There's a question which has puzzled me for many years, especially when I was a JW. I always liked the analogy of the creator as being a loving father. I have four daughters and I consider myself to be a loving father. But suppose one of my daughters did something so vile and so evil - you know, like talking to a disfellowshipped person or celebrating their child's birthday - that they were deserving of death! And suppose further that it was up to me to see that they were executed for these heinous crimes. If I had my choice of any means whatsoever to put them to death, what would I choose? Would I drown them? Would I rain down fire and sulfur on them? Or maybe, would I would just have the earth open up and swallow them? I guess I could have a tall building fall on them and crush them! Actually, if I found myself in such a far-fetched scenario and I absolutely had to do this deed, I believe I'd try to find the fastest, most pain-free and least horrific means at my disposal.
Now if the creator of the universe found it necessary to kill thousands of his children to, you know, settle this universal sovereignty thing, and He has any and every imaginable means at His disposal, what possible purpose would it serve for Him to take their lives in some horrific display of His awesome power, terrifying the #*!& out of them, just before they take their last breath, never more to know or remember anything? Or, if we are to believe the Bible record, what purpose has it served, as in the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, etc...? Am I missing something here? Why not just let them go night-night and never wake up?
Any thoughts?