Why are people so Afraid of Hell?

Temptation seduces people into hell with pleasure, so it makes sense that many people only foresee the pleasure that tempts them without being able to see the suffering that will follow it (yet).

Fortunately, we are provided with many stepping-stone opportunities to experience the relationship between pleasure, temptation, and suffering on our long path toward salvation and eternal life free of sin/death.

What seduces people into heaven?

Heaven is all about pride (which ironically is a sin in itself). People who go to heaven aren't looking for pleasure, they are looking for self-righteousness.

I don't know anyone who is afraid of hell.

This member has a series of puerile threads about hell and satan. Probably an adolescent relishing the idea of shocking people. S/he has come to the wrong place for that.

Heaven isn't pleasure that comes at the cost of suffering. It is the bliss of deliverance from suffering.

In a way, there is a cycle to suffering and transcendence. Purgatory is a nice concept because it is a model of enduring the hell you deserve for your sins, while ultimately having those sins burn away and leave you cleansed so that you can ascend to heaven.


Pride is indeed the ultimate trap that tempts you back down into sin. The higher you rise, the more temptation their is to pride. The humblest person has the most temptation to become proud of their humility. You have to confess pride, like every other sin, in order to receive grace and mercy.

Ultimately, if you have experienced the hell of pride and narcissism, etc. you know that you want deliverance from it - and God will grant you deliverance if you just keep the faith and stay aware of the sin and vigilant in repenting for it.

I think ultimately many Christians live in a state of self-righteousness where we know that we are really just being tempted into claiming His righteousness for our own pride, but we have to live with that temptation the same as you have to live with any other temptation when you are in resistance to allowing yourself to be consumed with it and acting on your desire.

May you never go to hell. You will suffer forever.