Heaven and Hell
The three major religions with the most similar concepts of
heaven and hell are Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam. In Eastern religions, heaven is not a place
but freedom from rebirth – moksha or Nirvana when the soul is reunited with the
Maker.
The most visually developed imagery of Heaven is that of
Islam with luxurious peaceful gardens with 8 gates described in elaborate
detail. Although Hell is described as a place of great suffering, Muslims prefer to focus on the promise of Heaven, and
have a deep-seated belief that even those Muslims who are sent to Hell will
eventually be allowed to enter Heaven. The longing for Heaven or Jannah has inspired the designs of gardens , carpets,
architecture, and devotional songs such
as qawali and naats and, controversially, jihad. Earning sawab ( reward) rather
than avoiding damnation is the great motivator. Most Muslims avoid discussing
or even thinking about the sufferings of the spiritual underworld or the grey world
of djinns.
Conversely, hell, damnation, Lucifer, demons, evil spirits,
vampires, witches, Satanic cults, walking dead, and a host of other nasties
abound in western popular culture and its circle of influence. Hollywood, B
movies, DC and Marvel Comics, cartoons, and even more elevated literature has
returned again and again to themes of the battle between good and evil, often
with evil having the edge over good.
The imagery associated with the primal forces of good and
evil have been fixed in culture by vivid literary works and their visual
interpretations by artists. Two European
works in particular have been highly influential in determining the enduring perceptions
of Heaven and Hell– Dante’s Inferno (1321) and Hieronymus Bosch’s painting Garden
of Earthly Delights ( 1490 – 1510) , both of which have crossed from religious
to general cultural contexts.
The Garden of Earthly Delights, depicts
the horrors of Hell in disturbing graphic detail , inspired in large part by
Dante’s descriptions of Hell, and in turn has inspired many artists especially
surrealist painters and illustrators, and science fiction creatures.
While The Garden of Earthly Delights
has had a more eccentric following,
Dante’s Inferno , which describes the
nine circles of Hell, has a prolific following
across society and through the ages. Poets such as Chaucer and Milton, and
all the 19 C Romantic poets and Gothic novelists were inspired by it as
were artists Botticelli, Rodin and Dali. It continues to be a highly
influential work in literature, music, performing arts, film, video games, DC
and Marvel Comics, fashion and products.
There is even a website called “Dante Today - Citings & Sightings of
Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture”
The Bible does not give any physical
description of Satan. The image of a horned beast with hoofs, a terrifying
appearance, bat wings and trident, grew out of a mixture of pagan imagery, and
was imprinted in the social psyche mainly by Dante’s Inferno and related
artworks.
Divisions in the church, encounters
with other beliefs during the age of
exploration, and the rise of evangelism brought sin and damnation into the
centre of church doctrine. Images of hell needed to be embellished to keep
people from straying. While religious
divisions healed, the images endured.
Cinema picked up where religious painting
and literature retreated. Stories of supernatural demons, vampires,
poltergeists, zombies, witches, the Devil’s offspring , apocalypses and the struggle between Good and Evil have
universal appeal for both religious and secular audiences across the world.
The Native American, Sitting Bull
said “Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil and the other is
good and they fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins, I
answer, the one I feed the most.”
Durriya Kazi
April 29, 2018
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