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]

What is the material world?

Humans are often criticized for their attachment to the material world. It's considered some sort of trap where once you get stuck, it's difficult to get out. The reason for our spiritual and moral decline is often blamed on our desires and attachments associated with this material world. What is this material world after all? Is it our planet, our surroundings, our possessions, people around us? What is it?

If we assume God is the creator of all living beings, then this whole earth or universe is its creation, so how can it be a trap or a bad thing? If this material world is so bad, or it's a trap full of so many distractions and evil things, then why did God send us here?  For me, Earth is the best planet in the entire universe, and we are lucky to be on it; that's why we call it our mother planet/Earth. How can our mother be a distraction or a source of our downfall? We are still trying to find evidence of life on other planets, and it’s very much possible that we might find evidence on some of them, but still, our Earth will be the most beautiful planet for us.

Now let’s see why this planet, or material world, or attachment is often criticized in scriptures/religions. This is the place where we are born and live our entire life, and during that process, we get attached to many things, which is quite natural. Most religions believe either there is life after death or there is some other planet or world that is supposed to be better than ours, where one goes after death. It’s also believed that your attachments on this planet hinder your journey to that unknown destination. All religions paint different pictures of that promised land (heaven or hell, whatever you want to call it) and also prescribe different ways to qualify to go there. We use everything available on this planet to fulfill our needs and desires. After serving us so well and honestly, his poor material world gets blamed for our attachments and miseries.

The aim of religion was to replace all our attachments with only one attachment, God or whatever other entity that religion preaches. They see these material attachments as the biggest threat to them and want to eliminate their competitors; that's the only reason I see they criticize it. People many times use wrong ways to satisfy their desires or greed, but they don't do this only for their material desires; there are enough examples of religious extremism, forceful conversions, hatred of non-believers, communal riots, etc. All these are due to human attachment to religion/God. People think it's God's will to preach their religion, and they are serving/pleasing God by doing this. It is even said that “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.” How come only material desires or attachments are blamed/criticized in scriptures, but not religious attachments? 

These so-called distractions and attractions around us are part of life, and life is interesting because of them. Running behind them is not the whole purpose of life; everything has its own importance and meaning in life. For example, eating is necessary for living, but if you only pay attention to eating and do nothing else, if you eat as much as you can without any control, then you know what will be the result, and it might become the cause of all your problems and destruction. Give importance to things as much as they deserve, and to know how to do this is to live a balanced life. Every person is different, and different things have different importance to different people.

This planet is our home for the rest of our lives, and we are privileged to have it. Whatever we learn, achieve, discover, and create is all from this so-called material world. It's the source of all our happiness, problems, and sorrows. There is a perfect world around us that provides us with everything we need; it has enough for our needs but not for greed. The real material world, its imperfections or attachments, or distractions are not outside, but they are inside our mind, and we need to control that; no point in blaming anyone for that. So-called heaven or hell, everything is here, and we experience it so many times during our life, but don't realize it. It's our duty to take care of this planet, as generations to come will be living here. We should try to make this place more beautiful than it was before we leave.

Thanks for reading and please share your opinions about this topic.

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)