Can't seem to let go.

[Eilonnwy]

I used to be a Christian until I came accross a Jewish site which convinced me that Christianity is false. Now, I would consider myself an agnostic, but I feel like I should follow a religion simply to avoid a bad afterlife. I know this sounds cowardly and that there are so many choices, but I grew up believing in a burning hell and I find the idea of this terrifying.

I did too. Granted my brand of Catholicism wasn't so much about the fire and just more separation from God as punishment, I still had difficulty accepting that when I die, that's it. It was a belief that I clung to for a while, believing in the soul and ghosts, if not god. However, if you do a decent evaluation of the evidence for an afterlife, you'll find it extremely lacking and that the most likely thing that happens when we die, is that we cease to exist and are no better off than before we were born. It's scary to think of not existing, but it's not painful anymore than not being born is painful.

But I don't think I can follow a religion that condemns people for their beleifs, sexuality, race etc and this is one reason why I haven't followed a religion yet. There are a few reasons, but fear keeps me in this sort of limbo.

You don't have to follow a religion to believe in an afterlife, even so, how do you know that it's no better than wishful thinking?

I posted at thread like this a while ago, and several members have provided helpful advice, but I still don't feel that I can turn to atheism. I don't think I can be an atheist with this uncertainty, like Dawkins can. How can I let go of religion?

Ultimately if you're uncertain then you lack a belief and are atheist, at least as far as I'm concerned. But you are whatever you want to be. If you feel comfortable stating that you're agnostic, that's acceptable and I certainly won't say "NO YOU HAVE TO BE ATHEIST!!!"

If you want to let go of religion, why not study it? It may seem like a weird suggestion, but if you study religion and research all the problems that religions have, you may feel more solid in your education to say "Hey, I know this is not for me."

Islam in particular concerns me. I thought that evolution would have disproven many religions wrong, but Islam doesn't seem to reject the idea.

Catholicism doesn't reject the idea of evolution, so your point?