Is there a hell, or something similar, in any religion other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?

Question

If you know of any, please name and briefly describe what it is and what role it plays.

Answer 1

Dear Crazy Gyps: Not a religion, but a philosophy - that had been as powerful as any religion during the time of the Greeks. Socrates existed in a pagan world and helped usher in the Age of Reason, bringing forth "higher thought." He was later called the grandfather of "New Age" thought and spirituality. His student, Plato, is known as the Father of "New Age" thinking, for he expanded on what Socrates had taught him.

Socrates, as all Greeks of his era, believed that at "death" our souls are put into a state of purgatory that is described similar to our Western description of Hell. The soul, he believed, spends approximately 7 years in an underground world where it is purified and cleansed of all deeds - and made innocent again. At the end of 7 years, the soul is eligible to enter into another lifetime. This was believed to be a normal process for everyone.

Socrates also believed that an actual hell (not purgatory) existed for those who had become something so defiled they could not be ever cleansed again. These, he claimed, were souls taken to a specific river in Greece and thrown in. It was said that they went to the bottom of it and were never seen again.

The two key concepts are, of course, 1. The re-purification of our souls before a new lifetime is begun, and the opportunity of physical life as a continuum. Versus a singular lifetime.
2. The recognition that certain people defile their souls to an extent that restoration is no longer possible. These souls were recognized as "culled out" from the rest of the Sonship, and no longer allowed eternal life.

Spiritualists in the Western world often believe in life after life - and that we rest and are restored "on the other side" until we come back into our next lifetime to learn and improve until eventually, we Return to God and the Great Separation is ended.

Man has sensed, at least as far back as the Greek Empire, that "not all the soldiers of war will return home." This means not all souls will survive the rigors of choices and decisions they make on earth. And, that in demonic-type situations, where restoration is no longer possible, the problem must be eliminated ; for God cannot have, in His Kingdom, anything that would attack His Own Purity and Perfection. Nor anything that is unlike Himself. No return is possible for these beings.

I believe the message here is that we are all responsible for our mental and spiritual health while on our Journey from the physical experience - back to our Home in God.

Best regards, Lana

Answer 2

Judaism is more similar to Christianity. Why? 1. Judaism and Christianity agree with the story of Abraham and Isaac. Islam says that they 'think' the child sacrifice was ishmael - but their book the Quran / Koran, does not even mention the child sacrifice. 2. Judaism is waiting for the Messiah. and for Christianity He has already come and will come again. 3. Judaism and Christianity mention many historical places including Jerusalem. Islam does not even mention Jerusalem accept one passage about Muhammad having some wried dream about the place. 4. Judaism and Christianity does not mention or believe in Muhammad because God never fortold he would come. 5. Judaism and Christianity agree and hold onto God's word on tithe, offering sabbath. Islam does not. 6. Judaism and Christianity is clear on salvation. You believe in God you are forgiven you go to Heaven. Islam's teachings on it is uncertain because the allah god decides where you you go whether you're good or not. Ask a Muslim if the Quran / Islam is really a ''continuation'' of the Bible and Torah why does it ignore of much of the Bible and Torah?

Answer 3

The above dude had it wrong. The Greeks had "Hades" as an underworld, as well as "Tartarus," a place or torment for the worst of the worst. Jude 1:6 even refers to this.
Our word "hell" is from the Norse "Hel," who was the goddess over the Norse underworld. Perhaps to the Norse, a negative afterlife included having women in charge.
The word that Jesus used is technically "Gehenna," which is Hebrew for the Valley of Henna, which WAS where apostate Jews carried on their Molech worship (toss the live infant onto the burning idol for future prosperity). It left such a horrid memory in the nation's zeitgeist that they turned it into the local dump, where fires always burned (to consume the trash). This image of constant burning was what Jesus meant to evoke when He told of the end of all who remain in rebellion against God. This was the point of the story Jesus told about Lazarus: "And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke 16:24).

Answer 4

yes as a matter of fact the very idea of hel along with the name was stolen from the northern heathens in Europe. Hella the goddess of death rules in hel. It actually means fog a world where the fog is so thick you can see and do nothing. But there is no fire and brimstone and its reserved for bad people not like people that like sex, or maybe swore etc. the roman catholic church even admitted to stealing the name of hel along with other pagan ideas

Answer 5

sure is, the Norse have Hades, the Buddhists have hell......i think hindus do too. Its to keep the bad people in check, and put them in a long time out, for the Pagans and Buddhists, hell is 10,000 years, which is also called an eternity. Now you know where christians get the hell is eternal from.

Answer 6

Well....I'll be you didn't know that Jews (including Jesus) -- even before the time of Christianity believed in (and Orthodox Jews still do) Purgatory -- but their's lasts only 11 months. Some other groups do not use the term "purgatory" but rather. "The final purification".

Pious Jews during Jesus' time also believed in prayers for the dead.

http://www.fisheaters.com/purgatory.html

http://www.lrc.edu/rel/blosser/lewis_on_purgatory.htm

Answer 7

I believe only the religions that follow the god of Abraham (you listed them) subscribe to hell.
I know we Buddhists have no hell !

Answer 8

As a "place"...not really. In Hinduism and Buddhism there are several doctrines of "hell" - but both would consider it a "state of mind" rather than a "place"

Answer 9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell

this goes over the "hells" of various religions.

Answer 10

Hell is real no matter what opinions people have about it.