Brane Space: A Theological Excursion (of Sorts): How The Dogma Of 'Hell' Was Invented

One of the things we had to study as students of Theology 200 at Loyola (in 1965) was the origin of Hell. Today, this is mostly glossed over and while millions hear or see the word “Hell” blathered about (usually by ignorant ministers and “pastors”) they are unaware of the origin. But people need to understand that merely because a word appears in print doesn't mean it has any validity behind it.

Sir Bertrand Russell, in his book Why I Am Not A Christian, precisely identifies ‘religion’s source of terror’ to account for the perverse hold it has on so many. He notes how fear has been ‘dignified’ by use of this source: the demented hell concept to the point people no longer think it disgraceful[1] . Russell correctly points out that by dignifying fear as a coercive tool to drum people into the fold, religions lose any claim to credibility. I.e. if you must instill fear to extort belief then your claims and theology are worthless.

Unknown to most – believer and nonbeliever alike - is that the common afterlife teaching (by Clement of Alexandria and Origen of Adamantius) in the early centuries after Christ’s death was metempsychosis. Unlike reincarnation, which metempsychosis is often confused with, the same soul exists and is resurrected in a succession of different human bodies in an evolutionary process. (Ordinary reincarnation, meanwhile, allows for reincarnation also into animal bodies - which metempsychosis does not.)

The inability of McDonald's to market beef burgers in India (to this day) is a direct result of the Hindu proscription against killing cattle- believed to be reincarnations of their ancestors. Daft belief? Maybe!

But "Hell" is even more daft, plus derelict!

The Christian metempsychosis teaching probably endured for at least 500 years before later Church fathers decided (at the 2nd Council of Constantinople)that it gave men too much time to seek God. Thus, a means had to be found to spur the sinner's desire for redemption. The device decided on was “Hell” and this intervention also nixed the doctrine of Universal Restoration - replacing it with eternal damnation.

The strategy for inventing Hell was to take certain passages in the then Latin Vulgate that referred to “Gehenna” – which was really a dump for burning offal outside Jerusalem, and transmute that burning pit into an everlasting abode for punishment.

What better way to punish than by fire, and then make it “eternal”?

Thus, Gehenna became the putative basis for eternal torment at the Council. All teachings to do with metempsychosis were ordered expunged, and any transgressors were to be listed as "heretics". In a firm outline of the properties of Hell, the 2nd Council of Constantinople further mandated:

- It became the final abode of eternal punishment for all who rejected the Church's teachings or the Pope's authority

- It include the agency of fire and this fire never be quenched - and further it have the capacity to burn the soul without destroying it permanently (else there'd be no "eternal" aspect)

- Hell be under the governance of "Satan" or Lucifer, with a hierarchy of sub-Devils (Asmodeus, Belial, Pazuzu et al) to administer other punishments, e.g.

- All non-Catholics because of they're being outside the state of sanctifying grace, were a priori destined for Hell.

The other job mandated by the Council was to insert key words (synonyms) and references to “Hell” into the scriptures, which job was charged to various transcribers, translators. At key points also the translators had to make the odd reference to it coming out of Jesus' mouth. Adding to the threat of punishment for those who refused to believe – specifically “accepting” him as Savior (e.g. the bogus John 3: 16) .

This was skewered by Oxford Scholar Geza Vermes - The Authentic Gospel of Jesus- who points out any such belief on Christ's part would have been interpreted as self-idolatry. He never ever referred to himself as "Son of God" only as "Son of Man", nor did he dictate any belief in him. All such references were fraudulent later additions)

In the context of the Hell invention, it was also necessary to erect a whole fantasy narrative about the background. The faithful were thus led to believe an actual spiritual war was going on. Beautiful angels are at constant odds with cunning devils, demons and creatures too horrible to imagine. God and his white-feathered friends on one side are battling Satan and his leather-skinned devils on the other side.

Add in assorted “demons” – largely copied wholesale from ancient pagan legends and beliefs (e.g. Zoroastrianism) – and you even had the basis to populate Hell with its assorted tormentors. Later, diabolical “possession” (and exorcism) was also invented to enhance the fear factor, and other biblical passages altered to reflect it – leaving to the gullible believers to buy into this too.

As noted some ten years ago by Rev. John Shelby Spong, former Episcopal Bishop of Newark, NJ, Hell was invented as a blunt psychological device to control minds. As Sponge notes “people don’t need to be born again but to GROW UP. “

The Hell myth then is used as a cudgel to drive people into a control system where no one may question any elements of the beliefs.

As Bishop Sponge aptly put it on why certain religions resort to "Hell":

“Some Churches don’t like people to grow up because you can’t control grown ups. But People need to accept responsibility for themselves and the world”

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[1] Russel, R.: Why I Am Not A Christian, Touchstone Books, p. 54, 1957.

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