Originally posted by knightmeister
I think I am correct in thinking that hell was a clear teaching of Jesus yes?
No, it is the way people have interpreted it.
Jesus spoke about "outer darkness" and "wailing and gnashing of teeth", which seems to indicate a separation and, yes, severe remorse and regret.
Let's for a minute just take a closer look at Hitler, who seems (in this thread at least) to be the most likely candidate for Hell.
Let's also assume that the term "Appropriate Punishment" has some judicial value.
What would be "appropriate" for a Hitler?
Let's say that for each of the six million Jews he killed he gets 100 years of extreme punishment. Let's say that for the 50 million people that he affected in WW2 he gets another 100 years each.
And then, just for the hell of it (sorry for the pun!) let's double that.
No wait, let's triple it.....
That would come to, say, only 20 000 million years of extreme torture.
But this is less than the first "second" of eternity!
Remember eternity lasts for ever.
Does the punishment fit the crime?
I think not.
Rob Bell wrote a good book about that:
Love wins. A good read. Also his website: mars hill.