
It is said in the website of a certain motorcycle organization, in answer to the question why there isn't an apostrophe in the word 'hells' (i.e rather hell's), that "That would be true if there was only one Hell, but life & history has taught us that there are many versions and forms of Hell."
This is true. In modern translations of the Bible, there are usually three or four words that are depending on the context, translated "hell". These words are "Sheol","Hades", "Tartaros" and "Gehenna". Sheol means pit or a grave. There are numerous references in the Tanakh (i.e the Old Testament) that not only the unrighteouss but also the righteouss people go to Sheol when they die (see Job 3:11-19). In the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, called the Septuagint, Sheol is translated Hades. This custom is followed in the original Greek New Testament.
There is only one direct reference to 'Tartaros' in the Bible (2.Peter 2:4). In ancient Greek mythology, Tartaros was a prison where the Titans, the elder deities were imprisoned. As the Greek myth is clear echo from the Biblical and Hebrew story of the Nephilim (see Genesis ch.6 and the apochryphal books of Enoch) it was convinient to choose this term to be applied to place, or state were rebellious angels (the Ancients) are imprisoned.
Gehenna is a Greek traslitteration of the Hebrew GeHinnom, or the Valley of the (sons of) Hinnom. Valley of Hinnom was a place outside Jerusalem, which was pre-Israelite times used as a sacrificial place of human infants to demon gods of Canaanites. Later it was used as a graveyard of executed criminals by Israelites. Fire was used there to get rid of the bodies, but no living criminals were thrown in to fire. Thus we see that the Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire is a symbol of destruction, not of eternal torment.
Also there is simple philosophical argument against the doctrine of eternal suffering, derived from the Bible.
It is said in the First Epistle of John, 4:8 that God is Love. If we believe that even one creature would be eternally tormented, if loving God would allow it, He would be a tyrant.
Doctrine of eternal torment is blasphemous instrument of controlling people with fear. Apostle John wrote further in his Epistle that "perfect love casts away all fear". God wants us to serve Him because of Love, not fear.
Philosophically we can also use the term Hell to describe a negative and disharmonic state of mind and lack of morality and spirituality, all which are prevalent today.
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