Origins of Heaven & Hell?

Perhaps made most famous by Christianity, but is also in Judaism and Islam (Egyptians too, I think) and possibly others, heaven and hell seem to be the main subjects in these Religions and is used well as a tether to stop people from disbelieving.

But where do they originate? I haven't properly researched this, in fact I haven't researched it at all, but this is what I think.

In this current life, we experience heaven and hell but we don't call them that. Some people suffering from severe mental illness live with voices mocking them, some people live their lives with no food or money or house, etc, THIS is hell as we experience it. So, it would only make sense that the idea of hell came from our own inner-battles.

Heaven on the other hand, is a good description of how we feel in moments of euphoria. Such as when you fall in love or your first child is born.

Other times we seem to drift in between the two, such as when we have an adrenaline rush in an extreme situation.

This, to me, explains the people who have OOBEs and perceive Heaven. Also those who experience demon experiences. It is also how we came up with Heaven and Hell.
It is all a manifestation of our own emotions that was written in a way to seem like physical places, but they're not, they're inside of us.


[edit on 27/6/09 by Nventual]

well i think they originate from the sense of justice people want in the world.

if youre a good person you think you should be given some super awesome good reward.

also people think bad things should happen to bad people

the people who are "good" like the idea of being superior to those who are bad

and yes the egyptians had versions of heaven and hell. www.touregypt.net...

Perhaps one shouldn't think things until one has properly researched them. And in situations where one has no experiences, one might best not draw any conclusions. Just trying to help.

reply to post by theyreadmymind



while i think you have a point to some degree, you couldnt ever get people to not think about it.
i think a heaven and hell concept would form in many people's minds anyways even though it wouldnt be as common (in america anyways) as it is now.

reply to post by ELECTRICkoolaidZOMBIEtest


I'm not telling him not to think *about* it. I encourage that. I mean don't think it in the sense of believing it without doing research first to see if there is any basis for it.

To be honest with you, I don't believe anybody truly knows the origin of hell. But if it is out there, it would be a good idea to look for it before coming to your own conclusions and being wrong about it.

I too have my own suspicions about hell. I think hell might have been invented to discourage people from doing evil things. Now if I actually believed that, and not just suspected, then me and the O.P. would believe in two different things. One or both of us might be wrong. But if we both just wonder about it, neither of us are doing anything wrong but we're both open to other ideas and not being closed-minded about it. Neither of us have seen a demon before I'm guessing, so we don't really know if hell exists. This is where experience comes in. Somebody else might have actually experienced a demon before. Who am I to say they haven't? I am not going to draw any conclusions about what somebody else has or hasn't seen without any experiences of my own. So I remain open-minded and I encourage the O.P. to be as well.

I did see a ghost before. I don't have any proof, and it really doesn't prove heaven or hell, but it did teach me to be open-minded about these kinds of things and to see flaws in the way people try to rationalize the unknown which is what I was trying to convey to the O.P.

[edit on 28-6-2009 by theyreadmymind]

The creation is highly stratified. Below the lowest material region is hell. Hell is a fairly new creation that has come about in the Kali Yuga / Iron age because the level of attachment of the spirits to matter is considerably stronger than in previous ages. It is stronger because the downward compulsion or degradation and degeneration is more forceful in this age. Life, even in matter, is one of maximum pleasure and minimum pain. The Gold, Silver, Bronze and now Iron ages are phases in the process of purification. Each phase has thus far marked a change in spiritual intensity. A slow and gradual increase in the exhaustion of coarse, deep rooted, imperfections of the spirit is characteristic of this age and with it a need for a region for the spirit to descend to when it's attachments render it unfit for existence even in the lower material division where this world resides.

"Heaven" so called are the regions of matter above this plane. Typically they are within the lower portions of the Spiritual-Material division.

Heaven and hell are known to the spirit from having lived in those regions in the interim between incarnations on this plane of existence. The spirit has faint memories perceived as intuitions and instincts. The spirit also may visit these regions during sleep and return with perceptions from dreams and nightmares.

Certainly, some individuals leverage these regions for and against the spirits form selfish motives. But they are also kind hearted, well intended, revelations about their existence for the benefit of others. The world is full of lies --- lies that these regions don't exists is as undesirable as lies about perpetual existence in heaven or hell. The Supreme Being is all merciful. But the impurities of the spirit must be removed and can best be removed by these processes we experience at every instant. No spirit will spend eternity in hell or heaven. No spirit shall spend eternity anywhere else but in the purely spiritual regions. But the spirit must first exhaust it's imperfections or it will not be able to remain fully conscious in it's true home.

What is occurring must occur. But it occurs in parallel with the desires of the individual spirit which are the reflection of it's imperfections and inclinations. We get what we really want in this world. Mercy is always being extended. We are always getting exactly what we want or wanted. We incarnate driven by the strongest desires driving us at the moment of death. Whine as we all do, that this is not just or desirable, the fact is that each instant is the manifestation of mercy being extended to give us just the condition we inclined ourselves for. It is the perverse nature of our inclinations/imperfections that result in any condition we find ourselves in. The surface mind may complain about the situation but, at the core, it's just what we want and have earned for ourselves. It doesn't matter whether it is a new born with a disease or a person born to wealth or poverty. It doesn't matter whether someone things they are important or gifted or special or worthless or any other perversion or condition. The instant will pass and the circumstances will change by mercy to always provide the spirit with the what it is inclined for next. Because that inclination will eventually prepare it to go home.

Heaven and hell are real places, and false places, and temporary places. Our spirit can scarcely avoid either, and both are tools to assist us in gaining freedom.

Maybe the idea of Hell came from a desire for justice.

We cannot punish somebody for their crime for whatever reason, but maybe God can. It might be comforting to many people to know that even though they suffer and cannot do anything about it, there is a God who will punish those who cause the suffering, condemn them to Hell.

Similar to it, Heaven is a place where we justly belong if we are good, a place where our suffering ends.


[edit on 28-6-2009 by laura petrie]

i would agree, hell is a "idea". People are contantly asking about hell, what it is, where it is, why it is there. Thousands of RS teachers and priests are constantly preaching of hell. All i can say is why?

If God is there, and forgives us all... and these RS teachers and Priests agree this is what happens. Why do they preach of hell?

In my opinion hell is a phase of life. You can live it more than once. And it will never last forever.

If hell was a real place then it would mean God is a failure. He wants to save everyone and if hell is there he cannot do that. So as a consiquence, i do not beleive in hell.

Hope this helps.