Is hell a real place, or is it a story religion invented to control people through fear?

“right? So, sometimes we have a desire to do something bad, no, but I'll go to hell, right? And then this fear of going to hell, which we don't actually know what it is, automatically causes the fear of death, right? So there's the fear of death in that sense, right? Of going to hell. Oh my God, am I doing something bad? Then when you had that experience, first the NDE, did that change your understanding of the existence or non-existence of this hell? Hell doesn't exist. There's no hell, nor does heaven exist. There's an astral state,”38:53

“that, I I wish hellish indes were not real. I would rather not talk about this. I mean, who really wants to talk about hell? But at the same time, if this is real, if near-death experiences are pointing us towards something that is real, then what I realize is the most loving thing I can do is to talk about it because I'm convinced nobody has to go there. that heaven or hell is a choice. >> When I died, when I went, I found myself in a place and this place was was like a butchery. I I found myself lying down and there”3:06

“I grew up in a Christian home and was taught that we would live eternally, but either in heaven or hell. If we made some mistakes, we would go to hell and burn in a lake of fire forever. Yeah. Well, let me tell you about hell, because when people ask me, is there a hell? I say, hell no. Okay? Hell is a made-up place down there. That's why I'm like it doesn't exist. It is designed to cause fear. Okay? Hell is on Earth. Now. Hell is what's going on in the war with, you know, Gaza and Israel and all that, and these people's homes being, think about your home just being blasted apart one day.”25:14

“Because that's people's fear. This is why people are afraid of the hellish NDEs. I hear from people all the time who are terrified by these stories. So let's go through it. Let's process through it. What do we do with that information? Let's say worst case scenario, this is the universe that we live in. There is a fiery hell waiting for us in the afterlife. And there is a god that's going to throw certain people groups into the fire just because of who they are, because of what they believe, like the religion or things about”15:23

“And in general, what we see in near-death experience, if there's a hellish realm, it's segregated, it's apart from the rest of heaven. In other words, people will see as they describe seeing a hellish realm in existence, it's sort of parts apart, it's away from the rest of Heaven. It's segregated, it's sort of where these malevolent beings can be and yet not impact other souls. So when people say hell cannot possibly exist in heaven, they're correct because it is a separate, different area of, if you will, heaven.”41:03

“The idea of there being a hell outside of the ones that we create for ourselves is a fiction. Regarding quote-unquote negative NDEs, based on my own NDE experience, as well as the research I've conducted as part of my graduate work, I absolutely agree with Dr. Grayson that she had mentioned to me about he had mentioned that a hellish or negative NDE was an incomplete NDE, and I would agree with that.”53:05

“They report what are called distressing near-death experiences, but these reports are few and far between. Although their stories are genuine, could it be reports of hell are so rare because those experiences are just too stunning or shameful to speak about? Do NDErs simply repress these frightening experiences, or do they go on to accept responsibility for their behavior and like Scrooge in Dickens' novel, decide to change their lives? Again, there's that basic question, why would a loving God allow there to be a hell? Well, do you suppose that cruel people die with their free will intact, and could they corrupt heaven itself if they were allowed in?”1:32

“Reports suggest that God will not intrude where he is not wanted. NDE testimonies warn us of the reality of hell and teach us how to avoid it. They even give evidence that there is hope for those who have fallen into this dark realm to eventually find their way to heaven.”33:56

“It is my theory that when people have NDEs and say they went to hell, it is because they felt guilty for things that they have done, and they are unable to forgive themselves, so they pull away from the love of God. And it is the absence of feeling God's love that is hell. That is a feeling I had, but I do not claim to know the answer to that.”3:15

“the board that there are situations where we can have hellish experiences in the afterlife. And while they may feel eternal, it is very possible to be transferred out of them at the first hint of crying for help or of a shift in opening in consciousness. I will also say I believe there are multiple reasons why people can have a hellish experience. It may or may not be because of the way someone's lived their life or their state of mind. In fact, I think the research has been done on hellish NDEs actually says that the way a person”26:49

“always wanted to meet him and I just asked him a bunch of questions. Um the first question I asked is is hell real? And immediately he kind of laughed and he said it is in a sense but it's not a place. It it is more of a frequency an energy. It is something that you can put yourself into but it's not a place you go for punishment. Think of it more as a separation from God. And it feels painful and it feels distant from God because it is. It's an energy that's lower and so you don't feel close to God”14:18

“It is my theory that when people have NDEs and say they went to hell, it is because they felt guilty for things that they have done and they are unable to forgive themselves so they pull away from the love of God. It is the absence of feeling God's love is hell. That is a feeling I had, but I do not claim to know the answer to that.”4:01

“I wouldn't distinguish between heaven and hell at all anymore. There isn't a single hell that we ultimately end up in. Rather, it should be understood that I must answer to myself. That is what those who have had near-death experiences report. But as for the churches, I have to say, they obviously know nothing at all. That is my experience. This old image – heaven, hell, and punishment – is, for me, also incompatible with the image of God as love. This is one of the most important things that people who have had near-death experiences tell us.”31:47

“Christians probably feel that way. Maybe not. I don't know. But and so he was familiar. The conversation we had was like having a conversation with an old friend, someone I had always known. That's how it felt to me. And so I began to ask him questions. Some of the questions I asked, major themes were, is hell real? are we sinful people that deserve to be punished and put, you know, sent to hell if we don't believe in you? And he kind of laughed a little bit and he's like, "No, hell's not real. You can consider it not a place. It's”11:27

“Do you believe that some people experience more of a hell kind of place?”21:51

“of difficult emotions and pain, um I wanted to talk heaven, but most importantly about hell. Because most of the NDEs that uh we hear are people going to heaven, feeling unconditional love, the kind of love that sometimes they haven't felt uh on earth. And it just feels like all of the bad feelings go away. But there's a very small part of NDEs that do have disturbing experiences and distressing experiences. So from your research, what is hell like and who goes to hell? >> Um, hedge funds, managers, politicians.”27:04