I was also raised a Christian, but felt it necessary to leave that behind in search of my own personal truths. Part of that was due to my belief in reincarnation that the Christian people I spoke to couldn't accept in any way shape or form in their spiritual lives.
But I couldn't accept the reality of their Christian world either -- with hell and the Devil, etc etc -- on many levels.
Now, I believe that we are each on our own spiritual path, and each "evolved" and ready for only so much of the greater spiritual mysteries to be absorbed into our lives in a lifetime.
I believe that the greatest duty we have in a life is to seek our spiritual path, and follow it with Divine guidance in any way we can find it in our lives.
Some souls, to me, are not ready for "big" mysteries. Just like you wouldn't get pissed at a 6 year old for not understanding Calculus, even though you "explained it" to them, is the way I feel about their spiritual understanding. Each soul is ready for a certain amount, depending on where they are at in their own path.
Some souls, early on perhaps, have just come to a lifetime where religion becomes necessary. They are here to learn compassion, and religion (in it's truest sense, and not the political sense) is good to teach that. They learn the 10 commandments, and need their spiritual rules given to them in black and white. The way we teach young ones life rules.
Don't cross the road without looking both ways, or you will get hurt = Don't murder, or steal from people, or you will go to Hell.
Nice clean rules, understandable, with a formula answer to what happens when we die. This is all a less-advanced soul is ready to accept, understand, and/or incorporate into their own reality.
However, I believe that as we advance, we reject the simple rules we were given early (often by our religions) and learn to think and question for ourselves. We find our own answers to our own questions by going directly to the Source, however we perceive that Divinity. That's a more advanced path though, and not easy -- one that not everyone is ready for and here this time to do (as YOU may very well be).
So the purpose of these concepts (hell, the Devil, etc) to me is to serve those who can only frame their spirituality around these basic, (simplistic if you will) concepts. They are invalid just because they may not be an answer for you or me, but they are answers for others, and I just leave it at that.
Which is also, incidentally, a good way for treating overzealous Christians who want to "win you back to God" -- I get that at times -- to remember they are usually enthusiastic spiritual "children" who want you to be "o.k." in the way they understand it. For me, it's easy not to feel threatened when they sometimes attack my own beliefs when I think of them as merely kids who don't really know the big picture yet, but may someday.
Somebody whack me if I'm babbling here.... I'm posting a lot earlier and without coffee today, which is making me feel random 8)