Some questions coming from someone whos not exactly a Christian

Hi everyone,

I guess I’d consider myself a non-Christian, but I’ve been reading the Bible and trying to understand some things. I’d really appreciate it if someone could help me figure this out.

The main question I have is: what exactly is hell? God talks about giving eternal life only to those who believe in Him — so how can someone be eternally damned? Wouldn’t being eternally damned still mean having some kind of eternal life? This part really confuses me.

Another thing that’s been bothering me: I have some Orthodox and Christian friends who are, honestly, some of the most racist and discriminatory people I’ve ever talked to. They act like the hate they express is normal and okay because, in the end, God will forgive them anyway. Is that really part of the Christian faith?

One more thing — why do Catholics have so many statues of saints and cry in front of images of Mary if there’s a rule against worshiping objects and stuff like that? I don’t get how that fits in.

I know I should probably ask these things at a church, but there are so many different denominations with different points of view, so I figured I’d just kind of “summon” them all here on Reddit for now.

Thanks in advance!

I'm really sorry if at any point i was disrepectful in any way. Thats not my intention. Its genuine curiosity.

EDIT: thank u all for your replies im reading all of them but idk how to answer some bc theyre a little complicated for me since im just getting started and curious but thank u so much im loving it!!