People generally fear powerful individuals who can hurt them, especially those individuals who have proven that they will readily hurt others for unjust reasons. The Christian God has threatened (if you believe in the Bible) to send you to a Hell to be tortured for eternity if you fail to believe a certain supernatural event happened in palestine 2000 years ago. It doesn't matter if you've been charitable, kind, and compassionate all your life, it doesn't matter if you've been a saint. If you happen to believe in another God, or you happen to believe there is not nearly enough evidence to believe the Christian story actually happened, this God will roast you forever right alongside Gandhi, Thomas Jefferson, and Einstein. Such a God would strike me as being the worst kind of evil dictator imaginable, so only a fool would not fear such a being if he exists. Thankfully, the evidence that he does is horrible.
That is not as I believe.
That's not quite true. He will send you to Hell for the evil that you have done. Do no evil, keep the law in all respects, and you will have eternal life.
Jesus was asked three times how to have eternal life. To the rich young ruler Jesus named 4 or 5 of the commandments. The young man said, I've kept all of these from youth. Jesus said, go and sell all that you have and follow me. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful, because Jesus' answer had shown him his sin.
The lawyer asked, and Jesus asked back what is written in the law? The lawyer said Love the Lord and Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said Do this and you will live. And then the lawyer sought to justify himself asking who is my neighbor. Again Jesus said keep the law and you will live, but his answer showed the man his sin.
Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish sandhedrin asked and Jesus said, you must be born again. And that led into John chapter 3. Whosoever believes in me shall not perish but have ever lasting life.
It's not failing to believe in Jesus that will send you to Hell. But trusting in Jesus is the only way to avoid the death penalty for the sins you have committed.