I work for a church and I can't stand it any more.

[robvalue]

I understand the desire not to upset close ones by "revealing" that you are going to hell. But I'd like to present a couple of points.

The longer we, as a society, pander to the delusions of the brainwashed, the longer people are going to stay brainwashed. And the easier it will be for more people to become brainwashed. The more people believe something, and the stronger they believe it, the more credibility it gets. Logically this should not be the case (argument from popularity fallacy) but sadly a lot of people are very easily swayed to conform.

Also, being close to the person gives you a unique opportunity to show why the beliefs are so stupid. They know you are a good person (I assume) and as such, would they want to worship a God who sends you to hell just for requiring evidence for your decisions? Do they think it's fair that you'll be punished just for not going through rituals, when you're spending your life actually being a good person? Isn't that what should count?

By keeping the delusions going, we're feeding the idea that being a good person is not what is important. Believers probably have convinced themselves that decent behaviour that benefits others is a part of their religion, but faced with this dilemma, they are more likely to see that the rules are arbitrary and at odds with real decency.

Also: they don't even follow their own fucking rules. This is mind boggling obvious to me. If they did, they'd be dead or in jail now.