Would a merciful God inflict excruciating pain and torment on human beings for millions and millions of years-throughout all eternity? Could the great Creator God of the universe be that unfeeling and uncaring?
These questions are neither trivial nor hypothetical. They affect the overwhelming majority of all people who have ever lived. When carried to their conclusions, the traditional answers have sobering implications about the character, nature and judgment of the very Being Christians claim to worship. We need to face these questions squarely and honestly.