Do I believe Atheists are going to hell?

[Catholic_Lady]

May I ask why? I mean, if someone seeks truth and it leads them to atheism, how can we really blame someone so much for not thinking God exists? To the point where they'd automatically go to Hell for It?

According the the NT, you go to hell because of the condition you are in (the separation that sin has caused from God's perfect holiness). The only way to bridge that separation is to do something about the cause of the separation. The only thing that can erase the effect of sin is the redemption offered by Jesus' sacrifice. This takes an act of the will to accept it. There is no room at all in this concept for an "honest effort...but not convinced". Believing that there must be makes us feel better, but has literally zero support in the NT.

I agree with the "condition you are in", but as I tried to explain earlier, I don't think this hinges necessarily on belief vs disbelief, when the disbelief is an honest mistake. Don't you think a person can be in a state of grace if they strive to do good? If they love others, if they love truth? Isn't accepting love and goodness a form of accepting God without realizing it?

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For the record, this is what Catholic Answers has to say. And they are super conservative/err on the side of caution about everything:

Full Question

My question is this: can an atheist go to heaven? Thank you for your time.

Answer

If someone does not come to believe in God because of stubbornness or refusal to give up selfish desires, then such a person would be culpable for his lack of belief.

If, however, because of circumstances a sincere person is prevented from coming to belief in God, then his lack of faith is called invincible ignorance, and such a person would not be considered culpable.

As Pope Pius XI noted in Quanto conficiamur moerore:

"It is known to us and to you that those who are in invincible ignorance of our most holy religion, but who observe carefully the natural law, and the precepts graven by God upon the hearts of all men, and who being disposed to obey God lead an honest and upright life, may, aided by the light of divine grace, attain to eternal life; for God who sees clearly, searches and knows the heart, the disposition, the thoughts and intentions of each, in his supreme mercy and goodness by no means permits that anyone suffer eternal punishment, who has not of his own free will fallen into sin."

https://www.catholic.com/qa/can-an-atheist-go-to-heaven

Ok, I edited this about a million times.