Why God create Hell if he is merciful?

based on the GOD of the bible, logically, we can draw from a few of the "facts":

1. GOD has feelings and traits just like any human beings, capable of jealousy, love, hateful, vain ...

2. GOD is capable of playing a practical joke on us: He put the tree of life there, knowing full well that Eve is going to eat it, He has to, since He is Omnipotent. And now we have to pay for the sin of our fathers? Is that merciful? What have we done? Even our government would not put the whole family in jail just because the father committed a crime.

3. GOD wiped out millions of people because they did not pray or acknowledge HIM. There had to be thousands of newly born children among them. Again, they have to pay for their father's sin. Was that merciful? What did they do?

4. No matter how we live our lives, If we do not believe in HIM that's enough for eternal damnation in Hell. Is that merciful? On the other hand, The murderers, the rapists are allowed to go to heaven just by believe in HIM. Is that Just?

5. Allow wars, bigotries, crimes go unchecked on earth, and blame it on Satan, Whom HE also created and knew full well He would rebelled against HIM. He allows it in the name of free will. Is it merciful?

I can go on and on but the logical answer can only be:

1. He does not exist or He just doesn't care about us.

2. If He exists, He's NOT Merciful. He is no better than a Dictator in a third world country.

3. If He exists and Merciful, He is NOT Omnipotent and certainly not a CREATOR GOD.

God does not "shackle and torture" people. Nobody gets "sent" to hell, weeping and crying and wishing that God would give them another chance. They go there of their own free will.

Don't believe me? Look at the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Basically, this rich guy is just a total jerk all the time to this poor beggar named Lazarus who sits outside his house. So when they die, tada, justice, Lazarus goes to heaven and the rich man ends up in hell. When the rich man sees that Lazarus is in heaven, he demands that he bring over some water. Does he ask to get out of hell? No. Does he beg for forgiveness? No, he acts like the same jerk he was when he was alive. Thus, I came to the conclusion that nobody in hell is crying desperately to get out, and if that's the case, can you really say they were sent there?

C.S. Lewis has a good metaphor for it in The Great Divorce...all the people in hell go on a field trip to heaven and find it very unpleasant there. They think the whole thing's a sham and that the heavenly people are trying to trick them into something. And at the end of the day, they all get on the bus and go back, of their own free will. Though it's just a metaphor, not supposed to be taken literally, it's a pretty good illustration.

Hell is the region the place the departed souls who rejected Christ at the instant are. The Lake of hearth isn't comparable to Hell. The Lake of hearth is the place the souls who rejected Christ would be despatched for eternity after the White Throne judgment. those souls are no longer interior the Lake of hearth yet, they are nevertheless in Hell precise now. the rationalization the Lake of hearth lasts perpetually is because of fact people who're there'll proceed to sin. they are going to proceed to curse and blaspheme God. The sin by no ability ends, and neither does the Lake of hearth. because of fact God is basically, he won't enable sin in his presence. people who're no longer lined with the blood of Jesus would be lined via sin, and isn't any longer allowed into the presence of God. God is merciful because of fact he despatched his Son to die on the skip and take our sins (besides as ailment and ailment, strife, and so on) and take the sins of each and every man or woman who ever lived. one can not get greater merciful that that. you're no longer the choose of every physique, so it is not significant the kind you may punish a convicted murderer. which ability honestly no longer something. this could properly be a techniques larger than that. Heaven is perpetually. And so is the Lake of hearth.

Many people misunderstand the scriptural references of hell. Just because hell is eternal doesn't mean we are there for eternity. Another thing to consider is that Everlasting and Eternal are names for Christ. So Christ being Just and Merciful when their are mentions of eternal hell and everlasting lake of fire and brimstone it those adjectives should be capitalised and should read Christ's hell and Christ's lake of fire and brimstone, meaning Just and Merciful period of punishment. God does NOT put any of his children (for we LITERALLY are His children) in hell for all of eternity. Once they have paid for their sins and/or have accepted Christ as Saviour then they are given rest where they can be happy for eternity.

Much of this understanding has been lost is because the understanding of the TRUE nature of God has been lost. God is not some abstract being that lives outside our realm of space and time. He actually lives in it and is governed by the same laws we are. So he understands the laws we have to live by and knows how to use them for his advantage.

He is also the very Literal Father of our spirits. The part of us that makes us alive and conscious. It is our conscience. It is also what Moses termed the "breath of life" as was put into Adam when he was created.

With this understanding, that God is our Father, not just some omnipotent, all-powerful, but unknowable entity, we understand our purpose in life. To become like Him.

So being, the reason we have families is because we need to emulate him and understand him. As you say you wouldn't send your children to eternal torture and hell because they lied about their grade card, or whatever. So it is with our Father. We understand God's relation to us through our relationships with our fathers (and mothers) here on earth, and our own children

Why do Christians keep comparing God to a father?! I really don't understand why you don't give God his true position, He's the Creator, He technically owns you! You make Him the same level as you are, you claim He was tortured and humiliated and crucified, I mean I think Christians have no respect for God. He's not your daddy, and it's not His job to protect you from yourself, it's your job to worship Him, to please Him, and to earn Heaven. He made hell for serial killers and rapists and all sorts of human monsters that are out there, especially the ones who get away with what they had done, because He is Just, He wouldn't let a cold-blooded murderer be swamped with love, how fair would that be for the victim?! God is God, you should worry what He thinks of you and how he feels about you it's not the other way round. Be humble!

no, but you are better than some bigots here who constantly bash each other in a pointless attempt to sway an immovable force, their faith (or lack there of). When was the last time you completely changed your mind due to a completely logical argument that you have a firm belief against? I am not better than the people I have ridiculed in the above sentences, I do sometimes act bigoted, but for both sides, i just want for the faithful, and those who do not subscribe to a faith to reconcile and stop torturing and shackling each other.

God is also just. Mercy cannot rob justice.

No, such a disposition definitely does not make you better than God. If you shelter your children from every little error, how will they ever grow and mature. God allows us to experience the things of this life so that we can grow and mature.

Perhaps you are misguided with your concept of Hell and of God's punishment. There is not space in this forum to adequately address the issues you present, so may it suffice just to say that God is just and he is also merciful, but one cannot rob the other.

God is merciful. He is also just. He cannot let evil go unpunished.

When He created a perfect world, He gave His creatures free will.

In the ancient past God created a beautiful angel called Lucifer. He became proud, and felt he should be like God. He lead a rebellion against God and introduced evil into God's creation. He was cast out of God's heaven.

When man was created on earth, Lucifer, who became Satan, or the Devil, tempted him away from God, leading him to sin, and tricking him into forfeiting his authority over the earth and putting in the hands of Satan.

When Adam sin, it affected all his offspring, and they also became prone to sin. Soon sin was so rampant on earth that God had to wipe out mankind, saving only a small remnant who were not totally corrupted.

In due time God sent His own Son from heaven, known in history as the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to earth to satisfy God's justice and His wrath against sinners by taking the just punishment for sins upon Himself, so all men could be freely forgiven and inherit God's will for them - eternal life.

When He suffered on the cross of Golgotha, God put upon the Lord Jesus Christ the total guilt of all mankind. He endured it and He died, forever putting away man's guilt from before God's eyes. Because He was innocent, sinless Himself, God raised Him from the dead, and He was seen by many of His followers, to whom He gave commanded to go into the world and proclaim forgiveness of sins through faith in His Name.

Those who believe and repent - turn away from their sins, receive forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. Those who disbelief remain in their sins, and will face the punishment of God.

God made hell for the Devil and his angels; but because men follow Satan instead of God, and love evil more than good, they also will be thrown into the the place where Satan is destined - the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where they will be tormented for all their evil doing, forever and ever; but those made righteous by faith in Jesus will inherit the Kingdom of God, where there will be no more death or pain or sickness or sin or evil of any kind.

Listen how this man died and was revived, but in the mean time had an encounter with hell, and angels, and Jesus Christ.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-396918860...

This is my opinion; God created Hell when Satan (and Satan's angels) rebelled against Him. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them something no animal had- free will. He wanted us to freely love Him, if He controlled us, then our love for Him wouldn't be true. Like Adam and Eve, He gave us free will- follow God or reject Him and unknowingly join Satan

That's how I feel, maybe Hell was made up? In Genesis it says that God created the Heavens and the Earth; says nothing about Hell until later on in the Bible.... man-made? I hope so because I know my parents wouldn't do that either.