- Date posted
- 1y
Religion.
I was raised Mormon and was very unhappy. I'm 17 and believe in God etc. but I don't want to be affiliated with a religion. And I feel like there's something wrong with that. I need advice.
I was raised Mormon and was very unhappy. I'm 17 and believe in God etc. but I don't want to be affiliated with a religion. And I feel like there's something wrong with that. I need advice.
I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We would love to have you back. We need all types of people. Even those who doubt. I think we all have doubts from time to time.
There’s nothing wrong with not being affiliated with a religion. You have to do whatever is best for your self-care. If it is bringing you more stress than happiness, then it makes sense you would want to leave. Whatever you decide, don’t feel like you should stay just because it’s wrong not to have a religion - tons of people don’t, and live happy, fulfilling lives!
I too was raised Mormon and left the church around age 15. There will always be a part of me that wonders if I’m missing out on blessings/privileges/salvation in my current life or in the afterlife, as a consequence of leaving the church. A part of me will always wonder if I need to be apart of a religion to save myself. I understand however that that’s not something I personally can ever be certain of so I’ve let go of the need to figure that out. Maybe I need religion, maybe I don’t. I sit with those bouts of anxiety until they pass
Every single time me and my boyfriend do anything sexual, I feel really really guilty about it after. We’ve never had sex before but have done other things and I don’t feel guilty about it in the moment, but afterwards I feel guilty. I don’t necessarily regret doing it but I just feel horrible as a human. He does not push himself on me in anyway and I know it’s all a me thing. He is very cautious in making sure I’m comfortable and feel okay, but I don’t start feeling guilty until afterwards. I feel like this always relates back to my faith, which has recently fallen off. I feel like I can’t talk to anyone about this because I always get told the benefits of waiting for marriage. And honestly I do understand that, but I don’t know that I want to wait. I feel like people keep shoving “waiting for marriage” down my throat and it draws me so much further from Christianity and makes things so much harder to feel close to God again. I just feel so lonely in feeling these things and scared I’m going to hell if I keep doing stuff with my boyfriend, but I genuinely don’t know what I believe in anymore and it’s draining me that my values are changing. I know it’s probably healthy and natural for values to change as you grow up, but I feel like there’s a stereotype of Christianity I have to adhere to and it makes me so anxious and scared I’m going to hell if I don’t get everything perfect. My relationship with Christ isn’t something that I involve others in because of how personal it is to me. But I just feel shamed upon by every other Christian and it makes me scared for myself and sad for the way society is making it such a black and white view of this religion.
Im not religious or anything I do believe in God I guess that would be Christianity but I don’t call myself a Christian due to me in life seeing a lot of Christians are such hypocrites and something regarding to this on TikTok has been very triggering for me I don’t know has anyone seen those people inducing fear by basically telling people that they will be going to hell if they don’t give their life to Jesus Christ because of the end times ? Like I don’t understand if our religion is about love and etc why are most Christians hateful and just bad… and what is the end times it seems like they say it’s the end times every year and how would you even know if it was the end times your not God like I think a lot of Christians think they know everything because who even gave you the right to start telling everyone the end times are coming … and like now I’ve been scared I’m go to hell so now my thoughts has me freaking out on me going to hell
So I grew up Christian and walked away from my faith as a teen for 12 years I recently came back to my faith for about 3 weeks and then I started scratching my scalp raw with bleeding scabs from my anxiety due to this worry of condemnation and am I sinning am I not sinning am I going to go to heaven or hell. I have officially left my faith again and feel kind of guilty about it. I believe that the world is about love and am spiritual but not religious but my OCD has been so bad about it that I can't believe in Christianity anymore. I can't even hear the name Jesus or heaven or sin or bible without feeling like I'm gonna throw up. I can't believe that a loving God sends people to hell. I can't live my life in fear. Has anyone else had to leave their faith for something more peaceful and less judgemental because of their OCD? Please no judgement or anything about how the Christian God is the only way.
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