I know it can be annoying when someone seems to insist on being "a heretic", but burning any man, woman, boy, girl, or even creature alive for ever never has been OK, and it never will be. And if it wouldn't be OK for US to EVER even THINK of doing it; then how in the world did we EVER become convinced God would do it? The answer: "All we like sheep have gone astray - we have turned every one to his own way..."
One excuse people try to use is, "We simply cannot understand God - and just because WE think something is 'horribly cruel and even UNJUST' doesn't mean it is." And do you know what? Just because we think something is horribly cruel and unjust doesn't mean is ISN'T! Think about it! Remember when Nathan told David that story about the rich man with a poor neighbour? The rich man had a bunch of cattle, but the poor man had one ewe lamb. And the rich man has a guest, and he doesn't want to take one of his own lambs - no! That would never do! He goes and takes the poor man's!
Do you know what David didn't say? WHAT WE SAY! "Just because we think that was cruel doesn't mean it was cruel..." As a matter of fact, David "walked right into it", and responded in anger - and understandably do!
Why don't WE respond the same way to "Hel"? It is because we are afraid of what other people will think of us. But "the fear of man bringeth a snare - but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD, or Jehovah, shall be safe."
Remember when slavery was considered acceptable? I mean shipping Africans across the sea in slave ships? And when a slave owner could throw his slaves overboard and GET OFF in court, because the judge deemed that that was just like throwing horses overboard? I am actually thankful to say, I do not; because people fought to abolish slavery.
True: modern day slavery does exist. For example, in the "p-word" industry, women are horribly enslaved and abused. And then there is in-womb-infanticide, also known as abortion. And these are all obviously evil - just like "Hel." And, by the way, "Hel" was the name of the Norse, Mythological goddess of the dead. That is where we get the word "hell" from!
So when people say Jesus talked about "Hel"? Excuse me? He talked about "Gehennah", and "Hades", which later got TRANSLATED "hell".
I still remember when I was deliberating my stance on "Hel". I was at a Christian bookstore and read much of Francis Chan's book "Erasing Hell". Then I went to a library and finished reading Gary Amirault's "Take the Hell Test". Gary made such mincemeat out of eternal conscious torment, also known as "Hel", it wasn't even funny. It wasn't even a contest.
If I had to die childless as a result of continuing to come to take out "Hel", I would.
Sincerely,
Daniel
