Problem of Hell

The problem of Hell is an ethical problem in the Abrahamic religions of Christianity and Islam, in which the existence of Hell or Jahannam for the punishment of souls in the afterlife is regarded as inconsistent with the notion of a just, moral, and omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient supreme being. Also regarded as inconsistent with such a just being is the combination of human free will (on which the justification for eternal damnation for sinners is predicated), and the divine qualities of omniscience (being all knowing) and omnipotence (being all powerful), as this would mean God (not humans) would determine everything that has happened and will happen in the universe—including sinful human behavior.

C P Ragland of Saint Louis University writes on the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy that the problem of hell is "a version of" the problem of evil. He defines the problem of hell: "if there is an omniperfect God—one that necessarily has the perfection of Goodness—then no one will be damned."^[1]

The problem of hell derives from four key propositions: Hell exists; it is for the punishment of people whose lives on Earth are judged to have been sinful; some people go there; and there is no escape.^[2]