Fear of hell is in our dna...

[Angrboda]

It may be true that the religious think little of the threat of hell once converted, yet that compartmentalization is made possible by the belief that they have been immunized and no longer need fear hell. If you take away that shield, what happens? I haven't examined the question of what kinds of doubts believers display when questioning their faith. It may be uninformative, as doubt may take away both the immunity and the threat, by removing confidence in belief, rather than relieving oneself of one without the other. Though I think why people return to religion may be informative in this regard. Emotions, whether threats of hell or other negative emotions, tend to factor prominently in explaining re-conversion, while the positive aspects of belief seem be less prominent. In that regard, I'd have to include desire for eternal reward as no less an emotional factor than the alternative themes of Godly love, evidence, reason, or what have you.