Let's talk religion. Why would lack of belief be condemning? Regardless of what is true, if two people come to me with two books, both saying lack of belief is a damning offense, the god that was real is gambling with my soul and that's a really fucked up thing to do. Assuming three choices are Book A, Book B, or neither, there is a 66% chance that I'm fucked and there's nothing that can be dome about it.