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Some people teach that after death, God will destroy or annihilate the souls of those who don’t believe and that they will never experience eternal torment.

I think it’s just a rationalization they use to comfort themselves that if they don’t believe, they will not suffer torment for eternity.

I’m one of those people but no, it is not a rationalization and as Christ’s I’m not worried about it. Rather, I studied the issue and this is the position I’ve come to accept. I used to believe it was eternal torment simply because I was a new Christian and it is what “more knowledgable” Christians told me. The more I learned of the personality of God from reading His word, the more problems I had with it. And then when I actually studied the subject I changed my opinion.

Strongly.

In fact, I think the turn or burn message harms a LOT of people. It is not a benign false teaching (as if there were such a thing).

Some people teach that after death, God will destroy or annihilate the souls of those who don’t believe and that they will never experience eternal torment.

I think it’s just a rationalization they use to comfort themselves that if they don’t believe, they will not suffer torment for eternity.

If you believe that God will put those who are not his into a position of being eternal torment, this describes your god (from this site - http://jeremyandchristine.com/articles/eternal.php):

Suppose for a moment that a wonderful man—Mr. Right, if you will—offers a marriage proposal to the woman he loves. “Marry me,” he says, “and I will give you a life like you’ve never dreamed of before. You will be loved with the greatest commitment and passion that any woman has ever known. I will give you the finest house with all of the wonderful things you’ve ever wanted, and you will be happy for the rest of your days!”

Now suppose the woman is very flattered by the proposal, but is uncertain about whether or not she is ready for such a commitment. Asking for a few more days to think it over, Mr. Right answers, “You are welcome to take more time, but it’s only fair that I warn you what will happen if you decline my generous offer. Your only option, other than spending paradise with me, is to be thrown into my underground dungeon, have your eyes gouged from their sockets, and be subjected to unimaginable pain every hour, on the hour, for the rest of your long, miserable life.”

What do you suppose would be going through the young woman’s mind at a time like this? I imagine that would change the way she feels about the man considerably. She might have previously accepted Mr. Right’s proposal because of her love for him, but is there much chance of that now? Surely not. If she takes him seriously, she’ll undoubtedly marry him, but not as much for love as out of genuine terror at the alternative.

Is this God’s way of doing things? Does God want His people to turn to Him out of fear that they will be tortured otherwise? Where is the love in that? If everyone really believed in this doctrine, wouldn’t that properly tarnish their concept of the Savior? I would imagine some might even have a hard time calling Him “Savior” at all. How merciful can it be to create a never-ending torture pit for everyone and then save only a few from it?