Hell

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I was wondering if the inferno imagery of hell was actually incorrect. Since God made fire, as he made everything, and since everything God made is good, it would seem to me that no objects are part of hell, and thus hell is a void.
 
I suggest that the “fires of hell” are allegorical. In part, they are based upon something people living in Jerusalem would have been familiar with. The term “Gehenna” actually refers to the Vally of Hinnom which, for a time, contained a trash dump. Those dumps produced methane gas and, as a result, burned quite freely.

Hell, however, is not so much a physical place as it is a state of “spiritual torment” since, having seen God face-to-face at the judgment, we will never see Him again and the ultimate goal of our lives will be denied us. That is a mental torment that, frankly, scare me!

Deacon Ed
 
AClark said:
I was wondering if the inferno imagery of hell was actually incorrect. Since God made fire, as he made everything, and since everything God made is good, it would seem to me that no objects are part of hell, and thus hell is a void.
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Its not a void otherwise Jesus would be a liar.

Jesus said in Matt 25:41 “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
 
According to the Catechism, Jesus often speaks of “Gehenna,” of “the unquenchable fire” reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. He also solemnly proclaimed that he “will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,” and that he will pronounce the condemnation: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!”

Seems pretty clear that fire is involved in a rather unpleasant way.

However, I have always liked the imagery of Dante’s Inferno. Dante describes hell as having nine levels. Each one designed to punish the sinner for the specific sin that earned him damnation. The deepest level of hell is a frozen lake where the sinner is is encased in ice to a different depth, ranging from only the neck to complete immersion.

The symbolism is that the deepest level of hell is farthest from the loving warmth of God.

Dante’s imagery is interesting but not in any way official Church teaching.
 
May I point out that if we were to take everything that Jesus said literally, we would definitely be very confused. I’m not sure this is one of the things he meant for us to take literally. In order for us to understand some things, He explained them using metaphors and allegories so that we might be able to relate to the ideas more clearly. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think I remember learning this almost every year of religion class.
 
rowermath said:
May I point out that if we were to take everything that Jesus said literally, we would definitely be very confused. I’m not sure this is one of the things he meant for us to take literally. In order for us to understand some things, He explained them using metaphors and allegories so that we might be able to relate to the ideas more clearly. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think I remember learning this almost every year of religion class.
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Revelation is pretty literal though too in the imagery of hell. *“Their smoke asends up forever and ever and they have no rest day or night”, “he will be tormented with fire and brimestone”

The man in Luke 16:24 cries: “. . .I am tormented in this FLAME.”

In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: “And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . .”

Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE."

Revelation 14:10 says, " . . . and he shall be tormented with fire and BRIMSTONE*
 
AClark said:
I was wondering if the inferno imagery of hell was actually incorrect. Since God made fire, as he made everything, and since everything God made is good, it would seem to me that no objects are part of hell, and thus hell is a void.
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No one who has not been there can say for certain:D

However, their have been a few Saints who have either has “Visions” of hell, or claim to actually have been showen hell. These discriptions comonly do incluse the “image of burning.”

The RCC has to doctrional position of what hell is; but does declair that hell and heaven are both realities.

Oveer the years I have heard numerious opinions of what hell will be like.

We can know with Certainty in God’s Justice, that hell is a reality. we can know that the source of the GREATEST SUFFERING, will come, when we die, and at last FULLY UNDERSTAND, who and what God, what ETERINITY MEANS, and receive our JUST JUDGEMENT. It is then that we will instantly know if we will “see God face to face” or only be LONGING to be with Christ for ETERNITY. that will be the greatest suffering:o

Let us pray that we are willing and able to cooperate with Christ in our salvation!
 
rowermath said:
May I point out that if we were to take everything that Jesus said literally, we would definitely be very confused. I’m not sure this is one of the things he meant for us to take literally. In order for us to understand some things, He explained them using metaphors and allegories so that we might be able to relate to the ideas more clearly. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think I remember learning this almost every year of religion class.
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The Fathers of the Church reflect the constant faith of the Church on the existence and nature of hell.

Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians, Ch. 16:1
Make no mistake, brethren; the corrupter of families will not inherit the kingdom of God. If, then, those are dead who do these things according to the flesh, how much worse if, with bad doctrine, one should corrupt the faith of God for which Jesus Christ was crucified. Such a man, for becoming contaminated, will depart into unquenchable fire; and will any one who listens to him.

Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism, Ch. 40
Indeed, the sinner’s life of torment presents no equivalent to anything that pains the sense here. Even if some one of the punishments in that other world be named in terms that are well known here, the distinction is still not small. When you hear the word fire, you have been taught to think of a fire other than the fire we see, owing to something being added to that fire which in this there is not; for that fire is never quenched, whereas experience has discovered many ways of quenching this; and there is a great difference between a fire which can be extinguished, and one that does not admit of extinction.
The teaching Magisterium of the Church has also affirmed the existence and nature of hell.

The Lateran Council IV, 1215
… the wicked (receive), a perpetual punishment with the devil …

Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254)
But if anyone dies unrepentant in the state of mortal sin, he will undoubtedly be tormented forever in the fires of an everlasting hell. (Letter to the Bishop of Tusculum, Section 24)

Vatican Council I, 1869-70
Therefore, all who die in actual mortal sin are excluded from the kingdom of God and will suffer forever the torments of hell from which there is no redemption.

If anyone says that a man can be justified even after death; or if he says that the punishments of the damned in hell will not last forever; let him be anathema.

news.com.au/story/0,23599,21460090-2,00.html
 
The fire of hell is spiritual fire, not material fire. It is spiritual fire because Satan “made” hell by his disobedience to God.
 
Although don’t we presume that there will be some “physical” component after the resurrection of the body and the General Judgement?
 
Let’s break out the Baltimore:

Who are punished in Hell?

Those are punished in hell who die in mortal sin; they are deprived of the vision of God and suffer dreadful torments, especially that of fire, for al eternity.
 
I think Hell is a state of mind after Death, but that’s just what I think. I’ve never been there, so I couldn’t help you… I can just brainstorm. 😃

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood
 
Why is fire mentioned in the Fatima prayer if there is no fire in Hell?
 
AClark said:
I was wondering if the inferno imagery of hell was actually incorrect. Since God made fire, as he made everything, and since everything God made is good, it would seem to me that no objects are part of hell, and thus hell is a void.
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The fire of hell was made specifically for punishment. It is good in the sense that it punishes the demons and sinners, which is a good thing that gives glory to God.

The saints have taught that the fire in hell is much hotter than that on earth, since the fire on earth was made for man - to keep us warm, etc - while the fires of hell were made to punish.

The following is from St Anthony Mary Claret: The Pains of Hell
 
Eucharisted said:
That’s an Orthodox belief, not a Catholic belief.
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It actually is a Catholic belief. A Catholic apologetic described the fire in Heaven as the hottest (remember the Seraphim are there - translated as “the burning ones”), and Purgatory a step below that, which would seem cool compared to the fire in heaven. The fire in Hell would seem much too cold - even freezing - to Heaven’s inhabitants. I thought it was nicely visualized and explained. All three were created by God and all are good. Obviously, Hell was created and is good because it keeps Satan and his minions contained and separated (as well as those destined to eternity there), who otherwise would wreak havoc not only on earth - as is happening now - but in purgatory and heaven. All three are also expressions of God’s love… even Hell.

If you heard it the way he explains it, it really does make sense.

That said, the “fires” that everyone speaks of are not earthly fires. They are a Spiritual fire and we won’t know what those fires are like until we get to either of those place. (Or as some put it, “state of mind”. They are neither and they are both… if that makes sense. God is great at paradoxes. ;))
 
If hell is not real fire, then how come The Blessed Mother showed the souls burning in hell to the three children at Fatima? If Jesus said the word fire then I imagine he means it for our understanding as literal fire. What other way can fire be explained or understood other then ‘fire’. Is He a God who likes to confuse us?

Then that would also include when he said ‘take and eat, for this is my body.’ He either means what he says, or he doesn’t. Why would he tell us the word fire if he means something else. We can’t pick and choose what we will understand one way and what we’ll understand another way. In that case, the church would then have to speculate as to what he meant when he said ‘take and eat for this is my body.’

This is just how I see it and my own opinion.
 
PJM,

The fire of hell is a tormenting fire by nature of it being a spiritual fire. It cannot be the same fire as Purgatory, either, because hell is eternal, while Purgatory is temporal, and because it would be unjust for the holy souls to be tormented by the devils - for they are not among the damned but among the saved. Nor can the damned have the Presense of God, for hell in itself is the loss of God.

A man’s office dose not indicate he might not be in error. Even theologians can be wrong.

Hislittlelady,

The fire of hell is a spiritual fire for three reasons: 1) it can’t be physical fire or else hell would be in the universe, and hell can’t be in the universe because than it would not be eternal (for all things are passing in the universe), 2) hell is a spiritual place, not a physical place, as the spirits of reprobates and the evil spirits reside there, and when the reproduces are risen to shame the spiritual fire will burn them body and soul - just as when Saint Don Bosco visited hell in a dream, he touched a wall outside of hell and a burning imprint was left in his hand for days as proof of his visit, 3) Hell is born from the disobedience of Satan, and since only God can create things, the devil could not have created a physical fire - hence, the eternal flames are spiritual in nature, for sin is spiritual
 
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