Eternal inescapable burning/tortuous hell/damnation

>the physical imagery used to describe the metaphysical world is 100% literal
this is why nobody takes americans seriously

You have to have faith :^)

then what's the point of all those wives

>All those wives

Muslims burn in hell. Polygamy is a sin.

I like to think that hell means returning to this life in the same low state you lived your previous life, in a cycle that could be eternal unless you happen to make a change. Heaven is the same thing, you live a good satisfying life you remain in the same phase space in the next life returning as someone who is also destined to live a good satisfying life. The religious task is to improve your condition in this cycle.

>more of a metaphor
this hardly lessens its severity. to call it an analog description of a spiritual state denotes pretty much what the metaphor in your parlance connotes. meanings though absolutely necessary are always pale reflections of actual experiences. iow's the actual experience, the actual 'mental state' is going to be far worse (is far worse) than whatever demon-ridden firey place (you) or anyone else can only describe in physical terms, however close, however removed.

One of two things could be true as far as an answer here from what I know.

1.
It is a metaphor; take christian doctrine, in which if you reject god, and thus reject love (as God is love, mentioned somewhere in scripture but I don't remember where) you are doomed to hell. Taking this metaphorically then it could be said that what is chosen as substitution for all things described to be good, of which the greatest is love, leads to "hell". In this case hell would just be living a miserable and non-fulfilling life.

Case 2:
It is literal. In the case of a literal hell in which no one would want to end up, it is only natural that, given a religion is correct, it would account for this and teach as to how to avoid it.

I think one of those is why "religions do this", as the point of religion seems to be answering the question of how one should live their life, it is only intuitive to steer away from misery, be it literal fire or just suffering in general.

TL;DR: Religions do this to keep their follows away from suffering.

The point is the Buddha doesn't damn to you to hell.
Hell is a terrible thing, in any shape or form. that much we agree on.

Notes, then pick a book that isn't Devils or TBK, repeat until you exhaust good books, then when you're done pick a book that IS Devils or TBK, then do the one you didn't pick

To scare barbarians into doing what weak people say DUH

Religions have undergone an effectively evolutionary process for thousands of years, with permanence, utility, and success of the religion acting as the desirable qualities. The inclusion of a hell-like concept in some religions has helped them propagate, perhaps as a check against followers from leaving or by serving as a disincentive from forgoing the beliefs of the religion.

Sorry, cowboy :(

Complete cope

>another virgin making excuses

can't control people if they're not scared of you.