What has happened to Hellfire?
What image does the word "hell" conjure up in your mind? Do you see hell as a literal place of torment of fire and brimestone? Or is hell perhaps a symbolic discription of a condition, a state?

For centuries, a fiery hell of excruciating torments has been envisioned by religions of today as the certain destiny for sinners.

Similar changes are taking place in other denominations. A report by the doctrine commission of the Church of England said; "Hell is not eternal torment, but it is the final and irrevocable choosing of that which is opposed to God so completely and so absolutely that the only end is total non-being".

Edward, welcome to the forum!

I don't really have a response to your question about what hell is like, except that there are quite a few adjectives that could be used to describe an ongoing state of being in which one is virtually closed to the Spirit of God. The consequential sufferings which come from such a "fundamental option" would seem to be sufficient without adding anything to them. But who am I to say?

Ever read C.S. Lewis' ' The Great Divorce'? He defines hell simply as separation from God, which is separation from love. Ever loved anyone so intensely that separation seemed like hell? Well, essentially that is how is it is going to be, only a million times worse, the saddest part being that it will be our own choice to reject love not God's choice to reject us.

NPR's "Talk of the Nation" - program on "Hell" with host Melinda Penkava from September 30, 1999

If the above real audio program doesn't "remote load", go here http://ethics.acusd.edu/theories/Religion/ and scroll down to
NPR's "Talk of the Nation", where their description reads:

"Hell" Melinda Penkava. Hell has many faces. There's the literal Hell of scripture, the literary Hell of Dante, and the goofy Hell of Far Side cartoons. The Catholic Church recently offered another version, declaring that Hell was not a place, but a state of being. Some speculate the Pope's recent statements are an attempt to modernize Hell's significance for a new millennium. Does Hell still hold any meaning for modern people, or is it an outdated concept? September 30, 1999.

pax tibi,
jb