This is kind of a dodge, and only works if they acknowledge that Jesus was a character created by the church. If you believe he was a real person, however, and that the so-called New Testament is a somewhat accurate telling of his story and ideas, then hell has to be laid at his doorstep. There is a vague concept of a hell-like place in Jewish tradition, but it doesn't carry the importance of hell in christianity. Jesus apparently developed the idea and used it to bully and terrify those who listened to him. If so, this was the work of an evil and twisted person, and it has caused untold misery over the centuries.