Answer
Salam (Peace) Dear Nancy,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
I am not sure where you got your information. Maybe it is better to understand Islam through Islam itself, not through some Muslims, who themselves are misinterpreting Islam.
The best way to understand Islam is through reading the Quran for yourself, and reading the biography and wordings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The details you can’t understand, you need to refer always to specialized scholars, not to people who mis-practice or claim to be scholars.
Islam is about divine love, tolerance and forgiveness. No one in the world can claim that they know who is going to Hell or who is going to Heaven.
This is God’s business, not ours. Our business is to try our best to get closer to Allah, by abiding to His great teachings. When we try, then fail, we are taught that Allah is Most Forgiving.
Islam teaches that good deeds erase sins, not the other way around. Islam teaches that one good deed is multiplied by 10 to 700 times, and God increases even more to whoever He wishes. But, sins are either forgiven, or counted as what they are.
Yet, I personally do not encourage the school of thinking through calculating deeds. I simply advise you to try to get to know Allah more, through prayers and reading the Quran.
Knowing God takes the heart to higher levels of love. Loving God is the remedy for so many realities, pains and questions in our minds. Once we are connected, we understand more and find so many answers…
I hope this helps answer your question.
Salam and please keep in touch.