A rational explanation for hell?

[Ace Otana]

I have asked in other threads about the reasoning of sending people to hell for all eternity for a finite victemless crime. Didn't quite get an answer.
Can a theist here explain the reasoning behind endless torture for a finite victemless crime?
Who can give a rational reason for it?
Oh and why do people end up in hell for simply having certain thoughts or lack ther of? Who is affected by anothers beliefs (or lack ther of)?

Oh and don't bother saying 'no one can understand god's reasons' bullshit.

I really want an answer to this one. Since I think it's impossible to give a rational explanation for it. Rules that make no sense are rules made without reason.

[Skipper]

I also want to know why hell was created by God. And also why he created the devil or hasn't destroyed him yet. Seeing as most Christians blame sin or sinful actions on the devil, why can't god (the all powerful being that he is) just get rid of the devil and therefore get rid of all sin and then we can all go to heaven and live forever with sky daddy.

[Zen Badger]

I think you'll be waiting for an atheist to answer intelligently for quite a while Ace.

[DeistPaladin]

[Playing the proverbial devil's advocate here, not really what I believe]

Discard the who "salvation by faith" idea central to Christianity. Imagine instead that our fate was one of these two afterlives and it was based on a fair evaluation of our moral character, regardless of our religious beliefs or lack thereof.

Heaven and Hell are completely identical in their climate, environment, resources, etc. Based on any observation of unsettled areas of them, there's no way to tell the difference. The only distinction between them is their population.

If all the good, considerate, generous, compassionate people go to Heaven and all the evil sadistic, selfish, assholes go to Hell, effectively that makes each place what they are.

Purely a hypothetical.

[Ace Otana]

I doubt any theist will be able to give a good answer for this one.
They keep harping about god being all-loving and yet there is a hell?
Then they harp on about him being all-powerful and yet the devil is still around. Plus creating the universe in 7 days implies that he isn't all powerful.
They harp on about god being all-knowing and yet they say god designs but if you know everything why would you need to design anything? Also whats the point in prayer if he already knows what you want?

None of it makes any sense.

[lrh9]

Some people if they were more powerful than all other people combined would torture some other people simply because they felt like it.

If a deity like that existed, it wouldn't exactly be favorable towards us, but it would be a rational explanation.

[Ace Otana]

Some people if they were more powerful than all other people combined would torture some other people simply because they felt like it.

If a deity like that existed, it wouldn't exactly be favorable towards us, but it would be a rational explanation.

Favorable or not. It's extremely irrational. Intelligance is suppost to encourage reason not the opposite. If god sends people to hell simply because he feels like it, then he is not all loving.
The most intelligent beings are the most rational. If god is irrational, he is unintelligent.

[lrh9]

You are wrong.

[chatpilot]

The Jehovah's witnesses don't believe in hell, they simply believe that if you die you either live here on Earth in the New Jerusalem or you go back to the earth from whence thou has come from. They claim that the bibles references to hell are simply references to the grave. Mainstream Christianity on the other hand not only believe in hell, but they also go out of their way to try and justify their evil deities actions as just and moral. If you go to hell according to them it is your fault for Christ has provided a way for you to obtain "salvation" from the many problems that God himself has created. All in all it's just a bunch of babbling bullshit!

[Ace Otana]

You are wrong.

Please explain.