Continuing with the exploration and reflection through a series of articles written in a conversational language about Catholicism, about God, about Jesus, about the Church and many other faith related topics. Here we present:

Question 41 – Does hell exist? 

The word ‘hell’* has a nasty connotation. Hell refers to eternal pain and despair, as a punishment for what a person did wrong in their life. In ancient paintings about hell you can see how people burn alive in glowing oil, chased by scary devils. You would be afraid of less. But can Christians believe that? God* is love, isn’t he? Isn’t God always ready to forgive? How can a righteous God punish some people forever so terribly?

These are legitimate objections. Yet Jesus* repeatedly speaks about hell. How can that be explained? Actually, the question of whether or not hell exists is not about God’s love, but about the freedom* of the human being, and thus about human responsibility. Christians believe that a person is free and therefore also responsible for their actions. A person can choose to do good or to give in to evil. To hell go the people who completely and consciously chose evil. Hell is the result of the voluntary, complete refusal of everything that God is and wants. It is the complete absence of any experience of love. Human freedom means that you are free to turn against God and that God respects your freedom.

So yes, hell exists, but not so much as a physical place as a possible state. You can ask whether someone is in this state, or if there are people who have never received or given a single flash of love in their whole life. It is possible that hell is empty.

– What do you mean by hell? 
– Have you ever experienced, heard or seen anything that you would describe as hell? 

Watch this space! Coming up:   Question 42 – Is the Bible dictated by God? 

Follow these links to go back to previous questions

If you wish to learn more about this resource follow this link  “52 Questions and Answers about faith”

About the author:

Nikolaas Sintobin, SJ, joined the Society of Jesus in 1989, following a short career as a lawyer. He was trained as a Jesuit in Brussels, Paris, and Santiago de Chile. Today he is a spiritual director who is keenly interested in online ministry and discovering new ways to help people find God.

This text is republished with the permission of Messenger Publications, Ireland. To buy a hard copy of the book click here.