The Ideas of Hell and Purgatory

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The Ideas of Hell and Purgatory

"Hell has probably caused more personal anxiety and distress than any

other Christian belief. Hell has also motivated many Christians to

follow the Great Commission and attempt to convert the world to

Christianity" ("Various Views of Hell: As seen by Conservative

Christians").

The word "hell" derives from the Pagan Norse Queen of the Underworld,

Hel. When Christianity first evolved, the church taught that nearly

everyone descended to this similar place to earth after dying.

Included in this belief were the Pagan Gods and Goddesses from the

Middle East, Rome, Greece, and the Germanic and Celtic tribes.

Nevertheless, hell was commonly envisioned based on an ancient Jewish

perspective, where "the wicked were separated from the righteous, and

thrown into a large burning trash dump called Gehenna" (Graham). From

the beginning, the church sought to get rid of this Old Testament idea

which made the church less appealing. Hence, the once harsh idea of

hell and purgatory has lightened with the times.

Christian views in the second and third centuries suggested that faith

in a "Higher God" was the only requirement for getting into heaven

("The Afterlife: Ancient Christian Beliefs"). Most people, however,

were sent directly to hell. An idea according to the early church

allowed the few individuals admitted into heaven to watch the people

being tormented in hell. St Thomas Aquinas wrote, "In order that

nothing may be wanting to the felicity of the blessed spirits in

heaven, a perfect view is granted to them of the tortures of the

damned"("The Afterlife: Ancient Christian Beliefs"). A balance between

all ...

... middle of paper ...

...decade ago with the public's fascination with angels.

Angelical memorabilia, books, movies such as "The Preacher's Wife,"

and television's "Touched by an Angel." Jerry Miller, chairman of the

philosophy department at Salisbury State University in Maryland

suggested that "the result of such re-imaging is that religion loses

some of its negative reputation for bullying people into submission"

(Graham). Hell and purgatory are no longer popular ideas preached from

the pulpit. It is a time of a lighter, more encompassing message. Hell

and purgatory are left out of mainstream discussions with the topics

pertaining more to a God of love and acceptance than of anger, hell,

and purgatory. "Basically . . .there is an afterlife. It doesn't

necessarily take on the image of horns and red suits chasing people

around" (Graham).

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