In the modern world, especially in the West, cultural shifts caused by the Enlightenment, 19th-century liberalism, and the psychotherapeutic culture of the late 20th century have contributed to a decline in the belief in an everlasting hell. Defenders of the belief regard this as a lamentable loss of nerve, of faith, and of moral seriousness. Hell may not be wished away, in their view, but must be conquered—by the merciful saviour who liberates the spirits from bondage, by the overpowering force of divine forgiveness, or by a final battle, the ultimate outcome of which, some hope, will be hell emptied, hell despoiled.
The-Condemned-in-Hell-fresco-by-Luca-Signorelli-1500-02The Condemned in Hell, fresco by Luca Signorelli, 1500–02; in …[Credits : SCALA—Art Resource/EB Inc.]
Hades-and-Persephone-in-the-underworld-interior-of-a-redHades and Persephone in the underworld, interior of a red-figure cup, Greek, from Vulci, a town of …[Credits : Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum]
The-Jaws-of-Hell-illumination-from-the-Psalter-of-Henry“The Jaws of Hell,” illumination from the Psalter of Henry of Blois (MS. Cotton Nero …[Credits : Courtesy of the trustees of the British Library]
Anastasis-apse-fresco-1320-in-the-Church-of-the-HolyAnastasis (Christ ascending from hell), apse fresco, 1320; in the …[Credits : Courtesy Dumbarton Oaks Field Committee, Washington D.C.]
Hell-open-right-panel-of-the-triptych-Garden-of-EarthlyHell, open right panel of the triptych Garden of …[Credits : Archivo Mas, Barcelona]
Kannon-the-bodhisattva-of-compassion-Takasaki-JapanKannon, the bodhisattva of compassion; Takasaki, Japan.[Credits : Tsuneo Iwata&/Bon]
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