who believes in the 9 circles of hell?

Question

i dont mean to be like religious or anything but im just curious i JUST learned about the 9 circles of hell and was wondering who belives in them i know it may sound ignorant but im curious and even though the text says the 9th circle is considered the worst because its for traitors,which in your opi ion do you consider the worst?

Answer 1

I don't believe in Hell or Heaven.

But, according to the text by Dante:

Panderers and Seducers are punished here. They are forced to march, single file around the circumference of their circle, constantly lashed by horned demons.

Bolgia Two: Sinners guilty of excessive flattery are punished in this bolgia, immersed forever in a river of human excrement.

Bolgia Three: Simonists (sinners guilty of selling church offices for personal gain) are punished here. They are turned upside down in large baptismal fonts cut into the rock, with their feet set ablaze by oily fires. The heat of the flames burns according to the guilt of the sinner.

Bolgia Four: Astrologists, seers, sorcerers and others who attempted to pervert God’s laws to divine the future are punished here. Their heads have been twisted around to face backwards, and thus they are forced to walk backwards around the circumference of their circle for all of time.

Bolgia Five: Grafters (peculators, extortionists, blackmailers and unscrupulous businessmen: sinners who used their positions in life to gain personal wealth or other advantages for themselves) are punished by being thrown into a river of boiling pitch and tar. In addition, should any of the grafters try to escape the pitch, a horde of demons armed with grappling hooks and barbs stands guard over them, ready to tear them to pieces.

Bolgia Six: Hypocrites are punished in this circle. They are forced to wear heavy lead robes as they walk around the circumference of their circle. The robes are golden and resemble a monk’s cowl but are lined with heavy lead, symbolically representing hypocrisy. Also, Caiphas, the Pharisee who insisted on the execution of Jesus, is crucified in this circle, staked to the ground so that the ranks of the lead-weighted hypocrites march across him.

Bolgia Seven: This bolgia houses the souls of thieves. The bolgia is also filled with serpents, dragons and other vengeful reptiles that torture the thieves endlessly. The bites of some of the snakes cause the thieves to spontaneously combust, only to regenerate their bodies for further torment in a few moments. Other thieves are denied human forms and appear as reptiles themselves, and can only assume their true shape if they steal a human shape from another sinner; this involves a very painful transformation for both souls involved.

Bolgia Eight: In this trench, the souls of Deceivers who gave false or corrupted advice to others for personal benefit are punished. They are constantly ablaze, appearing as nothing so much as living, speaking tongues of flame.

Bolgia Nine: Sinners who, in life, promoted scandals, schism, and discord are punished here; particularly those who caused schism within the church or within politics. They are forced to walk around the circumference of the circle bearing horrible, disfiguring wounds inflicted on them by a great demon with a sword. The nature of the wound mirrors the sins of the particular soul; while some only have gashes, or fingers and toes cut off, others are decapitated, cut in half (as schismatics), or are completely disemboweled. In the Inferno, Muslim prophet Muhammad is tortured in this ditch.

Bolgia Ten: Falsifiers, those who attempted to alter things through lies or alchemy, or those who tried to pass off false things as real things, such as counterfeiters of coins, are punished here. This bolgia has four subdivisions where specific classes of falsifiers (alchemists, impostors, counterfeiters, and liars) endure different degrees of punishment based on horrible, consumptive diseases such as rashes, dropsy, leprosy and consumption.

2nd circle does not sound fun.

Answer 2

If I'm not mistaking, you are referencing Dante's Inferno from The Divine Comedy. I have studied this work of literature, and I do believe that there is truth in it. I do believe that hell is seperated into different levels of punishment based on the sins and wether or not the person that committed them repented to the Lord or not. That bottom level is pretty nasty huh? Frozen forever in ice for betrayal of family. I think that that is a severe sin, such as a spouse cheating on their loved one. Basically, just look out for the seven cardinal sins is the message of this book, and have a relationship with the Lord. May I suggest you read a more recent book called "23 minutes in hell". It is similar to Dante's tale but from a modern perspective. God Bless You!

Answer 3

Sounds like you're overimpressed with something you just learned, which is natural: new is good.

Seriously, think about it....look into your soul...do you really believe there are 9 levels of hell?? Come on, now.

The whole concept of sin and divine punishment is suspect on several levels (at least 9, by my count). If our souls are eternal, and we are judged by our actions during our 70 or so years of life on earth, then that seems to be comparable for punishing a 1-month old baby for something. What's 70 years compared to an eternity?? Even on our deathbeds, we are essentially still newborns in the bigger picture of (alleged) eternal life; just like a 1-month old on earth, we really haven't been around long enough to pick up the wisdom and knowledge we need to successfully navigate the physical and spiritual world.

And what god requires us to apologize and ask for forgiveness, as if we -- puny humans -- can possibly do anything to offend a god? We flatter ourselves too much.

And of course, we can talk about theodicies and the problem of evil, but that would take an eternity, and who's got the time??

Answer 4

I don't believe in them, but I believe traitors to benefactors (9th circle), those who are violent against people/property (outer ring, 7th circle), and hypocrites (Bolgia 6, 8th circle) are the worst.
Have you read Dante's Inferno? It's a really great book. Look into it if you haven't already.

Answer 5

Dante created the concept but, like all writers, he was influenced by the events and experiences of his own lifetime. For much of his life he was exiled from his home and betrayed by those he felt should have above policital machinations, like the Pope!

If there are levels of hell, I think that we create them in our lives out of guilt for those times we behave in ways we regret. For instance, if we act cruelly to someone, we justify our actions by blaming them for failing to "deserve" respect. The anger we may feel at them is simply a redirection of our discomfort with ourselves. As long as we feel guilty, we are in hell. Like Dante's sinners, we are put into "hell" until we can admit our own responsibility and take action to "repent".

Dante has "his" sinners confess to Minos at the gates of hell. What they did not feel/know were sins, they did not claim as sins, thus, they were not sentenced to punishment for those sins.

It would be nice to think that we have/will develop beyond the need to create an after-life punishment for those things we don't finish before we die.

Enjoy the "Inferno" but don't forget to read the "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso". They both contain amazingly beautiful verse.

Answer 6

To each and every action theres an equal and opposite reaction. Each person is allowed to choose freely.

Answer 7

I don't. I don't see Hell as the myths and stereotypes do. No lake of fire. My version of Hell is nothing, darkness, cut off from God and the light. Just you and your worst fears in which you relive over and over.

Answer 8

That's all based on a book of poetry written by an Italian. Can you imagine 500 years from now, someone asking "Do you think there's really a Hogwarts Academy? I just learned about it today!"

Answer 9

I do not, but if it's true, I belong in the 6th level of hell with all the heretics :(

Answer 10

Hell doesn't exist, but if it did I'd say all circles are equally terrible.