I have come to the conclusion that I am completely willing to submit myself to any finite amount of any punishment, which is honestly equivalent to any crime that I commit. Thus, when people speak of a "Loving, Just God", then follow it up with an "Eternal punishment", is this not also a contradiction to an infinite degree? To punish someone an infinite amount is also infinitely hateful, infinitely unjust, and infinitely horrific. How can anyone refute this claim? I hereby challenge God and any of his/her/it's followers who subscribe to a doctrine of 'eternal damnation' to describe to me in the most lucid, explicit terms, why an infinite punishment for a finite crime is 'just' or even possibly the act of a 'loving' or a 'reasonable' being? Being generous, isn't it also a contradiction for a 'loving' being to punish anyone without cessation NO MATTER WHAT their crime? If I were to commit some kind of infinitely evil act, wouldn't even the slightest degree of love for me turn an infinite punishment into a finite one? (albeit extremely long, obviously, but finite none-the-less?) I say it again here and now, to all of you and in the witness of any God out there, I am 100% willing to pay for any crime I commit, if the punishment is honestly equivalent to it, as by the simple truths of logic and reason it would be infinitely evil and cruel to punish someone for any crime short of an infinite one, which is an impossibility, given the finite nature of our existence. This leads to several obvious conclusions about what happens after death: 1) Non-existence 2) Reincarnation 3) Eternal Happiness 4) Finite Punishment followed by one of (1-3) 5) Eternal Suffering ^ Because no religion in this world claims #5 without also infinitely contradicting itself on many higher priority levels (Loving God, Just God, etc), no religion which claims #5 to be true can be true, or at the minimum, can be true in it's claims for #5's reality. This leaves us with 4 options, all of which I am 100% happy to live with. (If anyone has any other possibilities, please make me aware of them and I will include them here) *sigh* Glad I have that off my chest, please could ANYONE who has ANY thoughts on this matter either comment below, or email me at (thesatanist(at)gmail(dot)com) with your thoughts, suggestions, comments, or criticisms, no matter how extreme, explicit, etc they are - I honestly won't be offended, and whole-heartedly welcome the fullest extent of your thoughts on the matter. Thank you.

I am a Bible believer and I do not believe that someone is punished for eternity for their sins, especially since the Bible says that the wages of sin is DEATH, not eternal torment. Eternal torment is a contradiction of what the Bible teaches about Eternal Life being a "gift of God".

this is where the concept of *what* is hell comes into play. Many believe that Hell is the eternal seperation from God..not a place of literal fire

Because God is a holy God and sin cannot enter into His Kingdom. Sin must be cast away from Him into the lake of fire and brimestone if it is not washed away by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are created to exist as long as God exists. God created us after His image and likeness, thus, as He is a Triune Being(I John 5:7 KJV- the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost), we are made as three-in-one as well(I Thessolonians 5:23- spirit, soul, and body). God made our souls to exist for ever as He exists for ever and we shall, either in eternal life or in eternal death(seperation from God in the lake of fire). I hope that this helps. :) -In the Master's service. Thank you and God bless you!