God is Just... right?

To my Christian friends:

Just so we're clear, it doesn't bother me in the least that you believe I'm going to Hell when I die. It really doesn't. You might as well tell me you believe I'm going to turn into a helium balloon and float off into space, for all that it affects me. That it to say: it doesn't. Believe what you want; I choose reality.

What does offend me, however, is this: You believe I deserve it.

You—as my friend, family member, someone who claims to care about me and love me—believe that eternal damnation and torture in a lake of fire is fitting punishment for, let's face it, simply disagreeing with you. I don't believe as you do, so I deserve to burn in Hell for all of eternity. Wow. And people call atheists arrogant? But I digress....

I could murder someone, rape and abuse children, subjugate and enslave millions of people for personal gain, and generally make life miserable for an inordinate number of people on this planet, but as long as I agree with you about God (and ask for his forgiveness, presumably), you believe I deserve to go to Heaven when I die. On the other hand, no matter how much good I do in this life, no matter how many people I help or how much love I foster on this planet, you believe I deserve eternal damnation because I'm an atheist.

You're kidding me, right? Please tell me you're not serious. Or at least tell me you're not planning to run for office any time soon, because I seriously question the judgment of anyone who honestly believes this is "justice". I don't want people who think this way making laws for the society in which I live. Thank you very much.

That said, maybe you're sitting there thinking, "No! I don't believe you deserve that. You're a good person. I care about you and I don't believe you deserve to go to Hell for being an atheist, but I didn't make the rules, that's just how it is."

Congratulations, you just admitted that your God is unjust.

I acknowledge your predicament.  Either your God is irrational and unjust—and, therefore, undeserving of your life's devotion—or he's perfectly just and fair, and you have no choice but to agree that I deserve eternal hellfire and damnation for not agreeing with you about his existence. Tough choice.

I sincerely hope that one day, you come to realize that your God was created in man's image, and that "God's Law" is really just man's law, cloaked in man's prejudice and limited understanding of the world around him. My greatest hope for you is that one day you will embrace reality and devote your life to gaining a better understanding of the universe in which you live, making the world a better place for humanity. I hope that you will, one day, come to understand that we humans can be good without gods.

P.S. I don't believe you deserve to be tortured for all eternity—or punished at all, in fact—if you disagree with me.