Hell Case Study

"Hell" the word strikes fear in every catholic believers heart, a word we associate with the ultimate punishment. Although it is a term that is rather unpleasant, it plays a very large role in the faith and rightfully so. The afterlife is one of the more debated topics in the catholic faith, and this research paper is meant to find out what hell means to us, through research of catechetical and theological documents and resources. These resources are not only from current time but also from earlier 20th century writing, to get a wider array of opinions as the religion itself has progressed through time. Through that we will analyze where we get our understanding of the term hell comes from, and what the term means to us ultimately. That means how does a person get into to hell and what hell is supposed to be like. Firstly we will be getting the background summary of what hell means from the Catechism of the Catholic Chruch.

Hell is defined as: "The state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed, reserved for those who refuse by their own free choice to believe and be converted from sin, even to the end of their lives (1033)." The Catechism defines hell as a place that is reserved for "enemies of God" (1033). These enemies may make it seem as though hell is reserved for the worst of the worst but it is intended for all of those who wish not to be in communion with God. It is seen as a dismal prospect but God gives us that choice, the emphasis that should be concerned with is that the fate of our afterlives is freely our choice to make (1033). When talking about the physical place of hell it must be taken into account that it is a highly abstract and metaphysical idea being referred to. The Catechism defines hell, or other wise known as "Gehenna," as a place of "the unquenchable fire"(1034). Those who die and choose not to repent or convert, will be cast asunder to "Gehanna" and throw into the furnace of fire. The Catechism also defines hell as place that is without the forgiveness of God, meaning for eternity. The paramount punishment of being sent to hell is the isolation from God, from which man derives pleasure and a longing to live (1035). This is seen as the absolute worst torture a man is to endure, that being so God wishes this upon none of his children, and no soul is predestined to hell (1037).

The Catholic Encyclopedia defines hell as the Latin "celare" and the Greek "hades", which means a dark and hidden cavern within the earth (Hontheim). Now there have been many debates on where hell physically resides, some thought that hell existed everywhere, that the damned were allowed to travel the universe, or that it existed on an other planet. Many believe it is within the earth. This is believed because many scriptures have imagery of the damned going downward into the earth. However speculation could be seen as metaphor for being as far away from God, this is of course because many believe heaven to be in the sky among the stars and the punishment of hell is isolation from God (Hontheim.) However the church has no answer for exactly where hell resides. It is thought to be something of lesser importance and not the emphasis to be worried about. St. Chrysostom says it best: "We must not ask where hell is, but how we are to escape it" (Hontheim). Now on the aspect of how one escapes hell is relatively simply. This creed sums up the understanding well: Athanasian Creed: "They that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire" (Hontheim).

The New Catholic Encyclopedia defines hell as a place for the damned. Before the Jewish and Catholic faith, there was always a nether plane for which the essence of the dead resides. In the Jewish faith there hell was called "Sheol" this was a place where those evil of spirit went to after passing. The New Catholic Encyclopedia