Do Christians still believe in Purgatory? I think that's an excellent solution for the "too harsh" issue. How can a murderer and someone who swore once receive the same punishment - eternal torture? That's not justice. With purgatory, however, justice could be delivered.
the only christians who do are catholics. purgatory is not a biblical place
Most Christians do not believe in purgatory, and -if I am correct- purgatory is only for Christians, unconverted people still go to hell. But you can read our discussion on this in the "catholic or not" forum.
And like I said in my last post, there is no "someone who just swore once" and while some people have sinned a lot more then others, they still never repented and turned away from there sins.
Also, the Bible does mention in several places that punishment in hell (as well as rewards in heaven) will not all be equal.