What's behind the Heaven & Hell concept? I think I know?

Question

I think I have an explanation for this concept, it's quite simple.
Since people at that time thought the earth was flat, they must have had believed in an upper floor and a lower floor. The sky to them was the upper floor. Since rain, clouds, rainbows all come from the sky, they concluded that Heaven was full of waterfalls, coolness, greeness and beauty.

Now where does the Hell concept come from? Why is it a place full of Fire? I think it has to do with Volcanoes.
People saw lavas and fire coming from below the earth. They witnessed floods, earthquakes and saw the earth cracks. So they assumed that whatever was under the earth, was EVIL and destructive. They named it Hell, and assimilated it with Fire.

Since our ancestors knew little about science, they resorted to a metaphysical explanation such as Heaven and Hell. And that concept was quite satisfactory to them. The concept is sitll alive.

Do you agree with my analogy?

Answer 1

Very interesting. I think that the concepts of Heaven and Hell came from religion's need to create a place in which to put our 'eternal souls'.
That being said, there is no real description of Heaven or Hell in most religious texts, so it was up to the religious leaders of the time to describe these places. There description could very well have been from what you describe. Even before Christianity or its offspring, nearly all pagan religions equated the 'underworld' as a place of evil and the sky or clouds as a place of beauty and peace. Yet, remember that many older descriptions of Hell were actually ones of a very cold place. (Dante, etc.)

Answer 2

I totally agree with the hell concept especially
there is a site where old Babylon would have been , it lies on a fault line and is open to the strangest weather , lighting is quite the norm there due to the gasses omitting from the earth on the fault line
there is also a cave , where the lava flows just below the surface
men would go into this cave and never return , poisoned by the gasses or burned alive
so the cave became famous for being " evil "
this explains the wrath of God ( the freak weather ) and the pit of Hell
and is in the right geographical area for such theories

p.s I do believe in God , but not the biblical one

Answer 3

You make some interesting points. The modern conception of heaven and hell is based on
(1) there is a God
(2) we can be with God or separated from God
(3) this union or separation will become permanent

Thus heaven is permanent union with God, hell is permanent separation. Scripture indicates that hell will be a place of sensory as well as spiritual suffering, so the analogy of unbearable heat might be accurate. It might also be an understatement. In either case I think your observation about volcanoes could explain why unbearable heat was chosen to represent the aspect of sensory suffering in hell.

Answer 4

actual, something below eternal advantages or eternal punishment seems inefficient - or more beneficial ideal, inequitable. a guy murders a guy, elderly twenty. The year is 27 BC. the guy would have had 3 sons and 2 daughters if he become no longer murdered. they'd have had little kids, and on and on, with the outcome the assassin no longer purely killed the guy, yet all his offspring with him - killing in time expanded 1000's of people. what number deaths does such someone deserve? No, God has a more beneficial ideal draw close of actuality than you do. Your project is you imagine you spot issues more beneficial ideal than God.

Answer 5

These factors influence the perception of hell. I see them as metaphors for what your life could be like. Do you live a good way and have happiness? Or do you chase greed and hurt, which will make you suffer? Ancient poetry and literature that even then holds keys to our understanding of things.

Hell xtends from the tradition of Hades and Mount Olympus was in the sky. Good and Evil.

Answer 6

Different cultures throughout time have had similar historical interpretations of the Earth and Sky, Good and Evil, Right and Wrong. This is nothing new.

Answer 7

There are many more accurate theories about this. For example, hell fires are associated with the rubbish which was burnt. Heaven could even be another planet, from which spacemen came. Why not? It is all theory.

Answer 8

From what I have read, Hell was invented by the Roman Catholics to scare the "pagans" into believing if they did not become christians they would burn eternally in Hell. It's a way to convert people.....same way the Christians made all of their holidays to fall on the pagan holidays.

Answer 9

I think your analysis is accurate as far as it goes. But the whole heaven/hell concept is basically about punishment and reward, and that's about obedience. The location of them as above and below is as much for the metaphoric reasons as for the clouds vs. volcano issues.

Or perhaps the symbolism of up for good and down for bad is arranged that way because of the impression that going up would be good because you'd get into light and pretty clouds and down would be bad because down is where you go when you are buried.

The main point, of course, is that heaven and hell are symbolic, but the symbols are based on physical realities.

Answer 10

Sorry, but why would I or anyone else believe a creative thought you have for truth??? No disrespect intended, as I wouldn't expect anyone to believe my opinion that was created by self. Truth lies in The Word of God that talks very much about Heaven and Hell. It's very real and not subjective to anyone's doubting it. When you take your last breath, your body returns to dust and your soul, spirit goes to heaven or hell based on who you followed in this life. Jesus or satan. Not based on popular opinion, or creative thoughts. Sorry, but truth is not hidden in man's theories or thoughts, but is in Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Go with Truth!!