Stephen asked:

In response to questions regarding the existence of eternal torment in Hell as conflicting with the idea
of a just and loving God, I've heard theologians use arguments such as:

"It is not up to us and our pathetic brains to try and understand the ways of God." Therefore, we
should not question the injustice of God burning people in Hell.

Is such an argument valid, however? Or is it self-defeating, in that it implies that all human attempts to
try and understand God are ultimately useless, thereby reducing all theology, including the argument
itself, to utter nonsense?

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The argument "it is not up to us and our pathetic brains to try and understand the ways of God" could
hardly be used by an academic theologian. An academic theologian does just that; he/she tries to
understand the ways of God (And be sure that he/she does not ignore the limitations of human
brains). Furthermore, theology itself, even the apophatic theology, is nothing less that a systematic
endeavour to understand the ways of God.

In your question you are describing one of the various doctrines of atonement. The doctrine you are
describing is the less lenient. I think that the question should not be addressed to the theology in
general (since not all theologians agree with the doctrine you are describing) but only to the
theologians you have heard supporting the point of view you are referring to.

Jean Nakos