This is a free example college essay on Hell:
If hell does exist, why wouldn’t ceaseless torture be fitting for such an evil environment? Heaven is an idea of endless paradise for those who have lived a morally good life and who have helped others. Those of us who have earned the torture by being morally corrupted do not deserve to enjoy the pleasantries of heaven that needed to be earned in this world by being virtuous.

One dilemma with hell is the idea of judgement. How are we being judged, what kinds of things are considered to be good enough for heaven and bad enough for hell? We all have different views on this subject depending on how we were brought up. Those of us who have a religious background feel that practicing and believing determine our fate. It is a little more complicated for those who do not believe in any particular religion. There are those who just believe they will go to hell and just don’t care, there are also those who live what they believe is a morally good life and feel they will go to heaven, and also those who just don’t believe in heaven or hell altogether. We all apply our different views to make opinions on current issues at hand. For example, many people believe that we do not have the right to punish murderers extensively by the death penalty or with torture because they believe that it is God’s job to judge them when they arrive at the gates of heaven.

The idea that we should treat prisoners more humanely but that these same prisoners will be tortured endlessly in hell says a lot about the human mind. Since these prisoners will be punished in hell, we don’t have to obtain a guilty conscience by torturing them ourselves. It is also a way of making sure that we don’t go to hell for punishing them.

Even though it seems like the idea of treating prisoners humanely was created for the well being of the prisoners, it seems as though it is more of a self-righteous, self-serving act. I am not a heavy believer in the idea of hell. Admittedly at times, I wish hell existed to get my revenge on those who have caused me grief. But I think that we receive our rewards and punishments in different forms during our present life. Even though many people think they could be in much better situations, I think it could be a lot worse. So it’s just a matter of perception, whether you see the glass half empty or half full.

I think that this rejection of hell is an indication of moral progress because it shows the ability to act in a moral and just way without such a consequence as being tortured in the fire pits of hell. We shouldn’t need an excuse to be virtuous. But for those who can’t help but be immoral the idea of hell is there to give them something to ponder.

Because no one really knows whether hell really exists or has just been used as a scare tactic. But whatever the truth, it is an effective idea for those with a conscience.