<@KeithInc.> #241897
If you ask me, Hell could work as a concept created by a loving, wise, benevolent deity if it works less like “suffering for the sake of suffering” and more like a rehabilitation center. The notion that you are punished not for your sins, but by your sins; and that Heaven is still the endpoint for EVERYONE eventually.
See, if your soul is metaphorically weighed down by your guilt and sins, then yes, you are sent to Hell. But ONLY so you can be confronted with your misdeeds, come to terms with what you did, understand how it hurt the people around you, and genuinely change for the better BEFORE you are allowed eternal peace.
It’s actually a concept that gets increasingly more popular in fiction lately, imo. Hazbin Hotel, Lucifer, the Good Place… All focus around the idea of what TvTropes calls the “Karmic Reform Hell”.
Should I turn out to be wrong about my atheism, that’s the kind of “grand design” that I ultimately would prefer. Especially since infinite punishment for finite crimes is just unbelievably effed up no matter how you look at it.