



 More correctly: when people die, they cease to exist.



 The idea I've gotten is that to christians, Hell is -- like Heaven --
 afterlife; i.e, you don't cease to exist, but are subjected to eternal 
 torture (well, that's the orthodox idea anyway; "eternal death" if you
 prefer that). Atheists don't believe in any sort of afterlife.


 I think it's safe to say that Hell was never intended metaphorical. Certainly
 not the equivalent of ceasing to exist. Some christian concepts are indeed
 metaphors, but your idea of Hell is a 20th century interpretation. It is, of
 course, nice to see that even christianity might evolve to fit the worldview 
 of modern age, but I fear the church will not accept it. Understandably, per-
 haps, because if you accept that Hell is a metaphor, then you're one step
 closer to turning God into a metaphor as well.