It's the nature of reality, like pregnancy: you either are or you aren't. There's no quasi-pregnant state. With God it makes sense: if you aren't in His presence, can't also be in His presence. It's about a relationship. Do you love God or don't you? Do you want to spend eternity in a love relationship with Him or don't you? If you don't, then you're choosing to NOT be with Him.
>> God can't control your free will
> I never told him to, I don't know where you got that from.
It was an illustration of one thing among many that God can't do.
> So he's weak? Why call him a god?
It's beyond me why you think that because God is not self-contradictory you conclude He is weak. It's nonsense. God can't make a square circle, so He's weak? God is perfect truth and can't lie, so that means He's weak? Silliness.
> Exactly, god is torturing us, he is burning us forever, he's the one lighting the ovens in hell, right?
Hell was created for the devil and his angels. God lit the fires of hell for them, not for you. If you choose to go there by rejecting God, don't blame God.
> No, it's 100% god's fault, he's the one who created hell and makes souls go there, he could take me to heaven if he wanted, but he doesn't.
He can't take you to heaven if you refuse to God. Love that is forced isn't love—it's a self-contradiction. You seem to want to think that truth, reason, and reality don't have anything to do with this stuff. And you're dead wrong about that.
> Yes he did, Leviticus 20:13, he commanded my death.
Ah, you're gay. If you've read the whole chapter (and the rest of the Bible), you've learned that any relationship that doesn't mirror the reality and truth of God's holiness and righteousness results in death. There are relationships that do mirror love, holiness, and righteousness. God can't change reality.
> Okay, then why does he put me in hell? Like you were talking about earlier, why can't he just annihilate me? I would prefer that
Annihilation is not justice. If that's true, you could be the most monstrous human being (Hitler, Jeffrey Daumer, Jeffrey Epstein) and get away with it. At the end, you die. Cool. No accountability there. Do what you want, die at the end. Bingo.
> Of course I have, but those are just base animal nature, it's not evil.
You didn't say "evil," you said, "I've never done anything wrong."
> No, death penalty.
Don't you believe killing is wrong? Barbaric? Unjust?
But if that punishment is just, then it's just for God to give YOU a fair punishment for what you've done.
> But if god can create any possibility, can he not rehabilitate everyone?
My goodness, you love to believe in contradictions. God can't create any possibility. He can't create a finite eternity. He can't make timeless time. He can't be a truthful liar.
> I fear rape, and if hell is fear, then that will happen to me.
No. Not true that whatever you fear is what will happen to you. You will get exactly what is appropriate treatment—that's what will happen.
> Okay, then what is hell? Because the bible says it's fire
As I mentioned, fire is an image the Bible uses to speak of torment. Hell isn't fire any more than heaven is harps. Let's look at what the Bible says.
- Hell is a place of darkness (Mt. 8.12; Jude 13). It can't be fire and darkness, can it? These are images, not physical realities.
- Hell is a place of separation (Lk. 13.27-28; 2 Thes. 1.7-9)
- Hell is a place of remorse.
- Hell is a place of torment: Weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt. 8.12; 22.13; 25.30; Lk. 13.28)—the agony of separation from God.
- Hell is fire (Mt. 13.42, 50)
- Hell is described as being "cut to pieces" (Mt. 24.51)—again, obviously not literal. Someone cut to pieces wouldn't continue to exist.
Why is fire the primary image, so it seems?
1. Fire is a symbol and a mechanism of God’s judgment (Lev. 10.2; Rev. 20.9; Ezk. 38.22; Gn. 19.24, Jer. 4.4; et. al)
2. Fire was a primary method of destruction.
3. Fire is an adequate metaphor for torment.
4. Fire is timeless. Every culture in every point of history knows what fire is.
I hope that helps.