Desperation can drive one to think irrationally. This is the human trait the likes of Bushiri exploit. They claim to perform miracles and have actors and fake testimonials bidding for them.
Religion doesn't work unless you embrace irrationality. And lies. Oh so many lies. Thousands of years of lies. At all. It will always be the last bastion of irrationality.
The recipe is simple. Give people something to fear, say... A guy with a fork ready to barbeque you after death... Unless you drink the cool aid.
Done.
Fear is the ultimate anti-rationality hormone.
And boy what a story hell is. The original hell was Sheol. Where the souls of ALL the dead were forever held in a state of listless near non-existence. Forever away from the presence of God (basically the air and the sunlight if you follow the origin of the religion to its roots - all things fresh). A mass grave for spirits. A level 1 lockdown for the soul if you will. Very similar to the Greek Hades, however the Greeks of course had a premium package called Tartarus for all the boys and girls on the naughty list.
Then from around the 6th century BC it became more of a limbo. Where the soul awaited resurrection. Spicing a stale afterlife up a bit (cue the messianic prophets - ready to capitalize).
In the 4th century BC Alexander the great conquered the middle east, and the spiritual hobnobs there collectively went: "Blimey! What is this delightfully coercive thing called Tartarus!?! (interrobang entirely appropriate)
Which by the time of the first Gospels of Jesus brought us the new "best ever" travel destination of Gehenna.
The early christians tried hell on every which way. Most sure they would be spared if they went through the motions. The nervously optimistic believed it to be temporary , or as a purification of the soul after which everything would be okay again.
The fanatically devout eventually rejoining: "Nay! It be forever! Arr!"
Through the middle ages they got wickedly creative with the concept - Not to mention that many seemingly tried to make life on Earth into hell on... well Earth.
And here we are.