| About this site |
| About us |
| Our beliefs |
| Your first visit? |
| Contact us |
| External links |
| Good books |
| Visitor essays |
| Our forum |
| New essays |
| Other site features |
| Buy a CD |
| Vital notes |
| Non-theistic... |
| Atheism |
| Agnosticism |
| Humanism |
| Other |
| Spiritual/ethics |
| Spirituality |
| Morality/ethics |
| Absolute truth |
| Peace/conflict |
| Attaining peace |
| Religious tolerance |
| Religious hatred |
| Religious conflict |
| Religious violence |
| Laws and news |
| Religious laws |
| Religious news |
|
|
| Translation | Old Testament | New Testament | Matthew | Mark | Revelation |
| King James Version | 31 | 23 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
| American Standard Version. | 0 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| New King James Version | 19 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
One has to go back to the original Hebrew and Greek texts to fully understand that nature of "Hell."
The King James Version of the Bible translate three different words as "hell":
 | Sheol: A Hebrew word which is found 65 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is a place locatedunder the world. where everyone goes after death - those who have led good lives and those who have been evil. Its inhabitants lead a sort of shadowy existence, without energy, and isolated from God. They stay there forever. |
| Hades: A Greek word which is found 10 times in the Christian Scriptures. It is a type of transitional word. Sometimes it means a place under the earth where everyone ends up after death. Other times, it is a place where evil people are punished after death. |
| Gehenna: A Greek word which is found 13 times in the Christian Scriptures. It refers to a place of punishment or destruction for the wicked. It is based on an actual geographical location: a burning garbage dump in the Valley of Hinnom. This is a deep and narrow valley where the garbage from the city of Jerusalem was thrown in ancient times. It is also believed to have been a place of human sacrifice; infants where thrown into the fire by worshipers of the Pagan gods Moloch and Baal. Later, the Roman occupying army discarded the bodies of all victims of crucifixion there. |
Bible translators are faced with a quandary over "hell." They have to deal with 3 words (one Hebrew and one Greek) which Biblical writers have used to describe different destinations after death:
| They want to translate the Bible so that it appears to be consistent to the reader. That is, an ancient Hebrew author's description must match that of the 1st century author's writings. Otherwise, the Bible will be seen to teach very different beliefs about Hell, in different passages. The concept of Biblical inerrancy (freedom of error) would become meaningless. |
| They want to be true to the original text, which describe some very different destinations for the dead. |
The translators of the King James Version (KJV) tended to translate all three words: Sheol, Hades and Gehenna, as Hell. This had the advantage of making the Bible appear internally consistent. But many theologians believe that it disguises the variety of beliefs of the ancient Israelites who were under the influence of Greek culture and the writers of the Christian Scriptures. Some religious conservatives criticize the translation because it treats two different places as if they were a single location.
In 31 locations, the KJV translates Sheol as grave. This obscures the meaning of the passages. It sometimes produces very different images, as in Genesis 37:36 where:
| The KJV describes Jacob going "down into the grave onto my son." This gives the impression of Jacob digging down into the earth, uncovering his son's body. |
| The NIV has Jacob going "down to the grave to my son." This implies that Jacob was visiting the location where his son is buried. |
| The RSV has him go "down to Sheol to my son." This has Jacob going into the caverns under the earth where his son would be living in a type of shadowy existence. |
In 3 cases, the KJV translates Sheol as Pit.
The writers of the RSV, NRSV and other versions tried a different approach. They transliterated Sheol and Hades into English. So, the reader is able to see the original Hebrew and Greek words mixed in with the English text. They translated Gehenna as Hell.
Current beliefs among the American public:
The Barna Research Group continually monitors religious belief and practice in the United States. 4 As of 1996, American adults believed the following:
| 86%: God will eventually judge everyone. |
| 57%: A person can get to heaven by doing good works. |
| 45%: Religious beliefs do not have an impact on one's afterlife. |
| 45%: Religious beliefs do have an impact. |
| 39%: All persons who have not trusted Jesus as savior will go to Hell. This would include about 70% of Americans, and perhaps 85% of the rest of humanity. |
| 37%: Hell is not a place but a condition of separation from God. |
| 31%: Hell is a real place where sinners go to be punished. |
| 21%: Hell is a symbolic concept, not a place. |
Reference:
- G. Barna, "The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators," Word Publishing, Dallas TX, (1996), Pages 71-76.
Copyright © 1997, 1999 to 2001 incl. and 2004 by Ontario
Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2004-MAR-31
Author: B.A. Robinson
|
|
