I fear hell, and this article made things worse for me. What do you guys think?

[robvalue]

Absolutely. It's about time it was labeled child abuse. It's known to be harmful!

[Faith No More]

The entire concept of hell is dependent upon there being a magical, invisible force in our brains that allows us to do everything our brain does without a brain and will travel interdimensionally to a place designed specifically to make us suffer for denying that the burden of proof for god's existence was met.

I don't see what there is to fear.

[Angrboda]

When you're raised in a culture that believes in God and heaven and hell, these symbols take on a life of their own. Even now, I find Christian art depicting these themes to be imbued with significance. They are powerful symbols once you've been conditioned to regard them as real. What you are feeling is the result of years of conditioning, and it's not realistic to expect the effects of that conditioning just to disappear all at once. It will take time and reinforcement of better messages for the effects of long time conditioning to fade.

In the meantime, you'll probably have waxing and waning effects from that conditioning. That something you read triggered that fear may not be a bad sign. We process the various messages we've subconsciously absorbed by bringing them into our conscious thinking and mulling them over. It's not necessarily a bad sign, it may just be a sign that it's time for you to deal with those messages, and your brain is taking care of it for you.

[dyresand]

Moderator Notice
removed link in violation of 30/30 rule

How can it be that so many people apparently go to hell, yet not see the devil? Does this not prove that it is not a made up event?
I really want some rational feedback. When I am afraid, I am anything but rational!
Thanks very much in advance!

i literally made a 1 2 3 hell doesn't exist post... you should read it.
But  since you probably won't  find it.

1. Hell doesn't exist in the biblical canon. If it doesn't exist in the OT it doesn't  in the NT. 
2. Hell or Hel is a pagan place were all the dead go it's  not fire or brimstone etc
3. Zoroastrianism is what hell is based off of. Early christian dick heads converted the early pagans
into saying Hel the place they believed in was a place of punishment when they were lying about it
to convert people into their cult. 

1 2 3 hell doesn't exist.

[pocaracas]

[The Valkyrie]

People only ever believe in hell because it's been programmed into them somehow. Indoctrination, or just being surrounded by people who believe and absorbing their belief over time.

There's no evidence that such a place is real. No more evidence than for tooth fairies, goblins or dragons.

Religion, in my opinion, works entirely on emotional beliefs. That's why logic gets so easily deflected, because the beliefs aren't logical. They feel true, and then people attempt to use logic to rationalise them. Or in your case, you recognise that it's irrational and illogical, but feel it is true anyway. It's a perfectly normal response.

Firstly I'd say that in my experience, with everyone I've talked to, fear of hell does fade over time. Secondly, the entire idea makes no sense at all. We have this supposedly supreme being, and one that is so often touted as being all loving, who has made this place which is obviously the most evil thing ever. That's just a ludicrous scenario. It's so insecure about people loving it, that it has to threaten them with hideous shit? A loving god would simply never make such a place. Thirdly, if the devil is evil, he'd be happy you went to hell! Why would he hurt you once you got there? He wanted you there! He's managed to "tempt you away". It's Yahweh that wants you to suffer. The devil is just a puppet. Yahweh holds all the cards, in the fairy story universe.

But bottom line, there is no evidence. It's not even something we could test since no one can even tell us "where" it is. There's no evidence that anyone even lives on, in any way, after they die. It's all stories. No one knows exactly what happens when we die, but all the evidence suggests a big fat nothing. Heaven and Hell are just woo stories. Carrot and stick. Religion works because people are scared into believing, or enticed into the benefits. Or because they're scared of dying. It's all about emotion.

This.

Many religions keep you believing (or at least donating) through scare mongering.

If they terrorise you enough you will keep going, you won't question, and the coin will keep rolling in.

[Autolite]

A guy goes to Hell and meets Satan! Satan tells the guy to prepare himself for an eternity of endless torture and suffering far more intense and excruciating than the human mind could possibly ever imagine. The guy says to Satan; "You don't scare me! I've been married three times". Satan ponders a moment then says to the guy; "You wanna job"???