I'm saying it is insincere of someone just becoming a Christian on the chance that the Christian teachings of eternal punishment are true. Of the 8 billion people on Earth, only about 2 billion are Christians. Do all of the Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Jews burn? I don't believe that.
I understand where you are coming from. I am not a traditional Christian who believes in either you make it into heaven or you burn in hell. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe that there are various kingdoms in which mankind is placed in after this life depending of what kind of being we each choose to become. We believe that there are 3 major types of kingdoms of glory after this life that the majority of mankind will end up in. These 3 major types of kingdoms are the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom. For those who are extremely wicked we believe there is a hell known as outer darkness which is not a kingdom of glory. This was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the following revelation:
Doctrine and Covenants 76
Section 76
A vision given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon, at Hiram, Ohio, February 16, 1832. Prefacing the record of this vision, Joseph Smith’s history states: “Upon my return from Amherst conference, I resumed the translation of the Scriptures. From sundry revelations which had been received, it was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of man had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled. It appeared self-evident from what truths were left, that if God rewarded every one according to the deeds done in the body the term ‘Heaven,’ as intended for the Saints’ eternal home, must include more kingdoms than one. Accordingly, … while translating St. John’s Gospel, myself and Elder Rigdon saw the following vision.” At the time this vision was given, the Prophet was translating
John 5:29.
1–4, The Lord is God;
5–10, The mysteries of the kingdom will be revealed to all the faithful;
11–17, All will come forth in the resurrection of the just or the unjust;
18–24, The inhabitants of many worlds are begotten sons and daughters unto God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ;
25–29, An angel of God fell and became the devil;
30–49, Sons of perdition suffer eternal damnation; all others gain some degree of salvation;
50–70, The glory and reward of exalted beings in the celestial kingdom is described;
71–80, Those who will inherit the terrestrial kingdom are described;
81–113, The status of those in the telestial, terrestrial, and celestial glories is explained;
114–19, The faithful may see and understand the mysteries of God’s kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit.
1
Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof, for the Lord is
God, and beside him there is
no Savior.
2
Great is his wisdom,
marvelous are his ways, and the extent of his doings none can find out.
3 His
purposes fail not, neither are there any who can stay his hand.
4 From eternity to eternity he is the
same, and his years never
fail.
5 For thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am
merciful and gracious unto those who
fear me, and delight to honor those who
serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.
6 Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their
glory.
7 And to them will I
reveal all
mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.
8 Yea, even the wonders of
eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations.
9 And their
wisdom shall be great, and their
understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall
perish, and the understanding of the
prudent shall come to naught.
10 For by my
Spirit will I
enlighten them, and by my
power will I make known unto them the
secrets of my
will—yea, even those things which
eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.
11 We, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, being
in the Spirit on the sixteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-two—
12 By the power of the
Spirit our
eyes were opened and our understandings were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God—
13 Even those things which were from the beginning before the world was, which were ordained of the Father, through his Only Begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, even from the
beginning;
14 Of whom we bear record; and the record which we bear is the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the Son, whom we saw and with whom we
conversed in the heavenly
vision.
15 For while we were doing the work of
translation, which the Lord had appointed unto us, we came to the
twenty-ninth verse of the fifth chapter of John, which was given unto us as follows—
16 Speaking of the resurrection of the dead, concerning those who shall
hear the voice of the
Son of Man:
17 And shall come forth;
they who have done
good, in the
resurrection of the
just; and they who have done evil, in the resurrection of the unjust.
18 Now this caused us to marvel, for it was given unto us of the Spirit.
19 And while we
meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about.
20 And we beheld the
glory of the Son, on the
right hand of the
Father, and received of his fulness;
21 And saw the holy
angels, and them who are
sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who
worship him forever and ever.
22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the
testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he
lives!
23 For we
saw him, even on the
right hand of
God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the
Only Begotten of the Father—
24 That by
him, and through him, and of him, the
worlds are and were created, and the
inhabitants thereof are begotten
sons and daughters unto God.
25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an
angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who
rebelled against the Only Begotten
Son whom the Father
loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,
26 And was called
Perdition, for the heavens
wept over him—he was
Lucifer, a son of the morning.
27 And we beheld, and lo, he is
fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!
28 And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old
serpent, even the
devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our
God and his Christ—
29 Wherefore, he maketh
war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about.
30 And we saw a vision of the
sufferings of those with whom he made war and overcame, for thus came the voice of the Lord unto us:
31 Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and
suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—
32 They are they who are the
sons of
perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born;
33 For they are
vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;
34 Concerning whom I have said there is
no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—
35 Having
denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having
crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open
shame.
36 These are they who shall go away into the
lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels—
37 And the
only ones on whom the
second death shall have any power;
38 Yea, verily, the only ones who shall
not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath.
39 For all the rest shall be
brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the
triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father
before the worlds were made.
40 And this is the
gospel, the glad
tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us—
41 That he
came into the world, even Jesus, to be
crucified for the world, and to
bear the sins of the
world, and to
sanctify the world, and to
cleanse it from all unrighteousness;
42 That through him all might be
saved whom the Father had put into his
power and made by him;
43 Who
glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of
perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him.
44 Wherefore, he saves all
except them—they shall go away into
everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to
reign with the
devil and his angels in eternity, where their
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment—
45 And the
end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows;
46 Neither was it revealed, neither is, neither will be revealed unto man, except to them who are made partakers thereof;
47 Nevertheless, I, the Lord, show it by
vision unto many, but straightway shut it up again;
48 Wherefore, the end, the width, the height, the
depth, and the misery thereof, they understand not, neither any man except those who are
ordained unto this
condemnation.
49 And we heard the voice, saying:
Write the vision, for lo, this is the end of the vision of the sufferings of the ungodly.
50 And again we bear record—for we
saw and heard, and this is the
testimony of the
gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the
just—
51 They are they who received the
testimony of Jesus, and
believed on his name and were
baptized after the
manner of his burial, being
buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—
52 That by
keeping the commandments they might be
washed and
cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the
hands of him who is
ordained and sealed unto this power;
53 And who
overcome by faith, and are
sealed by the Holy Spirit of
promise, which the Father
sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
54 They are they who are the
church of the
Firstborn.
55 They are they into whose hands the Father has given
all things—
56 They are they who are
priests and
kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory;
57 And are
priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of
Enoch, which was after the
order of the Only Begotten Son.
58 Wherefore, as it is written, they are
gods, even the
sons of
God—
59 Wherefore,
all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
60 And they shall
overcome all things.
61 Wherefore, let no man
glory in man, but rather let him
glory in God, who shall
subdue all enemies under his feet.
62 These shall
dwell in the
presence of God and his Christ forever and ever.
63 These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall
come in the
clouds of heaven to
reign on the earth over his people.
64 These are they who shall have part in the
first resurrection.
65 These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the
just.
66 These are they who are come unto
Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all.
67 These are they who have come to an innumerable company of
angels, to the general assembly and church of
Enoch, and of the
Firstborn.
68 These are they whose names are
written in heaven, where God and Christ are the
judge of all.
69 These are they who are
just men made
perfect through Jesus the mediator of the
new covenant, who wrought out this perfect
atonement through the shedding of his own
blood.
70 These are they whose bodies are
celestial, whose
glory is that of the
sun, even the glory of God, the
highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.
71 And again, we saw the
terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the
Firstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the
moon differs from the sun in the firmament.
72 Behold, these are they who died
without law;
73 And also they who are the
spirits of men kept in
prison, whom the Son visited, and
preached the
gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh;
74 Who
received not the
testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it.
75 These are they who are
honorable men of the earth, who were
blinded by the craftiness of men.
76 These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness.
77 These are they who receive of the
presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father.
78 Wherefore, they are
bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun.
79 These are they who are not
valiant in the
testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.
80 And now this is the end of the
vision which we saw of the terrestrial, that the Lord commanded us to
write while we were yet in the Spirit.
81 And again, we
saw the glory of the
telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the
glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament.
82 These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the
testimony of Jesus.
83 These are they who
deny not the Holy Spirit.
84 These are they who are thrust down to
hell.
85 These are they who shall not be redeemed from the
devil until the
last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the
Lamb, shall have finished his work.
86 These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial;
87 And the terrestrial through the
ministration of the celestial.
88 And also the telestial receive it of the administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be
ministering spirits for them; for they shall be
heirs of salvation.
89 And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision, the glory of the
telestial, which surpasses all understanding;
90 And no man knows it except him to whom God has revealed it.
91 And thus we saw the glory of the
terrestrial which excels in all things the glory of the telestial, even in glory, and in power, and in might, and in dominion.
92 And thus we saw the
glory of the celestial, which
excels in all things—where God, even the Father, reigns upon his
throne forever and ever;
93 Before whose throne all things bow in humble
reverence, and give him glory forever and ever.
94 They who dwell in his
presence are the church of the
Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and
know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his
grace;
95 And he makes them
equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.
96 And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the
sun is one.
97 And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one.
98 And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;
99 For these are they who are of
Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas.
100 These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of
Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch;
101 But
received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the
everlasting covenant.
102 Last of all, these all are they who will not be
gathered with the saints, to be
caught up unto the
church of the Firstborn, and received into the cloud.
103 These are
they who are
liars, and
sorcerers, and
adulterers, and
whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.
104 These are they who suffer the
wrath of God on earth.
105 These are they who suffer the
vengeance of eternal fire.
106 These are they who are cast down to
hell and
suffer the wrath of
Almighty God, until the
fulness of times, when Christ shall have
subdued all enemies under his
feet, and shall have
perfected his work;
107 When he shall
deliver up the
kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have
overcome and have
trodden the
wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.
108 Then shall he be
crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the
throne of his power to reign forever and ever.
109 But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they were as
innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore;
110 And heard the voice of the Lord saying: These all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall
confess to him who sits upon the throne forever and ever;
111 For they shall be judged according to their
works, and every man shall receive according to his own
works, his own
dominion, in the
mansions which are prepared;
112 And they shall be
servants of the Most High; but
where God and Christ
dwell they
cannot come,
worlds without end.
113 This is the end of the vision which we saw, which we were commanded to write while we were yet in the Spirit.
114 But
great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the
mysteries of his kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpass all understanding in glory, and in might, and in dominion;
115 Which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, and are not
lawful for man to utter;
116 Neither is man
capable to make them known, for they are only to be
seen and
understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who
love him, and purify themselves before him;
117 To whom he grants this privilege of
seeing and knowing for themselves;
118 That through the power and manifestation of the Spirit, while in the flesh, they may be able to
bear his
presence in the world of glory.
119 And to God and the Lamb be
glory, and honor, and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
From this revelation we take heart that there is not this thin line where either you make it into heaven or you go straight to hell. God has allowed for various kingdoms based on our free will choices of this life. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when we speak of the kingdom of heaven we are referring to the highest kingdom of all the kingdoms in God's creations. So now that you have pointed out your distaste for the only Heaven or Hell paradigm presented by most Christians and many of the people who have not been extremely evil I see that it is hard to swallow that they all will be consigned to pure hell. We believe that God has established many various kingdoms in his universe and they each vary in the degree of light and truth each possess. Heaven to us is the Celestial Kingdom of God where he resides and allows those who have loved him and seek to keep his commandments and do good to their fellow men can reside. I hope this help in understanding where I come from.
