What’s The Point of God’s Eternal Punishment?

“Is there a place for hopeless sinners?” – Bob Marley.

Before we continue, let me emphasise that this is for people who believe in God and/or are religious. It is also for those who believe in the concept of heaven and hell. Now that I have that out of the way, let me begin.

I woke up one day and began contemplating the concept of the afterlife. According to the holy books, it is an eternal place where all our deeds on earth will be accounted for. If we do good, we will go to heaven and enjoy eternal pleasures and luxuries. But if we do bad, we will be thrown into hellfire and suffer eternal punishment, with our skin continually renewed after being charred by the fire. In Islam, we are told that the Almighty renews the skin in hellfire for sinners so they can feel the pain afresh, while those in paradise remain young forever. But I can’t help but ask myself what the point is. What satisfaction does it bring God?

I understand the pleasure that comes with watching people enjoy paradise after their time on earth, but I struggle to comprehend how anyone could derive comfort or pleasure from watching others burn. I imagine a man sitting on a throne, watching as people line up before him in two groups. One group is provided with eternal comfort because they followed his instructions, while the other group is left to suffer because they failed to follow them. The man watches on, just sitting there as the two groups experience different fates.

As a devout believer, I sometimes wonder if this resolution turns off the minds of disbelievers who may be determined to live their lives however they please since the punishment up there would be forever. I believe we are all God’s creatures and designs and it would seem unjust to watch your creations, moulded by your own hands, face different circumstances in an afterlife where death is meant to be the equaliser. I wonder, would there be a finality to either paradise or hellfire?

However, in retrospect, perhaps the argument for God’s reason for punishment lies in justice itself. Justice demands recompense for wrongs committed, accounting for the deeds of one’s life. In this view, eternal punishment serves as a balancing act of divine justice, ensuring that every action has its consequence. It is not about God deriving pleasure from the suffering of the disobedient, but rather about upholding the order of justice in the universe. As humans, we know that everything has consequences. If you leave your phone without charging it, it shuts down. If you fail to apply for an application, you don’t stand a chance to be offered admission. If you kill someone, well…

So, my assumption of God’s supposed satisfaction, then, might not come from the suffering itself, but from the restoration of balance and the upholding of justice. The eternal punishment serves as a reminder of the gravity of our choices, encouraging us towards righteousness. In this light, the eternal renewal of punishment for the disbelievers might be a continuous call to reflection and repentance. While the cycle of punishment seems unending, it also carries a message of hope. It offers the chance for redemption, the opportunity to turn back to God’s mercy and seek forgiveness. In this way, the eternal punishment, as difficult as it is to comprehend, becomes a reason to the depth of divine justice, urging those who believe towards a life of righteousness and piety.

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