How many religions believe in the "hell" or "eternal punishment "theory?
351736
I can only think of two.  Wicca doesn't.
953016
I don't believe that all nonchristians will go to Hell, for that exact reason.  I cannot accept the idea that millions of innocents could be condemned to eternal suffering just because they didn't get the message.
345512
There is no such thing as Hell. Not as the ascribed place anyway. Hey, its great to have a religion or spirituality to make you feel good and have importance in life, but the Idea of Hell was used to just terrify people into submission in the old ages. Its just carried over through the centuries. People used to believe in Zues and Medusa and all the Greek mythology too! Well, that should give you some indication...\n\nI'm not attempting to change your belief system, because I believe everyone should have thier own, however, I would suggest doing some research and introspective thought regarding Theocracy. Ask around. Talk to people and get other views. It may open your mind and free you of the anxiety of Hell or whatever.
442066
What Has Happened to Hellfire?\nWHAT image does the word "hell" conjure up in your mind? Do you see hell as a literal place of fire and brimstone, of unending torment and anguish? Or is hell perhaps a symbolic description of a condition, a state?\n\nFor centuries, a fiery hell of excruciating torments has been envisioned by religious leaders of Christendom as the certain destiny for sinners. This idea is still popular among many other religious groups. "Christianity may have made hell a household word," says U.S.News & World Report, "but it doesn't hold a monopoly on the doctrine. The threat of painful retribution in the afterlife has counterparts in nearly every major world religion and in some minor ones as well." Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jains, and Taoists believe in a hell of one sort or another.\n\nHell, though, has acquired another image in modern thinking. "While the traditional infernal imagery still attracts a following," states the aforementioned magazine, "modern visions of eternal perdition as a particularly unpleasant solitary confinement are beginning to emerge, suggesting that hell may not be so hot after all."\n\nThe Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica observed: "It is misleading . . . to think that God, by means of demons, inflicts fearful torments on the damned like that of fire." It added: "Hell exists, not as a place but as a state, a way of being of the person who suffers the pain of the deprivation of God." Pope John Paul II said in 1999: "Rather than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy." As to the images of hell as a fiery place, he said: "They show the complete frustration and emptiness of life without God." Had the pope described hell in terms of "flames and a red-suited devil with a pitchfork," church historian Martin Marty said, "people wouldn't take it seriously."\n\nSimilar changes are taking place in other denominations. A report by the doctrine commission of the Church of England said: "Hell is not eternal torment, but it is the final and irrevocable choosing of that which is opposed to God so completely and so absolutely that the only end is total non-being."\n\nThe catechism of the United States Episcopal Church defines hell as "eternal death in our rejection of God." A growing number of people, says U.S.News & World Report, are promoting the idea that "the end of the wicked is destruction, not eternal suffering. . . . [They] contend that those who ultimately reject God will simply be put out of existence in the 'consuming fire' of hell."\n\nAlthough the modern-day trend is to get away from the fire and brimstone mentality, many continue to adhere to the belief that hell is a literal place of torment. "Scripture clearly speaks of hell as a physical place of fiery torment," says Albert Mohler of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A. And the report The Nature of Hell, prepared by the Evangelical Alliance Commission, states: "Hell is a conscious experience of rejection and torment." It adds: "There are degrees of punishment and suffering in hell related to the severity of sins committed on earth."\n\nAgain, is hell a fiery place of eternal torment or of annihilation? Or is it simply a state of separation from God? What really is hell?\n\n \n   \n \nA Brief History of Hellfire\nWHEN did professed Christians adopt the belief in hellfire? Well after the time of Jesus Christ and his apostles. "The Apocalypse of Peter (2nd century C.E.) was the first [apocryphal] Christian work to describe the punishment and tortures of sinners in hell," states the French Encyclopædia Universalis.\n\n\nJustin Martyr believed that hell was a fiery place \nAmong the early Church Fathers, howeve
849911
Spot on!  Hell in the Bible refers to the state of death, and the Bible even states that at death "his thoughts do perish".  No, you will not find anyone you will be able to give you clear cut proof that the Bible says anything about eternal damnation!  And a great question!  Maybe this will give so-called "Christians" the impetus they need to actually read the Bible for once instead of having all the crap and prejudice spoonfed to them at church!\nHappy Hunting!
133339
Jews do believe in a concept of heaven and hell, though the differences between theirs as apposed to Christians and Moslems is beyond the scope of this paragraph. If you’re asking why we do at all (I am not going to prove whether G-d exists or not that too will take too much time.)  But basically it boils down to we are placed in this world to over come our individual challenges; mainly the perfection of the human body and soul though study and developing good character traits. For that to have any meaning their must be a system of reward and punishment and the ideal is that everyone reach their full potential and get their full portion of heaven. Just as a side note Jews don’t believe in the concept of eternal damnation for 99.9% of the population we see hell as more difficult way of refining the soul that could have been done here on earth.
479010
No, because there is no hell. You make a pretty good point. If someone were on an isolated island he wouldn't even have the slightest concept of what god is. Know why? Because it's a man made organized religion. The bible is man made too.
1157609
We have to trust in God. He knows what He's doing, even if His reasons are not immediately obvious to us.\n\nHopefully, hell exists, and all the evil people will go there after death to pay for all their crimes, while good people will be rewarded in heaven.
722821
Isn't there enough evidence of hell on earth?\n\nPoverty, mental illness, etc.?
366949
Those ignoramuses that believe in god should stop and think: why would a god that is so almighty and good allow such a place to exist.  The eternal torturing of the soul is a pretty bad scenario.  Eternal? yeah right.  What good can come of torture?  The sooner people realize that there is no god and hence there also is no hell, the better!
489743
Hell isn't really discussed in Genesis, or given that much information in the Bible in general. Most of what we think of Hell comes from Dante's Inferno.
494163
Yes. Both exist, BUT many MANY MANY people have a misconception about what heaven and hell are.  \n\nIf you look at the literal translation from the greek of the word heaven, you will see that it means spending eternity in relationship with God.  We paint the picture of "paradise" because it's the best we can come with to describe spending eternity in relationship wtih Him.  \n\nIf you look at the literal translation from the greek of the word hell, you will see that it means eternal separation from God.  We get the imagery of burning and gnashing of teeth from the Bible which is used to paint the picture of something as bad as spending our eternity separated from God.\n\nNote in both explinations here that I used the word RELATIONSHIP. That is what Christianity is all about.  Where you spend eternity is not about works (what you do or what you don't do) it's about building relationship with Him.
1000039
Reincarnationists understand that everyone experiences a 'judgment' with every death. The idea of any eternal hellfire and damnation superstitious nonsense is an insult to God.
397395
I believe in rebirth. How do scientists explain child prodigies? Mmmm probably the data was downloaded when they were in the womb ! \n\nI think every religion has its own version -> of what happens after death <-. It is something which can only be experienced and not explained. Heaven and hell are concepts to keep people in check . If you are happy today you are in heaven and if you are depressed or sad you are in hell. Neither exist.\n\nIf god really loves everyone (which includes me) why cant he forgive me later? And what is good and bad ???? Relative terms.... Without knowing what bad is you dont know what good is. If everyone is good who is bad ? Then what happens to hell ? I dont even believe in sins. Can you show me one person who has not committed any of the 7 Sins? \n\nI think the best way to find the truth is stop idiosyncrasies. Search for GOD within yourself. See GOD in everyone , everything and everywhere. Jesus is in your heart dont wait for him, experience him . NOW.
937757
I'm atheist and I don't think it makes sense at all when christians say I'm going to hell because of it.\n\nI did not "reject" the notion of god or heaven or hell... I just came to that conclusion based on my own critical thinking, my own reading (yes both holy text and scientific text alike) and rationalizing. Is god, if he exists, really going to punish me for all eternity for doing nothing wrong, other than using my own intelligence to come to a conclusion? If christians and muslims really are right about atheists going to hell simply because we simply honestly do not believe in god/heaven/hell, then god, if he exists, really is cruel.
138959
"hell" does not exist, the idea for "hell" was made up from christianity and copied from the pagan greek/roman religions of the time.\nBuddhists will not go to hell.\nLook in the torah and the tanakh and you will not find a single reference to "hell"... perhaps in the re-written christian "old testiment" you will but that is changed and meaningless
826830
Hell is just a literary idea that got way outta hand.  Many religions have a "hell"-type place, but it's just when people lead bad lives and they get themselves into trouble because they don't want to be happy.  When they work out their karmic debts, they realize that they can be happy and they go to heaven or get reincarnated or whatever.  I guess if you chose to be evil and unhappy, you could do it for the rest of time, but I don't think God punishes you.  More like you punish yourself through bad karma.\n\nReligions have a lot in common in most cases, but somehow, every one of them says, "We're the only one."  How can that be?  I think Christ is a great example, but I'd never say it's his way or hell.  There are good people out there who do good things based on many good ideas, not just Christianity.  \n\nIf you take out the idea of hell, a lot of the "Christian" stuff falls away.  You don't have to witness or persecute those of other faiths.  You don't have to worry about spreading the doctrines of Jesus around the world.  You can just focus on what Christ was all about--love, helping the poor and sick and downtrodden, fighting the Man.  Jesus was a revolutionary, a visionary, a magic man.  Plus, he told cool stories.  Nothing wrong with that.  \n\nJesus wasn't about, "follow me or burn in hell."  No siree, Bob!  He wanted people to be good because it makes the world a better place and it makes you happy in the long run.  No condemnation there.  Hell (and heaven, and purgatory, and the Rapture...all that crap) came up long after Jesus died.  Look into the history of that stuff (or watch the History Channel specials--that helps, too) and you'll see that that garbage was perpetuated by church leaders much later in the game.  They were all about social control and wealth and political power.  So they twisted "Christianity" to suit their needs and slapped a cross on it to justify what they did.  Evil, evil, evil.\n\nChristianity just doesn't always work for people, especially the way it's been going lately.  Pick what works and go with it.  If you're good, God's not going to nitpick over what you did in your life.