"Is Hell as real as Heaven?" - Only Faith can tell

Many do not believe in what they cannot see with their own eyes or cup within their palms, and yet roughly eighty percent of the world's population claims loyalty to one religion or another. At this point, with no absolutely verifiable sources who've experienced either Heaven or Hell and returned to speak of it, no one can say with one hundred percent certainty that either of the two places are real.

If one wants to know whether or not Hell is real - or Heaven, for that matter - they'd be hard pressed to find a single answer. Some religious practitioners preach differently than their own holy scriptures record to be truth.

Thus, in answering the question,"Is Hell real?" I can only provide you a single answer: my personal beliefs.

Due to my beliefs, which don't seem to align with any single religion, I've been called many things: blasphemer, heretic, delusional. I am neither a god nor unfailingly enlightened as a prophet, but I believe what I do to the core of my heart. The avowal I've arrived at came about as a result of many hours spent thinking and questioning and questioning a bit more. It's evolved over time, and may evolve farther yet as years progress.

My 'religion' is a conglomerate of that which I've experienced personally or that which has been experienced by others, in addition to faith and, most importantly, hope.

Many religions, some who've no relation at all to the Judeo-Christian-Islam triad, believe in life after death, particularly dependent upon the morality and actions of the individual. Being one of the opinion that coincidences of this magnitude are unlikely, I've come to the conclusion that where one spends the afterlife depends upon one's Earthly deeds.

My definition of Heaven derives from my Christian upbringing declaring that those who've acted compassionately in life will be rewarded paradise. Hell, however, is simultaneously easier to relate to and more far fetched than many could comprehend. To explain it, I'd like to lead you through exactly how I've come to that conclusion.

Call me superstitious, but I'm one who believes in ghosts, and ghosts, being spiritual beings, must surely have some connection to the afterlife. For those of you who think ghosts to be a figment perpetuated by the delusional, I'd like you to do a bit of homework on the science behind religion, otherwise known as neurotheology. Particularly, I'd like to recommend Neurotheology: God Spot – Is It Real? Do All People Have God Spots – Even Atheists? by HubPage's very own C.E. Clark. While it doesn't relate to ghosts directly, I believe it proves the existence of the 'spirit' or 'consciousness', which is the essence of a ghost.

Many doubt their existence, but ghosts are one of the few certifiable proofs of the soul that have been seen by and even interacted with those on the Earthly plane. Yet, where do they fit into the system of religion? Seeing as a great many of those who've departed and yet still walk the mortal plane are either in a state of turmoil or have unfinished business, one could come to the conclusion that these spirits are in a state of in-between. Some might even call it purgatory.

Even though they undoubtedly suffer as mortal souls still do, having not returned to the flow souls are destined to take, they are not subject to subjugation. Yet, as there is a place for those who've earned reward for their Earthly performance, there surely must be a similar place for those who've displayed a sinful amount of enmity.

I realized then that the best way to torture and break a person is to put their fate in the hands of other people, for while the human heart is full of compassion, it has an equal capacity for hatred and malice. In fewer words, the term Hell on Earth is more appropriate than many realize.

Our Earthly lives are the results of past misdeeds that we do not even remember, which makes our suffering seem without reason and thus all the more cruel. Yet, there are some people who seem to have secured a position of minimal suffering compared to that of others, so why, if this life is Hell, is their punishment less severe?

There's no way to measure the severity of each individual's suffering, for humans by nature are a species geared to never be happy. It is in our nature to strive for more than we currently possess, whether materially or emotionally. This is our punishment: to never be truly and absolutely happy, despite what we've already gained.

If even the smallest flicker of doubt has entered your mind regarding your religious beliefs, I encourage you to explore it. Whether or not you choose to take my words into consideration while doing so is entirely up to you.

After all, it is blind faith, piety for the sake of being religious as opposed to out of true belief, that has smeared the concept of religion itself. Simply choosing whether or not to believe me out of personal disagreement is better than doing it because it's expected.