Irational fear of hell still naggs me from time to time

[Succubus]

I appreciate everyone's answers, but I am still wondering, why do you all think that hellish ndes seem to mention demonic creatures torturing them? I mean, that's not something religion teaches, and it is not something most people with asscociate with hell.

Demonic imagery has been associated with Hell for a long time. Here is the third triptych from Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights":



This is over 500 years old. Priests have been trying to keep their sheep in line with big, bad wolf stories for a long, long time. For all of us born in the 20th century we have all seen scary demon movies too.

"A temple was worth a dozen barracks; a militia man carrying a gun could control a small unarmed crowd only for as long as he was present; however, a single priest could put a policeman inside the head of every one of their flock, for ever."

Matter. Iain M Banks.