Most religions have a core of believers who are intent on upholding the LAW and demanding that JUSTICE be done. Life must be FAIR! We can’t let someone get away with committing crimes without being punished. Such “enforcers” of the LAW are the very same people Jesus had a problem with so think it not strange that we have a problem with them today.
Once upon a time I was one of those “punitive people” who demanded justice.
Thank God I have been delivered of most of the self-righteousness and I can relax in the knowledge that it is God-Creator-Consciousness-Father-Torsion Field-Prana-Qi-Chi-Shekina that takes care of all that stuff. I purposefully used a few of the DOZENS of names of God to illustrate that there are many views of God, many names, and many concepts. There is but one God, so let’s just let everyone find their way on their journey.
Let’s just BE LOVE!
Richard Rohr in his just released book, The Naked Now, writes, “The contemplative knows that truth held arrogantly will not bear the wonderful fruit of truth. Moral outrage at the ideas of others hardly ever serves the God’s purposes, only our own.” Who wants to admit that?
Who appointed us sheriff of the village?
And what’s the motivation for this “fairness doctrine” that we seek in our neighbors? We’re not on the prowl for sin in our life (or others) for the purpose of seeking and asking what the purpose it for it. No. We want to find it, label it, discuss it, and eventually wind up projecting it on to others.
If we won’t allow sin to transform us we always wind up transmitting it.
We simply cannot stand Ephesians 3:17-18! We can’t imagine a LOVE that is so wide, long, deep, and high that it forgives all. Our minds can’t comprehend that so we’ve developed “our ideas” of what is fair and we’ve projected that onto God and thus we have a HELL- of our own creating!
God’s not fair! God is LOVE! Ponder that! 
Awesome post!! When I was first getting out of fundamentalism and into ultimate reconciliation (of the Martin Zender variety), I would try to test the doctrinal waters of some dear Christian friends. I would present several verses and the “wild idea” that God doesn’t torture forever and that hell (if it still existed) was only temporary (eonian, as Zender would say). I’d propose that God’s character simply COULD NOT punish someone forever for only a temporary sin. My dear, loving, missionary-minded, Christian friends would ALWAYS come back to the “undeniable fact” that God, even though He was love, was also just. That it was hard for God to send sinners to hell forever because of His love but HAD TO DO IT because of His justice!
Many say that God’s hatred of sin TRUMPS His love for His creation. Wow, what a mind job!! I remember thinking that same way and I don’t miss it at all, thank you very much!!