Posted by Jeffery M. Schwehm [JefferyMSchwehm] on March 31, 1999 at 13:06:47 {ohFII14TUc7mGcjg8rgIMdud7girzQ}:
In Reply to: **Chat with a fundie posted by Seeker on March 31, 1999 at 08:21:34:
Hi Seeker-
I think your question is very interesting. In my opinion only God can say who is going to wind up in hell.
One thing that I must point out however is that the JWs believe in eternal punishment themselves but often do not realize this. Eternal annihilation is a form of eternal punishment. Granted the individual who receives this form of eternal punishment is non-existent and does not feel the effects I suppose.
One thing that many are not aware of is that there are a minority of Christian scholars who believe that the wicked suffer in hell for a time but eventually are annihilated for eternity. This is a minority view however.
In my opinion, the bottom line is that we do not know alot about this and I do not think a person who does not believe in an eternal fiery hell will lose their salvation because of this belief.
However, I do believe that the wicked will be punished for eternity and that punishment will include eternal separation from God whether it is conscious or unconscious. And, eternal separation from God is enough of a punishment for me to know that I do not want to experience it in either form.
Jeff S.