The problem with your warped view is that you inexplicably refuse to consider the other side of God - as the righteous Judge that exacts vengeance on his intransigent enemies (Romans 12:19).
The "other side" being the side that is spiteful and merciless. None of that "Father, forgive them" stuff, it's torturing time! And of course, anyone who was never persuaded that Christianity is true is an "intransigent enemy" and deserves no mercy, right? Thinks Christianity is just another strange foreign religion? He's a malevolent God-hating fiend who deserves to be roasted over a slow fire forever. How about a Sikh, who devotedly observes the virtues of truth and truthful living, compassion and patience taught by the 10 gurus, and who studies their scriptures to learn the truths of God? Nope, he's a diabolical idolater who leads people to destruction (in hell, of course) and deserves to be tortured for all eternity. The agnostic who thinks there may be a God but he's not sure because he sees nothing tangible to make him believe? Well he can consider the tangible evidence of being racked by demons for the rest of forever; that'll persuade him! How about the old boy who grew up around Christians, and found too many of them to be sanctimonious frauds and decided their religion was as phony as they are? Into hell with him to be flayed alive forever and ever and ever and ever because that'll show him, won't it? How many examples would you like? Sorry, the "intransigent enemies" of God are strawmen intended to make painting God as a heartless find who inflicts eternal pain on those who have offended Him for no discernble reason whatsoever seem less ghastly.
Justice? Not even a pretense of it. He Who set limits on human punishments (an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and no more) to insure that the punishment fit the crime, now metes out infinite punishment for decidedly finite crimes, like having not paid attention to preachers ,or being of a skeptical turn of mind that causes one to not to believe in anything supernatural at all.
Justice? Hardly! But your lot says we must
call it justice because otherwise there's no way to believe such things and and not believe that God is simply the worst conceivable oriental despot raised to ruling the universe nstead of an obscure principality somewhere.
If your errant view of eternal judgment makes you sleep easy, so be it.
Fair play, if you're comfortable with the concept of God torturing (or having them tormented, He has people who do it for Him) people forever for having chosen the wrong religion, or none, and for no possible reason other than for His own gratification, and desire to see Him for any reason other than stark fear, wear yourself out.
But woe betides the sinner (whether they professed Christ with the lip while their heart is far from God or the outright rebel who gave God the finger despite receiving the gospel of salvation again and again) their place is eternal burning in the lake of fire.
That'll teach them! Bwahahahahah!
[quoteAs I said, if you wish to turn this into an academic debate and undermine the severity of eternal punishment to feel good, so be it.[/quote] And by all means, feel free to do the opposite, and assure yourself that you're going to be ridin' high with the saints in Heaven while all those rotten sinners who disrespected you, oops, I mean who disrespected
God, will be writhing and screaming in the fire
forever. Bet they're not laughing
now, huh?
But don't tell others that eternal judgment in hell is a sham
Good job God doesn't really
destroy anyone in hell, isn't it? I mean, just because our Lord said He
could do it doesn't mean He ever
really does, does it? Nah, it was just a figure of speech. And that stuff about the wages of sin being
death isn't true at all, is it? Neither is the part about eternal life being a
gift of God. Everybody has eternal life anyway, so it's not really a gift, so no one ever
actually dies. So the wages of sin isn't, and cannot be, death, it's eternal torture, and you have to be alive to be tortured. And eternal life isn't a gift, it's a design feature, something everyone has by default. St. Paul got it totally wrong. Shame your lot wasn't there to set him straight
God will hold you accountable for every soul that is lost by believing you (Rev 22:18-19).
And also with you.
