That sounds like more of an evangelical Protestant view of hell. For one, I'm Catholic. We don't even have to believe that anyone is in hell. There's a wide variety of theological emphases in Catholicism, including Eastern Christian views (as the Church includes the Eastern Rite, not just the Roman/Latin-Rite), which differ from most Western Christian views. I personally lean towards universal reconciliation, which teaches that all souls will eventually be reconciled to God, including Satan. I at least hold out the hope for that. But as for hell, I take a more Eastern Christian viewpoint of it, which is that hell is basically the rejection of God's love and the experience of it as torment. In this view, one must consciously choose to reject God. It's not a matter of mere difference of belief or non-belief. You must consciously choose to turn from God and all the goodness that flows from Him. You choose the path of destruction, in this view. So merely being an atheist probably wouldn't get you to that point, since you must first know the truth and choose to reject it. Atheists, to my understanding, are typically striving to find the truth like most people are.How else can it possibly be viewed? Its a torture chamber created for those who cant accept things without reason and evidence. What kind of a punishment is this for such a petty crime. Logic seems to be frowned upon by God. I would love your take on it however, it could be that your stance makes more sense then the viewpoint I was raised with.
The Catholic Church teaches that Christians and other religious people have their share of the blame in making people into atheists by misrepresenting God, hurting people and causing scandal in the name of God. It also teaches that one cannot be blamed for not being presented with an authentic (Christ-like) view of God while they were alive. (We should witness by actions and only use words if necessary, as the quote popularly attributed to St. Francis of Assisi goes.) So it's understandable that some who have been hurt by religion would turn away from it. So those who harm in the name of religion would be judged much more harshly than someone who simply doesn't believe.
Also, Catholicism believes in Purgatory, which is a state of purification that occurs after death for those who haven't consciously rejected God but still have things keeping them from going directly to Heaven. It is said that Angels and even Christ Himself minister to those in Purgatory. The Church on earth also prays for the holy souls in Purgatory. All those in Purgatory eventually find their way into Heaven. I think most of us end up going to Purgatory, personally, as I think most of us are basically good and striving to find the truth in love, in life.
Also, God wills that no soul be separate from Him. We have our own free will to decide, however. He does not wish that anyone go to hell, since He created us to share in His love and goodness. What good is love without a beloved, after all.
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