Hell
The abode of the dead. Traditionally, the place of torment after death for those that were 'bad' here on Earth. A nether world in which the dead continue to exist. The realm of the Devil in which the damned suffer everlasting punishment; the abode of Satan and his fallen angels and a place of physical anguish for impenitent souls after death.
According to the Koran, Hell has seven portals leading into seven divisions (sura XV). True Buddhism admits of no Hell in the true sense, but some of the more superstitious Buddhists acknowledge as many as 136 places of punishment after death, where the dead are sent according to their deserts.
In traditional views of Hell, some people — perhaps even a majority of the human race — will not be saved. Each person is to be judged once and for all at death and given either eternal life or eternal condemnation. Hell is a place of endless, conscious punishment for sin, and once a person is in hell, there is no exit, forgiveness, or escape. The Roman Catholic view distinguishes between hell and purgatory, a place of temporary purification for those who are destined for heaven.
See After Life: What It's Like in Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, Angels from Hell: Almost Totally True Tales of Infernal, and Otherwise Inexplicable, Intervention, Crucial Questions About Hell, Dante's Inferno: The Indiana Critical Edition (Indiana Masterpiece Editions), Encyclopedia of Hell, Hell: An Illustrated History of the Netherworld, The Formation of Hell: Death and Retribution in the Ancient and Early Christian Worlds, The History of Hell (Harvest Book), and The History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil.
See also Hades, Lucifer, Shakespeare, Beelzebub, Satan, Heptameron, Demonology, Demonomancy, Grimoires, Agrippa, Diviner, Divination, Wizard, Pythagoras, Witch, Warlock, Alchemy, Paracelsus, Devil, Kabbalism, Numerology, Alchemy, Magic, Satan, Beelzebub, Tartarus, Solomon, Casting Black Magic Spells, Commanding Spirits, The Tarot Store, The Chakra Store, Divination & Scrying Tools and Supplies, and The Pyramid Collection.
Sources: (1) Dictionary of the Occult, Caxton Publishing; (2) Spence, Lewis, An Encyclopedia of Occultism, Carol Publishing Group; (3) Masello, Robert, Fallen Angels. . . and Spirits of the Dark, The Berkley Publishing Group; (4) Guiley, Rosemary Ellen and Zaffis, John, The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology, Checkmark Books; (5) Lewis, James R., Angels A to Z, Visible Ink Press.
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