Hell and the Play Nice Christian

[AFTT47]

If I may: Mormons have no concept of hell as do most of the rest of Christianity. Allow me to outline the LDS understanding of the here after.

Mormons believe that when we die, we all go to one of two places to await judgment day. The determination as to which of these two places one goes can be looked upon as an arraignment. The places are either paradise or spirit prison. It is like in paradise, one is freed to go about on their own recognizance. In spirit prison, one is bound over for trial. Spirit prison can be looked on as a kind of hell mostly because those that go there aren't exactly happy.

On the day of judgment, the behaviors and actions toward others are considered and the individual is then assigned either punishment or reward. There are three possible kingdoms. The highest of these is for those who have kept the commandments of God and have made the necessary covenants and have received the necessary ordinances for that kingdom.

The other two kingdoms together can be considered a hell, because according to LDS understanding, hell is defined as eternal separation from God. Prior to anyone assigned to either of these two places, and depending on the severity of the crimes committed while in mortality, a penalty of suffering must be paid. But LDS do not believe this suffering to be of eternal duration. Once the penalty has been paid, the individual goes to the appropriate kingdom where he will dwell with as much peace and happiness as he was wiling to accept as indicated by his choices in mortality.

That's not as bad as the bulk of Christianity but still has a few fatal flaws:

The idea that someone must suffer for transgressions is very primitive. The need for revenge is a base emotion that can be overcome with intellect. If we can do it, obviously God can do it.

Since God is omniscient and creates everything, evil is all on him. You can argue free-will all you want but it doesn't matter. When God creates someone and gives him or her free-will, God knows exactly what he/she is going to do with it. Why create someone when you know that person is going to do evil?

If anyone deserves any amount of punishment, it's God.

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More likely, they have this thing called empathy. They can't imagine God doing anything as evil as sending someone to a place where they are eternally tortured. Even we fallen humans are better than that.

No you're not, it will be you who determines the torment you'll have for eternity by the life you live against God in this life. God sends no one to hell people choose not to live with God forever. People do not have to choose hell, they have to unchoose it so to speak.

GC

Really bad answer. Regardless of how you try to spin it, God created the system that torments. And I obviously do not choose Hell. How could I when I don't recognize that it or God exists?