You have absolutely explained what I dislike about many churches and why people follow bad pastors. Fire and brimstone. The fear of going to hell causes people to do whatever they are told they need to do to ensure that they go to heaven instead of hell. Unfortunately, many people don't actually read the Bible to learn the truth or they take it out of context and pay no attention to what Jesus taught. They simply listen to the pastor or priest in whichever church they attend. They don't understand the basic concept that God is love. So, they follow those who teach against love.

Although I don't believe at all in the Southern Baptist viewpoint, Billy Graham was correct when he said that hell is not the fiery furnace. It is separation from God. This is true for many cultures, not just Christianity. The Tibetan Book of the Dead explains how people can have a good death instead of a bad death. As an atheist, I read the book "Life After Life". It explained what happens when we die. Since then, I have seen many people speak of this, people with no religious belief. When people have died then been revived, they came back to explain what happened while they were dead. Many have gone toward the light which was love. A few faced a very dismal darkness. When those people returned to this world, they had a change of heart and became better, kinder, loving people.

The reality is that there is hell for people who are heartless which includes bad pastors who lie and mistreat their parishioners. Their heart is not right with God because they don't love. God is love. That which is not love offends God and pushes God away. So, those who are heartless cannot be with God. God doesn't decide this. They decide it themselves. They choose to have cold and hateful hearts. So, they choose to separate themselves from God.

Jesus explained all of this but people didn't listen or care. They gravitated toward that which is ruthless and cruel instead of that which is good and loving. They send themselves to hell.