Difference between revisions of "Hell"

 
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==In ancient Egypt==
==In ancient Egypt==
The [[Egyptian religion|ancient Egyptians]] believed that after death a person faced judgment by a tribunal of forty-two divine judges. If they had led a life in conformance with the precepts of the goddess Maat, who represented truth and right living, the person was welcomed into the heavenly reed fields. If found guilty the person was thrown to Ammit, the "devourer of the dead" and would be condemned to the lake of fire.
The [[Egyptian religion|ancient Egyptians]] believed that after death a person faced judgment by a tribunal of forty-two divine judges. If they had led a life in conformance with the precepts of the goddess Maat, who represented truth and right living, the person was welcomed into the [[heaven]]ly reed fields. If found guilty the person was thrown to Ammit, the "devourer of the dead" and would be condemned to the lake of fire.


The person taken by the devourer is subject first to terrifying punishment and then annihilated. These depictions of punishment may have influenced medieval perceptions of the inferno in hell via early [[Christianity|Christian]] and Coptic texts.
The person taken by the devourer is subject first to terrifying punishment and then annihilated. These depictions of punishment may have influenced medieval perceptions of the inferno in hell via early [[Christianity|Christian]] and Coptic texts.
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==In Abrahamic religions==
==In Abrahamic religions==
Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as eternal destinations, the biggest examples of which are [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]], whereas religions with reincarnation usually depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations, as is the case in the dharmic religions. Religions typically locate hell in another dimension or under [[Earth]]'s surface. Other afterlife destinations include Heaven, Paradise, Purgatory, Limbo, and the Underworld.
Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as eternal destinations, the biggest examples of which are [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]], whereas religions with [[reincarnation]] usually depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations, as is the case in the dharmic religions. Religions typically locate hell in another dimension or under [[Earth]]'s surface. Other afterlife destinations include Heaven, [[Garden of Eden|Paradise]], [[Purgatory]], Limbo, and the Underworld.


Many scholars of [[Judaism|Jewish]] mysticism, particularly of the [[Kabbalah]], describe seven "compartments" or "habitations" of hell, just as they describe seven divisions of heaven.
Many scholars of [[Judaism|Jewish]] mysticism, particularly of the [[Kabbalah]], describe seven "compartments" or "habitations" of hell, just as they describe seven divisions of [[heaven]].


The Christian doctrine of hell derives from passages in the [[Bible|New Testament]]. The English word hell does not appear in the Greek New Testament; instead one of three words is used: the Greek words "Tartarus" or "Hades," or the Hebrew word "Gehinnom." The Catholic Church defines hell as "a state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed," which aligns closely with the Jewish conception of Gehinnom.
The Christian doctrine of hell derives from passages in the [[Bible|New Testament]]. The English word hell does not appear in the Greek New Testament; instead one of three words is used: the Greek words "Tartarus" or "Hades," or the Hebrew word "Gehinnom." The Catholic Church defines hell as "a state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed," which aligns closely with the Jewish conception of Gehinnom.
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==Entrances to Hell==
==Entrances to Hell==
[[Occultist]] [[Aleister Crowley]] believed one of the portals to Hell existed at the [[Devil's Gate Dam]] in Pasadena, California. Crowley's fellow [[magician]], rocket scientist [[Jack Parsons]], chose Devil's Gate Dam as the location for NASA's Joint Propulsion Laboratory.
[[Occultist]] [[Aleister Crowley]] believed one of the portals to Hell existed at the [[Devil's Gate Dam]] in Pasadena, California. Crowley's fellow [[magician]], rocket scientist [[Jack Parsons]], chose Devil's Gate Dam as the location for NASA's Joint Propulsion Laboratory.
The Seven Gates of Hell is a modern urban legend regarding seven gates in a wooded area of Hellam Township, Pennsylvania, and that anyone who passes through all seven goes straight to Hell.
Pluto's Gate in modern-day Turkey unearthed by Italian archaeologists is said to be the entry gate to the Underworld.
During the Middle Ages, Mount Etna in Sicily was considered to be an entryway to hell.
According to Hawaiian folklore, Waipio Valley contains an entrance to the lower world, Lua-o-Milu, which is now concealed with sand.
Mount Osore in northern Japan is said to be an entrance to hell.
In ancient Indian [[Hinduism|Hindu]] tradition, the [[Sah|Orion constellation]] where the vernal equinox is stated to occur, the Milky Way and the Canis were considered to form the border between ''Devaloka'' (heaven) and ''Yamaloka'' (hell).


[[Category:Religious Concepts]]
[[Category:Religious Concepts]]