I understand what you mean, dark void, for a lot of people life is exteremely painful and for them to be able to shortcut the whole process and proceed directly to God may be more merciful, physically. And they do avoid that awkward age of coming to make a decision.
The notion of God being cruel for condeming people is wrong too. No one is condemned to hell, they choose it. Say I build a shelter for the homelesss and all I ask is that on the way in you stop and say thanks. Tell me thanks you're in warm and safe, tell me to take a hike and you can go sit out on the curb in the weather. Does that make me cruel to have 'condemned' those poor souls out in the rain? I think they kinda brought it on themselves.
The notion of God being cruel for condeming people is wrong too. No one is condemned to hell, they choose it. Say I build a shelter for the homelesss and all I ask is that on the way in you stop and say thanks. Tell me thanks you're in warm and safe, tell me to take a hike and you can go sit out on the curb in the weather. Does that make me cruel to have 'condemned' those poor souls out in the rain? I think they kinda brought it on themselves.