I am so confused about religion.?

Question

I was raised as a Catholic and I didn't really like their beliefs (aka "Bad Gay People" and "All non-Catholics will go to hell") That's what my family and church has told me.
I want to convert very badly and I want to tell my parents that I no longer believe in this. I said that if God is all loving why is he saying that he will banish his creations to hell.
I am scared, however, of the consequences of converting. After a childhood of hearing this, I don't want to become atheist or agnostic then find out that God really does exsist and then go to hell.
How do I overcome this fear? Should I convert?

Answer 1

Your reasons should not be based on fear. God desires to give you the most amazing love and comfort, but it’s difficult for people to know this if they were raised in fear of God. I know this because that was how I was raised.

I know it can be fear difficult to go your own way when your family wants you to believe as they do. But I can tell you that if your choice of how to believe is based on fear, you are going in the wrong direction.

Find a church that teaches God’s love, not fear of God and hell and damnation. Pray to God. Just talk to him like he is sitting next to you. He will know what’s in your heart. Ask him to help you get rid of the fear and to guide you in the right direction.

I don’t know what the right direction is for you but I do know that you will be free to feel God’s love once you let go of the fear.

Fear of God actually means awe and great reverence, it doesn’t mean that you are supposed to spend every moment petrified that if you think the wrong thought or do the wrong thing, he is going to condemn you to hell.

Answer 2

Search out the truth as was wisely said once the Truth shall set you free. One thought for me is so much religion in the world seems to testify that most by far believe in "religion" so something about it must be real. That most people who have ever lived have believed in a god or God of some sort and that He is good. Also almost all have believed that some things are right and some wrong and most believe that what is wrong is opposed to God. Now if evil or an evil one exists and he opposes God it seems natural that he would be a liar and deceiver and he would make religion so confusing and full or falsehood to make any truth hard to find. So from appearance there must be a true God and a truth about Him somewhere. Otherwise all this religion stuff would just fade away. The hostilities involved in religion testify to a real spiritual battle going on so something is happening that's for sure.

Answer 3

Pascal's wager:

"If god exists, it's infinitely better to believe, since you get heaven instead of hell for eternity. If he doesn't, it doesn't matter since you're dead anyway. So overall it's better to believe"

This is, of course, false.

Some of the problems with the argument:

* The implied assumption that god may exist (with a 50% probability, no less!)

* The assumption that there is an afterlife with a heaven and hell

* The assumption that the god cares about belief in him/her above all else

* The assumption that if you believe in a god, it will definitely be the same god that actually exists.

* The assumption that you lose nothing if it's false. You have lost a great deal, from time praying to a nonexistent entity (somebody mentioned just today praying several hours a day!!!) to morality (your god may ask you to hurt other people) and much more besides.

* The assumption that people can believe in something simply because it benefits them. Would you believe goblins exist for twenty bucks? Why not?

* The assumption that any god won't see through the "believing just to get into heaven" ploy.

For more:
http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/wager.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/wager.html

Answer 4

You should never succumb to religion out of fear!

You need to do a lot more study to determine where you stand. Don't be in a rush. Any Supreme Being would respect your hoenst inquiry.

I'd recommend a few "good books": "The Age of Reason" by Thomas Paine; "The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity" by Hyam Maccoby; and "The Jesus Mysteries" by Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy.

I was raised a Catholic myself. My Godfather was a future priest, and my Godmother was a future nun. In fact, I am descended from a nun! My mother's grandmother was a runaway nun who got married. If she had not doen so, a few dozen people, all decent folks, would not be here! I am content to abandon Catholicism and Christianity, and I have no fear. You can get to this point, too.

Answer 5

Sweetie, just ask God yourself if He would reveal Himself to you in the way you can understand and He will.
When I was a teenager I had the very same problem and I believed in a God, the Creator but I didn't know who He was and what religion He was, so I just asked Him to reveal Himself to me as the True God and He did about 8 years later. I did a lot of searching on my own but in the end nothing clicked inside. There was always something missing in every thing I searched. Finally one day God led me to Himself through Jesus and I became what is known as born-again. I had an experience that changed my life and I recognized that God had revealed Himself to me because He knew my heart and knew the answers that I needed.
I didn't go back to the catholic church because the traditions are not according to what God has taught me in His Bible. My family was upset when I raised my children outside the Catholic church but eventually they accepted the changes in my life.
Just ask God your questions and you will begin to see the answers as He reveals Himself.

Answer 6

Come to the Episcopal church, all the other former RC's do. We are more open minded on the one hand, but have all of the same sacraments and customs on the other. Your family will not be too upset, since many RC's do end up in the Episcopal church. On the other hand if you became, a Baptist or something like that your parents will have heart attack.

Answer 7

I am a person who converted from Christianity (Protestant) to Judaism. I believe that if you are uncertain, then you should not convert. If you are afraid, then you still believe some of what has been taught to you, or you would not BE afraid. When you can truthfully say to yourself that you're not afraid of the things that you were taught, then it may be time for you to convert. Ultimately, you are the only one who can decide when (or if) to convert.

I suggest studying many religions, and finding one that suits your way of thinking; for me, it was Judaism, but for you it could be something else entirely. Learn about many, and in time, I believe that one will start to stand out as the right one for you.

Answer 8

Hell=grave

Answer 9

Death is inevitable. The thief on the cross knew when his would occur, but we can not predict our own. After his death, the crucified criminal went to live in paradise with Jesus. Some of us will also live eternally in God's presence. But others will experience everlasting torment, forever separated from Him.
If we receive Jesus as our Savior, our penalty for sin is paid. We are adopted into God's family, and Heaven is our eternal home. If we reject Jesus, we remain alienated from the Lord and under condemnation for our sin. We are destined to experience eternal judgment. God won't accept any of man's excuses because there is no acceptable defense for unbelief. (Acts 4:12)
Become part of God's family today. Acknowledge your sinfulness, and express your faith in these words:
"God, I have sinned against You. (Romans 3:23) I've followed my own way and refused to give You the right to rule in my life. (Romans 3:10-12) I recognize I am separated from You and cannot rescue myself. I do believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son. I accept the truth of the Scriptures? that His death on the cross paid my sin-debt in full. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) And I ask You to forgive me of my sins. (1 John 1:9) By faith, I receive You, Lord Jesus, as my personal Savior from this moment on."
If you just spoke those words to God, then, like the thief on the cross, you have received salvation? a gift of God's grace. The heavenly Father welcomes every person who comes to Him through His Son, regardless of background, age, or current situation. Through Jesus, the right to enter paradise is yours!

Answer 10

Please read my words carefully:

Don't loose your faith in God. The existing Christianity is not the right religion. Unfortunately the true one was spoiled by lots of men...
Convert and follow your heart to the religion of truth, Islam...

The religion that believes in all the prophets (starting from Adam ending with Moses, Jesus and Muhammad). The religion that calls for your benifit and mercy to everyone...

Please don't be mislead by some muslims who don't follow the Islam properly... It's not the fault of Islam, but the fault is in their faith...

May Allah help you and guide you to the religion of the truth...