Why do Atheists have such a visceral reaction to being told they are going to Hell, a place they supposedly...

Question

do not believe in?

It seems that some part of you believes that Hell exists and you fear it and that is why you react so viscerally to being told you are going there...

Do you harbor some latent or sub-conscious belief or fear of a place you say does not exist?

A have noticed that when they answer questions, they always mention something about how they are told they are going to Hell....

Correction:
"I have noticed...."

Answer 1

You noticed too, ay?

Psychologists call it "reaction formation." It's an attempt at dealing with a difficult situation.

Answer 2

You're generalizing there. Never a good idea, because you'll inevitably go wrong somewhere along the line - as you have with me. (When you generalize like that, you need to remember that there are ALWAYS exceptions.)

As an agnostic, which is basically half-atheist, I personally DON'T ever have a "visceral reaction" whenever I'm told I'm going to "Hell". In fact, my reaction is quite the opposite: I laugh at it. And no, I can assure you that I also don't "harbor some latent or sub-conscious belief or fear of a place [I] say does not exist".

I truly believe, consciously AND subconsciously, that Hell really does not exist; nor does Satan. I believe that both of them were invented by the early church as scare tactics, a way of keeping the followers as well as the new converts in line. Therefore, it's actually a joke to me whenever someone "warns" me that I'm "going to Hell". I honestly think it's funny that people in this day and age could still be so gullible as to believe a place like that (or a "bogeyman" like Satan) actually exists.

Answer 3

i do not think that it is a belief in hell (whether sub-consciously or not) that makes atheist react in the way they do. Of course, there may be some atheists who do that but primarily i think it is the opportunity to prove their point that makes them do it. It is a fact that those who believe in atheism are in the minority and as such, most of them are very adamant and defensive with their beliefs. Thus, whenever they feel that their belief system is being threatened or looked down upon, they immediately take offense and attempt to gain some grounds of argument. Again, i'd like to point out that not all atheists are as such, but many of them are. My case in point maybe reinforced by those atheist who react the way they did, in the question given.

Answer 4

I don't mind you saying I am going to hell. I truly do not believe such a place exists, so I feel no fear or dread at the prospect.
I will joke about it because sometimes it gets a bit old being told I will burn in hell for eternity and such.
Just like anyone would get annoyed by being told something 100 times per day.



EDIT: I just read all of the answers before me and they say it so much better! That is exactly what I would like to say...lol

Answer 5

Although I am not an atheist (far from it) I believe this reaction stems from the fact they dislike people who proselytize, as do I. It is simply part of the usual speech, and one I had to listen to on a daily basis at a former job. I am Christian, Episcopalian, and I have disliked having other religions shoved down my throat since I was a child and I dislike it even more as an adult. No one likes being threatened with anything because their beliefs (or lack of them) differ from someone else's... and no one has the right to say their beliefs/POV is superior to anyone else's. People must learn to accept and respect opposing POVs and these issues would disappear.

Answer 6

Isn't that just because those type of Christians are so repetative? I don't believe that most Christians believe in hell as it is portrayed. I don't act viscerally if someone tells me I am going to hell, I could not care less, however the fact that someone says I am going to Hell suggests a degree of anger on their part and so the conversation is probably not one I would care to repeat.

Answer 7

Seems to be an unfounded generalisation. No true Atheist believes in hell.

It is a ridiculous concept that has been devised by organised religions to fear people into servitude.

Any comments by an atheist about hell is mockery. The idea of someone telling you that you are going to such a ridiculous place is just not logical if you don't believe in god.

Many Christians also don't believe in hell either.... for the same reasons, there is no purpose to hell.

Answer 8

It's the same visceral reaction one has when one is faced with the smell of fresh sh*t in a closed space.

You are the person who farts in a full elevator, kid, and I quite frankly think you're the hateful sort that WOULD go to hell, if there is one. Be grateful I haven't got a whole lot to do with the final judgment of your immortal soul, because I would probably throw you to the wolves, you bitter, miserable oulde snatch pasty. All you do is try to stir up **** because you can't accept the fact that people EVERYWHERE believe differently than you do and that their beliefs are just as valid as yours. You think that your twisted breed of fundamentalism is the only way, and you happen to know your way around the English language, which somehow makes your ignorance worse. It's on account of hyperconservative fundamentalists like you that the world is in the miserable state it is. You call yourself a Jew? My ***. I know Jews, and they aren't like you. They don't believe in hell, and they sure don't quote the new testament on their Yahoo page, nor do they hassle other people for what they believe, having been on the recieving end of severe religious and genetic persecution for close to the entire history of their culture.
You're really some kind of evil, kiddo, and you don't frankly deserve that avatar, either.

Answer 9

Hell exists at the lower level of the astral realm. It it a product of negative emotions that keeps one bound to the physical/material reality. However, the astral realm is merely the "emotional body" of the planet Earth and those that are bound to it (no matter whether at the lower level which you call hell or the higher level which you call heaven) are still far away from transcending into the true spiritual dimensions which exist beyond the astral plane.

Answer 10

Look at it this way - if I say to you "I hope you die", how would you feel? Would you dislike me or my words? That's pretty much how we feel when someone says "You're going to Hell".

To be honest I'd probably ask which version of Hell they meant, before telling them that the Hell defined in Abrahamic religions is reserved for followers of said religions as stated in the Bible. Non-believers just die, which is what I believe happens anyway.

Answer 11

As a former athiest, I was never concerned about hell. Any reward or punishment occurred now or in the immediate future.

The real question to any religions believing in hell: Do you really believe a person in India raised to believe Hindi or a Chinese raised to believe Buddhism and never hearing of, say, Christians or the Bible will go to hell for lack of opportunity? Do you believe an athiest will go to hell because he believes in science and other historical texts?
And finally I'd like to see the papers where God ordained you to judge others.