Are you a let-down former Believer?

Question

Are you a person that used to believe in a faith that rewarded your good actions here on earth with the promise of heaven in the afterlife, and your evil-deeds with the punishment of hell?
Has your moral capacity changed since you stopped believing? Since you no longer work to do everything according to the [insert book here] of your religous faith, do your actions and decisions made here on earth reflect this change in belief?

Answer 1

I was very religious as a kid and began to realize what a crock it all was by the time I was 16. My "moral capacity" got BETTER because I wasn't working for some reward AFTER life -- I was just trying to be good because I respect the laws and general standards of good conduct in THIS life.

Answer 2

I am a Believer and I will remain a Believer, if anything has let me down it would be the religions the many restrictions they have put on or in their beliefs, and how they treat others who don't believe the same way you do, and then some of the so-called Christians who claim to be Christians in my way of thinking they give the true honest to God christian believers a bad name..I am still the person who believe in her faith and the rewards that God sees fit to give me for whatever good deeds I have done, and I still have the promise of the after-life and to me that is the biggest reward anyone could ever have spending eternally with Jesus Christ. I have not stopped believing, I do the best I can according to (The Bible) of my Faith not religion but Faith, no my actions and decisions are the same they are for the Lord Jesus Christ...Peace & Joy

Answer 3

I don't feel let down. I just don't follow the beliefs of the Catholic church anymore and haven't for years. I felt I used to live in fear of hell and damnation all the time. I then came to realize I didn't believe God was like that and even though I don't follow or practice being a Catholic, I do believe in God and an after life. I feel once I did some research and read A LOT of books, I've become a better and way less fearful person. I try to be a good person and try to treat others well. I feel we are all connected on some level and should try to be good to each other. I feel we should all find what works for us and we all have our own path. I feel once I stopped practicing religion, I did become a better person because I learned more compassion and empathy for my fellow man. I also became more tolerant. I really believe what you do to others will come back to you.

Answer 4

I would not say that I was a let down former believer just a former believer. and yes change in my belief has affected everything. I will definately say my moral character has changed. In my opinion it is for the better. I no longer judge people who are different than I am . I no longer think and act like I am superior to anyone for any reason. I realize that all people are equal. Since there is no hell I have no fear of it if I am very good friends with someone who is gay, black, Jewish etc. These days I treat everyone good , like I want them to treat me. I am tolerant of other's religious views. No matter how silly I think their belief is it is still thier right to have it. All the time and energy that i wasted on organized religion is now spent with my family, friends and just expanding my horizons. I now live everyday like it is the last because now I know when death comes - it is final.

Answer 5

former believer.. not let-down.. simply educated.
My morality is not dependent on some threat from a supreme being.. it's inherent. I never had the desire to kill others, harm others or do much of the taboos put forth in my former belief system. I just don't have to concern myself with worrying about it all anymore.. and yes, my actions and decisions here on earth reflect my taking responsibility for my life and those actions/decisions.

Answer 6

it's a shame that so many christian churches only focus on the concept of 'how to get to heaven,' instead of promoting the biblical idea of recieving blessings while you are still HERE. so many people are waiting to go to heaven, when in fact, heaven is waiting to come to US. this idea has motivated me farther and helped to increase my faith, as have all the other practical teachings of the bible. i suppose you could say that there are ups and downs in my 'moral capacity.' noone is perfect. mostly however, i am quite the opposite of what you asked about. my actions are not dictated by the threat of hell and damnation , but by the utter lack of want to do immoral things that i have gained since converting to christianity and recieving the Spirit. sorry... i realize i didn't answer your question, but i still wanted to get my two bits in.

Answer 7

No, I'm not let down. I was scared into believing after a "hell" performance at a church many years ago. My morals are intact. I still try to maintain empathy for other people, even though most don't deserve it and I try to be fair in all my actions. I still do the best that I can. In source, I wrote an article about how I felt about leaving religion behind. Feel free to check it out.

Answer 8

I grew up in a home where God was not welcomed at all. By the time I was a teenager, I hated the idea of there being a God, because I couldn't see how a God could have made such a screwed up thing like this world. When I was in my twenties I moved back in with my mom who had started watching the 700 club. I hated it! But I started to wonder why did it really bother me; I mean when someone tried to tell me my life was incomplete unless I bought a car that didn't bug me, this this message really got under my skin and I couldn't understand why. So, after a couple of weeks I decided to prove that this, "Jesus saves" sales pitch they kept throwing at me was nothing but pure bunk. I said the sinners prayer thinking that in a couple of weeks I could say, "See, it was nothing," and that would be that. I WAS WRONG! By that afternoon I started to see things in a new lioght; I started to think things differently and most of all I had -hope. It wasn't enough to convince me right away, but as time went by I began to realize that something had in deed happened to me when I said this prayer and it was for the better. I mean the fact that I could literally back track to that prayer, and see that was the time when things started to change for me was enough for me to realize that there is really a God. I spend like the next five years or so testing, and tempting God over and over, but I can honestly and truthfully say that not once have I ever been left doubting His exsistance or His power and love for me and others. Thanks for allowing me this chance to give my testimony

Answer 9

You sound as if you are a "former believer" yourself.

When I was a child, I was a believer, but deemed the church I was attending to be "stagnant" so I fell away, and turned in the opposite direction. I delved deeply into the Occult and quickly learned that what the Bible says about God and Satan is 100% correct. It was only by turning back to God and by His grace ane mercy alone that I was able to get out of that awful bondage.

Satan never forgives nor does he forget those who leave him for Jesus. I came under heavy demon attack for several years after I left the Occult, often times with demons showing up in physical form, and I wasn't the only one who saw them. In fact, a number of non-believers were so frightened and convinced by what they had seen, that they became Christians themselves. And it was only through the name and power of Jesus Christ that I was able to beat the things sent after me.

So, I have a very unique view of Christianity, as do others who have come out of the Occult. Please, listen to us. The things spoken of in the Bible are 100% real and 100% correct.

Unfortunately people feel "let down" because they are promised things by churches, teachers and pastors that there is no Scriptural foundation for, so they fall away when these "promises" fail to materialize. Read the Bible for yourself and see what IS promised, and go from there.

Sadly, too many find out the truth too late, and there is no changing your mind after death. Actually you can change your mind, but nothing else. If you die without Jesus in your heart, you will be facing a horrifying eternity in Hell, having chosen to serve Satan and follow into his punishment.

Anyone wanting to know more, please feel free to write.


Foxfire

Answer 10

I can't say that I ever believed. As a kid, I did as my parents said. It wasn't until I had the capacity to think for myself that I began to read the bible and correlate what things might have been like back them. My moral capacity seems to grow with age. I am more benevolent now then when I was a child.