I'm afraid of being agnostic, I need help

[pocaracas]

Hello. I'm a 23 year old woman who was raised her whole life in a devoutly christian home. My father reads the bible everyday and talks about Jesus Christ all the time. Several of my siblings are christian, while a couple are not.

Damn.... how many kids did your folks have?

Your father seems to take the religion pretty seriously... have you tried to find out why?
I'm sure he was once a teenager, rebellious and all...
You wrote somewhere that he claims to have once been an atheist... if it ever comes up, try to pry some more info from him.
You may come across some nice father-daughter time!

I have been struggling with religion my whole life. The logical side of me knows it doesn't make any sense. But my heart keeps telling me my parents can't be wrong.

Parents... even yours... can and are sometimes wrong. Such is life.
No one is perfect.

Here's a little wisdom from Bill:

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Still, some parents seem better than others... some will endeavor to answer any question, seeming like they know everything... when, in fact, they know little or nothing and, sometimes, just make up the answer on the spot...

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I feel so trapped, because Christianity goes against everything I believe in.

What is it you believe in?

For instance, I have a gay brother whom I care for very much and I can't fathom him going to hell for just loving another man.

Why should he?
Because your father said so?

I've studied the bible and I see so much hate and archaic reasoning. I've tried to force myself to believe in it, but I just can't.

yeah... belief isn't exactly something you can force yourself into...
Doesn't work that way.

I'm honestly comfortable not being religious, but that fear of hell is still there. It's always in the back of my mind.

Hey look what I found! A mirror:


Now, if there is no god, then there is no heaven and, of course, no hell.
It's like John said:

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I'm not sure why I'm writing this, but I have no one else to talk to about this fear. How do I overcome this? How can I stop being so scared about hell, when I know it can't possibly be real?

How do people let go of any irrational fear?
This may help: phobias and fears - Symptoms, Treatment, and Self-Help for Phobias and Fears.
1: Face your fears, one step at a time
How to face hell? :-s

2: Learn relaxation techniques
Relax!

3: Challenge negative thoughts
This one looks like a keeper!

I'm so angry that my parents raised me in this religion.

Don't be angry at them. They did the best for you, in their eyes.
As their parents must have done what they thought was the best for your parents... and all the others before...
In time, you'll learn to cope with your fears and thank your parents for being there when you needed them... for helping with your future children... for being parents.
The ingrained beliefs in some afterlife are just a glaring line in the painting of all they have given you.... don't let that one line ruin the whole painting.

I wish so much that I was born in a agnostic or atheist home so that I wouldn't be crippled with this fear of hell.

Newsflash: you were born atheist... you were born without any belief in any god. It's the same for everyone else... that's why every religion's indoctrination works.

Give it time...