So, no one's ever fought a fight they knew they were going to lose? No one has died from a result of such a thing?
Death is one thing, eternal torture is something else. Death is over quick, you may be willing to sacrifice yourself for others or die for your principles. And because we're atheists who don't believe in life after death, it all ends there as far as we can see.
That's nothing compared to eternal. Nothing in our finite existence could compare to eternal torture because eternal torture has one thing that gives it the upper hand. It's eternal and all things we could use to compare in terms of 'pain & suffering' in our finite existence, are small because they're only finite and no matter how horrible and cruel they are they will end - there is mercy, be it in death or in being saved from the pain & torture. Eternal torture, It never stops. Ever. That's the point and that's how religious folks scare people into their religion and scare people into following the bible. It's this kind of pain and suffering that religious folks want to save us from, because they believe that's what's going to happen to us.
I am sure you know what eternal torture means and I am sure if the choice were to come how you react might not necessarily be what you'd like it to be. And you know, principally I wouldn't want to spend time in heaven knowing great people were in hell, it'd make me very comfortable, I'd feel guilty and it would feel right if I was there with them holding it out with them and holding it out strong and being amongst people who are like me. I wouldn't want to give in to a tyrant as foul and cruel as bible-God, let alone delude myself into worship. But I know that like every man I have a threshold, I have a limit by which I can be broken (and it's a very bold statements to say that you can't) and there's a whole eternity for my will to be broken. Eventually all my principles, all that I stand for, all that I once considered important would mean nothing, because regardless of how my principles guided me when I was alive in the end never truly achieved anything - as in the end it only comes down to 2 things. As a man who would at that point be broken, all that would matter is for the pain to end and I may toss all principles aside so that I may beg for forgiveness in hope that God would show his mercy.
Also bear in mind no man is ever deserving of eternal torture either, because at some people they will have been given justice for the crimes, even mass murdering fuck heads like Hitler.
So as far as I can see, with eternal torture God wins, it may take longer for him to win, but he will win nonetheless. I think if given the choice, you take the easy way out, you'd be a fool not to.
It's a horrible thought, but I know what hell means and I know what God is, the bible states it very clearly and it's not pretty. He's not the only god in the history of man to be that horrific. If any of those gods are real and nobody knows if any of them are, having the right belief is merely a lottery game.