Do I believe Atheists are going to hell?

[SteveII]

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Ghandi suffered from the same malady the rest of humanity does. Any sin creates a gulf between us and God. That gulf must be bridged only with the redemption that Christ offers. It is a binary choice--with no gray area: either someone has accepted this free gift or one has not. If Ghandi did not, then he will not be in heaven. 

IMO, God judges people hearts according to the information they have and what they did with it. The Bible says that information about God is written on everyone's heart. I'm pretty sure this is the same basis that supports the Catholic doctrine of Invincible Ignorance.


Now if they have heard the Gospel and still follow Islam or Joe Smith, then that is a clear indication of their rejection of Christ.

I think sincere Catholics recognize the basics needed for salvation (it's all there).

So to clarify, everyone who does not die as a Christian is going to Hell, unless they have never heard of Jesus/gospels?

Yes. Even if they have never heard, they most respond to God on what has been revealed to them (which can be a lot). That's why I think ancient people almost universally believed in the supernatural. The Wise Men in the NT are a good example. They found evidence of God and followed it (literally!). 

Do you think it is possible to do this after you die? Example: Ghandi died a Hindu because he sincerely believed it was the right religion. He dies, sees Jesus, and realizes he was wrong, and wants to be with Jesus. Is it too late? Is he really damned to Hell for an honest mistake?

My understanding of purgatory is that it is a place for Christians who need to work on a few things. It is not a place for people like Ghandi to change their mind about things (become a Christian). So it would seem that by both protestant and Catholic doctrine, Ghandi failed to make the cut because he was certainly aware of the message of salvation by Jesus yet chose not to believe it (at least as far as we know) and therefore died without having dealt with the basic human condition: sin separates us from God.