boobmaster

I would like to believe in the JW conceprt of hell too. It does seem a bit extreme to punish someone in hell for eternity for not being good on earth. The God I believe in is merciful above all else and loves all of his children, even the ones who do not believe in Jesus.

I have always thought that if God cared enough about man to come down to earth, take the form of a man (Jesus Christ), endure a torturous death, and raise from the grave to save the lost souls of men, he wouldn't be so ritualistic to only accept the souls of those fortunate enough to have accepted him while watching the seven hundred club at some point before they died. I'd like to think he died for everyone and will save everyone regardless of what they have done. I would save everyone if I was god and I believe that he is more merciful than I am. I know that puts me at odds with organized religion but I never claimed to believe those doctorines anyway.

Exactly what hell is (assuming it exists), I don't know. There are references in scripture about weeping and gnashing of teeth, which are ment to suggest that hell is physically painful. However, a soul cannot feel physical pain since there are no nerves in a soul the way there are in a body of flesh. The refenence is probably metaphoric but I really don't know what it means.

Incidently, I do not think one needs to have a completely literal interpretation of ther bible to believe in it. I believe one can see many of the stories as metaphoric and still call himself a christian.