Ok. First of all I wanna say thank you for not coming across in a judging way.
When you mentioned that "God is supposed to be merciful and loving he is willing to torture people for eternity"- as a Christian, I don't view it that way. He gives us our own free will. We have our entire lives, however long that may be, to choose His path. I also believe that if for some reason in you life span you never hear the teachings of Christ, God won't allow you to go to hell. You have to have heard about it, be at the age of understanding and deny or decide not to accept Him into your heart to go to hell in my opinion.

But here are a few verses to back up the hell that I believe in.

Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.

Luke 16-22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[c] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

Rev. 14-10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
11And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."

Rev. 21-8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Here's the main kicker...

Rev. 20- 7When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Just showing you "our" facts. And I see what you're saying about it being a "safer" (which is not the best word in my book) place then the U.S. because you never die. But it's a place that you'd rather die then live in that kind of torture/pain. It's not like everyday walking around chatting with people, or people developing cancer...

Once again, just my views as a christian.