Hell, the dark pit of sorrow, the prison of fire and brimstone where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. A place of eternal torment where an all-powerful and all-loving god sends most people to suffer terribly. Forever.

Wow, what a dreadful place! It’s worse than the witch’s candy house in Hansel and Grettle. Worse than Grendel’s foul lair. Worse than The Bog of Eternal Stench. Fortunately, it is just as fictional!

There are a few people in history who I would almost wish eternal torment on, but if you can imagine what eternity really means then it’s hard to justify. No one is capable of committing an offense terrible enough to justify an infinite punishment. That would require an infinite crime, and the only infinite crime would be sending someone to Hell. So if the Bible’s god were real, we know where he should go.

The rest of us, for ourselves and for the rest of the world around us, should try to live the best lives we can, but out of love, not out of fear of a nonexistent Hell.