A universe in which everyone ends up the same, whether the end be oblivion or paradise, is a universe that seems unjust to me. In the face of all the horrible suffering and cruelty in this world, the only ways I’ve been able to avoid despair is (a) believe that there is more to existence than can be observed in this world (a “bigger picture”), or (b) to focus on whether my own life is worth living, and not pass judgements about whether the sufferings that others endure renders their existence worse than nonexistence. The trouble with (b) is that it makes me care less about others, so that leads me to back to (a). An afterlife in which people reap what they sow is consistent with (a); one in which all end up the same is not.
Yes, Christians are supposed to act out of love, not fear of Hell or desire to see sinners punished. So why does it matter to me whether the universe is just or not? Well, I applaud those of you who act solely out of love for God and neighbor, but I often fail to meet this ideal. Still, I think it is an ideal worth striving for. But I’m not sure I would think it was worth striving for if the universe were fundamentally unjust. And a universe in which the one who degrades and exploits others, the one who is the victim of degradation and exploitation, the one who sacrifices his/her life to stop those crimes, and the one who could prevent those crimes but stands idly by all end up enjoying the same paradise (or just feeding the worms) seems unjust to me. I might not be the one who victimized others if I lost my belief in Hell, but I might very well be the one who was content to sit on the couch and let the world burn as long as I had my 3 squares, a roof over my head, and batteries in my remote control. People are starving in Somalia or being gunned down in Syria? Oh well, we’ll all be together in Heaven soon enough, and in the meantime I’ll stop watching those depressing news shows.
Here’s another angle. Some understand Hell to be the permanent separation from God. If we have the power to make that choice, then our freedom has a meaning that it doesn’t have if we all end up united with God no matter what we do.
And what Jude said goes for me, too, except that I thought suicide was a sin that was too grave to be cleansed in purgatory.