but radical change (significant improvement) is needed in this part of the world as well as everywhere else.previous unsigned comment added by AtomZapl

I disagree, first of all people don't just "happen" to believe what they believe they choose to believe it. God is perfectly just, but his justice may not be what you see as just; he knows what the bad apples "deserve". Unfortunately, according to the bible, the standard for "deserving" heaven is not merely the good outweighing the bad; 50% is not a passing grade. God demands (and has every right to demand) that we be perfect. Bibically, everyone deserves an eternal hell. --Ben _Talk 08:08, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

This touches upon the doctrine of Annihilationism which certainly deserves an article of its own File:User Fox.png Fox (talk|contribs) 07:54, 20 June 2007 (EDT)