Here’s what heaven and hell look like, according to AI

Most of us have grappled with the idea of heaven and hell. For many people around the world, religion is something ingrained from a young age and the notion that good people get good things, i.e. go to heaven, and bad people get bad things, i.e. hell, is something also solidified by society. But there are thousands of religions out there and each interpretation of religion is different, albeit with the same underlying theme. So Metro asked the Shutterstock AI image generator to conjure up some images according to six religions, and here is what it produced… (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

1. Christianity - Heaven

About one third of the world's population is a practicing Christian, and you can tell because it looks a little crowded here. This is probably a good sign but perhaps not many people’s interpretation of heaven. It certainly looks ethereal, with Jesus hanging like a Church motif as angels swarm him. Everything about this image screams ‘heavenly’, and yet, spending an eternity by a river bank seems like it may get tiring quickly (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

1. Christianity- Hell

No one can debate this isn’t hell. The fire pits really give it away, with the massive demon-looking things hanging around in the background, hopefully just as decorations rather than tormentors. One of them has lava falling from its mouth. And instead of a sun, there seems to be a massive devil symbol in the sky. Although, it must be noted that safety is taken seriously with chain barriers (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

2. Islam - Heaven

Islamic heaven looks like a dream. Running water, greenery, and oranges on the trees could make anyone's soul deeply happy. It feels like the air would be really fresh here, and you can bask in the Sun, like it's an endless summer afternoon. Islam is the second largest practised religion in the world, and there are more than two billion Muslims in the world (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

2. Islam - Hell

'Hellish' would be a great word to describe this image. There is little land and lots of lava, save for a few very narrow looking paths – a true nightmare for anyone with vertigo. The birds in the background look demonic, and the massive glowing orb in the sky seems to be producing clouds, giving the whole place a very eerie feeling. Dragons are also involved, and people are wearing white as they congregate – a nice touch really as Muslims are buried in a white cloth (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

3. Judaism - Heaven

There is no exact description of heaven in the Torah, and not every Jew believes in heaven. However, there is a belief in an afterlife. According to this AI image generator, a Jewish version of heaven seems very empty, with a small nod to the Red Sea in the background – perhaps a reference to the miracle by Moses. It is hard to ignore the massive floating emblem in the centre of the sky though, but at least there are angels (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

3. Judaism - Hell

This looks truly terrifying. It’s vast, endless and a sinister red as the Sun hangs bright in the centre of the sky. Long pillars guide you towards what looks like a lava waterfall, and swirling clouds make the whole thing very ominous. No one would want to spend five minutes here, let alone eternity (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

4. Hinduism - Heaven

Hinduism is known as the world’s oldest religion. Svarga is a celestial abode where a soul can reside before it is reborn. So this version of heaven is not like the Abrahamic concept, but a temporary heaven before rebirth for their soul (atman). Svarga is ruled by the King of the Devas – divine beings who are part of a sacrificial ritual in the holy texts known as The Vedas. AI’s interpretation of this stop off point is abundant, filled with celestial beings, water lilies, and an overall theme of peacock colours with hints of gold (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

4. Hinduism - Hell

On the flip side, we have Naraka. This is the realm of hell in Hinduism, where sinners are tormented after death. Despite the obvious hellish features, the lava falls, and steep drops, AI imagines this place to have greenery. Again, people are dressed in white, but there is mist arising from nowhere which really hones in the hellscape (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

5. Buddhism - Heaven

Similarly to Hinduism, Buddhists believe in reincarnation and therefore heaven is a temporary place. The religion describes 28 heavenly places in separate phases. But according to AI, it looks like a permanent sunset. A light breeze provides a meditative state, and the whole thing seems to be very peaceful and empty (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

5. Buddhism - Hell

There’s a lot going on here. The Sun seems bright and dim at the same time. Devils are dancing on water, and yet half the area is on fire. This realm of hell is also known as Naraka, and its where sinners are punished in very specific ways. You can tell, as there seems to be something for everyone – and no safety barriers (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)

6. Sikhism

In Sikhism, the afterlife is a cycle of rebirth, which continues until the soul is reunited with God, which is known as Samsara. This image doesn’t really depict how ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’ look, but more like what the rebirths could entail, from animal life to humans and the divine. The image is quite celestial, and differs greatly from the three Abrahamic religions at start (Picture: Shutterstock / Shutterstock AI Generator)