Why do so many churches teach eternal conscious torment? Do all Christians believe in an everlasting hell? What about other religions?
There is no universal source of answers to these questions. Beliefs on the divine punishment for the unsaved, including what hell is (literal fire vs. separation vs. annihilation) and what “eternal” really means, vary widely among religions, traditions, and individuals.
However, we can understand that different denominational views on hell are rooted in theology, anthropology, scriptures, historical development, and the concerns of religious leaders. And we can trace those roots.
Why Many Religions Teach Eternal Torment
Note: Much of the information in this section comes from “The Doctrine of ‘Hell’ in Modern Christianity” by religious scholar Eitan Bar.
- Theological Concepts of Divine Justice
Many denominations that teach eternal conscious torment believe sin offends God’s infinite qualities of perfect holiness and justice. Under this reasoning, finite human wrongdoing merits an infinite consequence, and the unsaved will endure eternal separation from God, which results in everlasting conscious torment in hellfire. Groups that hold this belief often rationalize it by pointing to scriptures and doctrines emphasizing divine wrath and justice.
- Scriptural Literalism
When religious groups interpret sacred texts literally, they take descriptions of eternal fire, burning, and punishment to mean never-ending physical and mental torture. For example, a wide range of Protestant and Catholic traditions have used passages from the Christian Bible, such as Mark 9:48 (“the worms that eat them do not die”) and Matthew 3:12 (“unquenchable fire”) to develop doctrines on eternal hell.
- Understandings of Human Free Will (and Its Consequences)
Many religious teachings purport that humans’ ability to freely choose good or evil denotes hell as the consequence of choosing separation from God forever, not God inflicting pain. Some theologians argue that perfect communion with God is blissful, so rejecting him is inherently painful.
- Moral Motivations
Historically, many church leaders have preached eternal punishment to motivate repentance, moral behavior, and conversion. This practice is particularly evident in revivalist movements and conservative religious traditions.
- Historical Evolution
The idea of eternal conscious torment has developed and evolved over centuries. Early Christian theologians such as Augustine of Hippo elaborated doctrines of eternal punishment by tying together classical philosophy and scriptural interpretations. The influence of these doctrines grew especially in Western Christianity.
How Different Religious Groups View Hell
Note: The lists below are not comprehensive. They are intended to provide a brief survey of how different mainstream religious traditions teach the concepts of hell, eternal punishment, and the fate of the unsaved at the end of time.
Denominations That Teach Eternal Conscious Torment
These three Christian groups generally teach that the souls of unrepentant sinners will suffer eternal conscious punishment, commonly described as “hellfire” or “torment.” They often reference the Bible, interpreting verses on hell literally, to support their teachings.
- Roman Catholicism teaches that those who die without repentance in mortal sin (an intentional, grave wrongdoing done with full knowledge of God’s law) go to hell: a state of eternal separation from God, traditionally described as torment in unquenchable fire.
- Many Conservative Protestant Christian Denominations—especially those within Evangelicalism, Reformed Christianity/Calvinism, Baptist, Lutheranism, Methodism, Pentecostalism, Anglicanism (traditional wings), Moravian Church, Plymouth Brethren, and many conservative Quaker traditions—teach the traditional view of eternal conscious torment: physical and mental torture in everlasting fire. In recent decades, however, annihilationism has gained some support within these groups.
- Eastern Orthodoxy emphasizes the profound consequences of eternal separation from God rather than physical torture. Although this imagery differs from traditional views on hell, the church’s statements still describe enduring pain.
Orthodox Islam, including the Sunni and Twelver Shiʿite branches, also teaches eternal torment. Traditional Muslims draw from Qur’anic and Hadith literature to explain that:
- Disbelievers (kuffar) and hypocrites (munafiqun) will reside in hellfire (Jahannam) forever as punishment for rejecting God.
- Some sinful believers who die without full repentance may face punishment in hell for a time. After their souls are purified by fire, they will enter paradise.
- Hell is a real, fiery place of torment created by Allah for those who deny faith and persist in wrongdoing.
The above information on Islam comes from The Seven Levels of Hell (Jahannam) by Islam365.
Denominations That Do Not Teach Eternal Conscious Torment
These groups reject the concept of eternal hell, interpreting death and divine punishment differently than the groups listed above.
- Some Protestant and Restorationist Christian denominations, including (but not limited to) Seventh-day Adventists, Christadelphians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, teach annihilationism: the wicked will be completely destroyed, not eternally tormented. These groups interpret Bible verses about hell and death to mean that the result of the wicked’s punishment is everlasting, not its duration.
- Latter-day Saints (Mormons) teach that most souls do not go to “hell,” as understood in the traditional Christian sense. Only a small section of souls called the “sons of perdition” will not inherit a kingdom of glory, instead suffering a type of permanent separation from God, often described as “outer darkness.”
- Christian Universalists and some liberal Christians from various Protestant traditions believe in universal reconciliation: ultimately, all souls will be spiritually saved.
- Many non-Christian and non-Abrahamic religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and ancient African traditions affirm a kind of afterlife, but most do not teach eternal torment as a consequence for rejecting a deity. Beliefs vary widely among these religions, but many emphasize concepts of enlightenment, cycles of rebirth, and different realms of punishment (not everlasting).
- Orthodox Judaism rejects eternal torment. Classic scriptural sources speak of Gehinnom as a place of temporary purification lasting no longer than a year, not an everlasting hell.
Teachings on Eternal Conscious Torment: A Summary
| Religious Group | Does It Teach Eternal Conscious Torment? | Its Teachings on “Hell” |
| Roman Catholicism | Yes | Those who die in mortal sin will be forever separated from God and tormented in unquenchable fire. |
| Many Protestant Christian Denominations | Yes | Those who reject God will suffer physically and mentally in hellfire forever. |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | Yes | Those who reject God will be eternally separated from Him, leading to everlasting pain. |
| Orthodox Islam | Yes | Disbelievers and hypocrites will reside in Jahannam, a created place of fire, forever. |
| Seventh-day Adventists | No | Annihilationism. The wicked will cease to exist at the final judgment, suffering the second death. |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | No | Annihilationism. “Hell” is an eternal grave of nonexistence for the wicked. |
| Latter-day Saints | Mostly no | Only “sons of perdition” will be forever separated from God, suffering an unfathomable punishment. |
| Christian Universalism | No | All souls will eventually be saved. |
| Non-Abrahamic Religions | Varies, but mostly no | Most teach that death is not the end and the wicked will be punished, but not in eternal conscious torment. |
| Orthodox Judaism | No | The unrighteous go to Gehinnom, a place of temporary purification. |
What Is the Right Belief on Hell?
Many people across our world share a belief in eternal hell. Religious groups develop and teach this doctrine based on interpretations of various sacred texts, understandings of divine justice and free will, and centuries of theological evolution. Yet among the many religious traditions that affirm eternal punishment abound even more ideas about what that punishment actually entails. Physical torture in eternal fire? Spiritual anguish? Nonexistence? A corrective process? Purification?
Searching for the answer? Study religious history, research various points of view, and pray for God’s guidance. He is a relational God whose Word never changes.
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