might call them the unsaved, or giving them the benefit of the doubt, might consider them searching. However, if they die without embracing the true way, if their hearts have never turned to God, they are lost. And for that reason, they have been condemned to an eternal life that is deserving and seen as fit by the Lord on high. These people might be our next-door neighbors.Third, and definitely the most devastating, is that of public transgressions against God. The criminal element, those that feed on the innocent of the earth, those that violate the precepts of the Lord are condemned to this torturous ring. Also included are those who not only don't believe, but also find a way to take other brothers away from the truth. For instance, those who publicly spoke against Jesus teachings would be residents of this painful place. For in the inner ring we find the scum of the earth in which the evil agents of the world reside. The example of Judas comes to mind.As far as what it would be like in the inferno I do have to say that Dante did an exceptional job of creating a world filled with pain and torture. Even so, in comparison I would create a much harsher place. Dantes place might look like the land a land of milk and honey compared to the miserable existence bestowed upon every inhabitant of my inferno. I understand for literary purposes that there were people in every circle of Dantes inferno that were able to stop and converse with travelers. My inferno would be on the opposite end of the spectrum in which it would be a stretch of the imagination to see another individual, much less have the ability to actually converse and discover information about todays current events. Darkness would prevail.In the first ring I would adopt that of Dantes 9th circle, not for its icy coldness nor for its severity, but mostly for its isolation. The outer ring of hell is not going to be a picnic, which almost seems the case in Dantes description....
