The problem with the question do Christians think atheists are going to hell is that it implies that all Christians have the same answer to that question.
Some Christians, particularly Bible literalists do think atheists are going to hell. A subsection of those may even feel happy or superior about it. But some of them think so, and are troubled by it. Some of them don't think too much about it. Many of them use hell as a bludgeon to try to get others to believe. This works well on children and not so well on grownups.
Some Christians, rewrite what's in the Bible to avoid troubling thoughts like hell. They seem to think that god's morality grows with modern society or that we know better what he thinks as we become more modern. Usually they haven't thought this out very well. The Pope is of great aide to Christians of this ilk. He gives them permission to ignore the Bible on troubling points like hell.
All Christians seem to fall into this last group that rewrites the Bible in one way or another as no one these days applies all of the laws of the Old Testament, or really tries to follow the advice of Jesus turning their cheeks and giving away everything to the poor.
Some Christians, particularly Bible literalists do think atheists are going to hell. A subsection of those may even feel happy or superior about it. But some of them think so, and are troubled by it. Some of them don't think too much about it. Many of them use hell as a bludgeon to try to get others to believe. This works well on children and not so well on grownups.
Some Christians, rewrite what's in the Bible to avoid troubling thoughts like hell. They seem to think that god's morality grows with modern society or that we know better what he thinks as we become more modern. Usually they haven't thought this out very well. The Pope is of great aide to Christians of this ilk. He gives them permission to ignore the Bible on troubling points like hell.
All Christians seem to fall into this last group that rewrites the Bible in one way or another as no one these days applies all of the laws of the Old Testament, or really tries to follow the advice of Jesus turning their cheeks and giving away everything to the poor.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
