On Hell and the Devil

"For centuries, especially during the Middle Ages, the Church was
forever striking fear into Christians about the punishments of
hell. They claimed they were doing so in order to save souls, but
in reality this approach also resulted in a great deal of damage.
You might even say that souls almost became shelters for the
devil, for people thought so much about him they forgot about
God. Think of all the pictures they painted of the devil! He was
drawn, sculpted and painted, and preachers made excessive use of
him in their sermons or their writings. He was used in the same
way children are threatened with the policeman, the wolf or the
bogeyman to keep them quiet.
But, even in our day and age, there are still people who use
religion in this way, aren’t there? It is very bad from an
educational point of view. Contrary to what they claim, those who
act in this way are not so concerned about the good of souls;
they are mostly seeking to exercise power over them. And if they
are sincere, it is not much better – it means they are ill."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov