Is Hell actually a crystal forest?

Although Jules Verne depicted the Earth’s center as a destination worth visiting, many religionists have instead viewed such a journey as a one-way ticket to Hell.

Gospel-mysteries.net presents a number of theories concerning Hell’s ambiance and location.  First off, it starkly defines “Hell” as “the place of punishment for the souls of the damned.”  This hellish punishment is then described as the “real pain” and “real terror” that is eternally experienced by souls who “don’t have physical bodies” - yet experience the torture of repeated mutilation and continuous burning as if they do.

This godforsaken place is often artistically depicted as “a huge cavern” inside the Earth.  The Book of Revelation refers to a “lake of burning sulfur” (aka “fire and brimstone” or “lake of fire”) in which the Devil eventually gets an infinitely acrid taste of his own medicine.  Gospel-mysteries.net mentions that this lake of fire is traditionally thought to be “at the center of hell” - which is allegedly accessible via “a long narrow passageway leading down from a hidden entrance on the earth’s surface.”

Natalie Wolchover of Life’s Little Mysteries probes this theory in her article Religion and Science:  6

Visions of Earth’s Core.  Given the scientific fact that brimstone (sulfur) is a “type of rock commonly found on the rims of volcanoes,” it seems natural for ancient cultures to believe that they were catching glimpses of hellfire during times of violent eruptions.

However, this “hellfire” is much more likely to be coming from the Earth’s mantle than from its core.

Wolchover points out that the Earth is composed of four layers:  the thin crust (upon which incarnate humans live); the mantle (a thick layer of molten rock which composes “about 84 percent of the planet’s total volume”); the outer core (which is literally quite golden); and – finally – the inner core (a “crystal forest” composed mostly of solid iron and nickel).

Resources

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/1737-visions-earth-core.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth

http://www.gospel-mysteries.net/hell.html

Copyright February 17, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved