How logical is the concept of hell?

Almost in every book associated with any religion one can find a description of Hell. In some scriptures this imaginary place is described in very graphic details, many people literally believe these descriptions and really think that hell exists somewhere. They also describe what may or may not happen if someone lands in hell. I call it imaginary because there is no direct or indirect evidence of the existence of this place. Every religion and its scriptures describe it somewhat differently but they all agree on one thing it is a really bad place to be there and no one should land there even by mistake. Some religions or scriptures go beyond just describing the place, they also list several punishments one might get if one lands there. Actually, as per their logic, no one just accidentally lands there, they are forced to go there as a punishment after death for their bad deeds during their life on earth. This punishment which sounds so inhuman and cruel is awarded after judgment by the highest authority (God) of that particular religion. At least this is what the scriptures say. Some of the punishments described are very cruel and inhuman, like frying in oil or burning in fire. This is all without any due process and just for not following some rules written in those scriptures, and that too these rules are so different from one scripture to another, whatever is considered sacred in one can be totally blasphemous in another. I think if any government or any authority tries to award some of these punishments they can be tried in court for human rights violations, only some radical extremist organizations like Al-Queda can justify such barbaric acts, and for this, they get criticized by all quarters of the world, but no one seems to mind when these things are mentioned in scriptures. People's attitude suddenly changes when there is involvement of their religion or god in these types of issues.

I often wonder if people at all think how logical is all this description of hell and those punishments described in any book? The descriptions of these things are so cruel and inhuman that no one with normal sense and logic can agree to such punishments delivered to hardcore criminals and forget about common people. I agree that these books are really really old but I feel that today's authors do a somewhat better job in writing fiction stories. I must also say that today's authors also have the advantage of time and better technique. Still, believers don't feel that their scriptures are fiction books, they fear this imaginary hell, and they all have a strong desire to go into a similarly imaginary place called heaven that promises a bunch of rewards. Many who care about going to hell or heaven don't care about their cowardice acts like terrorism or heinous crimes like rape or murder or many other mistakes in their day-to-day lives like corruption, domestic violence, sexual abuse, etc. So, clearly, these threats about hell and lures about heaven are not working in the way they were supposed to work, rather, they create an illusion in people's minds that no matter what they do in their personal lives if they ask for forgiveness with their God everything will be fine and they will be pardoned and rewarded. This very generous offer is advertised heavily by almost all religions and sects. This fear and attraction to the illusionary world of heaven and hell have created a unique mindset in people's minds. Many care and worry about these imaginary things rather than their own conduct in day-to-day life. Many times they don't even care about the law of the land but care whether they will land in heaven or hell. Many religions and sects make use of these fears to attract followers, they make tall claims that are difficult to prove or disprove and lure people into their trap, and people fall for this trick.

Do we really need the promise of heaven to do good deeds or fear of hell to deter us from doing bad things in our lives? Why our own conscious mind can not guide us to follow the righteous path in our lives? Why fear of the law of the land is not enough to deter people from committing crimes? We need to ask these questions and try to find honest answers. Maybe this will help us to introspect and realign our beliefs. Maybe this will help us to follow a righteous path without worrying whether it will land us in some imaginary place like heaven or hell. Kindness, love, compassion, and truthfulness are all wonderful qualities to have, and everyone should aspire to have them, I don't think anyone should require the lure of heaven or fear of hell to lead a life full of love and kindness. Let's focus on all the good work we all can do without worrying about these imaginary threats or rewards.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]