In a story of conflicting beliefs and personal experiences, a Reddit user finds himself at odds with his brother after inadvertently convincing his church mentee to leave the church.
Distanced From the Church
Two weeks ago, the Original Poster (OP) aged 19 found himself in a situation where he joined his younger brother (18) and his church mentee (15) for a movie night.
OP had distanced himself from the church 5 years ago due to what he perceived as a toxic environment. He shared that the church gaslit him into thinking he’s not doing enough as a Christian and is a bad believer and lied to him to get him to show up for prayer meets and bible studies.
Sharing Doubts
The story began after the movie, when they went to have dinner together and OP’s brother left them alone for a moment. During dinner, the brother asked his mentee whether he wanted to join the bible study session the next day. However, the mentee was hesitant and OP recognized it.
So when they were left alone, the mentee expressed hesitation about church activities, and OP instinctively shared his own experiences and thoughts.
Personal Choice
OP opened up about feeling overwhelmed by the church’s expectations and he stressed the importance of personal choice, reassuring him that one’s commitment to religion should never be forced.
He said to the mentee that he shouldn’t have to go if he didn’t want to as there’s no minimum commitment requirement for religion.
The mentee took his advice and came up with a last-minute excuse for OP’s brother when he came back.
Confrontation
Things took a turn the week after when OP’s brother confronted him to tell that his “mentee” left the church because OP encouraged him to do so.
His brother was furious about what happened and stopped talking to him until he apologized.
However, OP was not apologetic and said that if the mentee wanted to leave, he should have every right to do so.
Plus, OP’s former church group member texted him saying he should stop interfering with people’s faith just because he left the church.
Sounds Cultist
OP took to Reddit to ask whether he was in the wrong for what happened, and several Redditors commented that OP was not wrong.
One Reddit user wrote, “You shared your experiences with someone who seemed to be struggling with the same church requirements. At least from what you wrote you didn’t tell him to leave the church, just shared your past.”
Another Redditor commented, “In my opinion, your brother’s religious group sounds very cultist. All you did was open a younger mind to new possibilities, if anything your brother should be apologizing to his mentee and yourself for losing his temper.”
So what do you think? Was OP wrong for sharing his thoughts?
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The post Toxic Church Told Him He Was a “Bad Believer” and Were Furious When He Wasn’t the Only One Walking Out! first appeared on Wealthy Living
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Source: Reddit