User talk:SouthWriter/sandbox/An atheist's objections/@comment-1777104-20100810172018

Oer, my beliefs about what hell is like are based on the overall picture drawn by the writers of the Bible. Hell is indeed a separation from God - a fulfillment of the desire of a majority of mankind throughout history any way. But it is more than that. In our present existence, we are to a certain extent separated from God, though He has descended to live among us (first as Jesus, and now as the Holy Spirit -- a mystery for another discussion).

As we count time, the souls in Hades (a Greek concept, used only to denote the place of the dead, and not necessarily any of the mythology attached) are likely in solitary confinement and suffering from the conditions there, not the activities of any demons that have been likewise banished (read Luke 16:19-31, some call it a parable, but even so, it reflects reality as do all parables). A time will come when these souls will be reunited with bodies to suffer for the rest of eternity -- a word picture seen in Gehenna, a garbage dump that is never empty. I discussed this in the previous post.

In short, my answer is Yes, Yes, and No. I think it is all quite bad, and the tragic consequence of our "getting our own way." If I had a choice, I guess, and I were condemned to the fate, I'd definitely opt to the "upper levels" of Dante's version of Hell. There is some indications in scripture that the levels of discomfort in Hell are relative to the life of the condemned here on earth, so I have some confidence that the nature of God will be justly demonstrated after Judgment Day.