Unfortunately, Christianity has merchandised in FEAR in its attempts to bring people into the fold.It’s been going on for almost 2,000 years now and it doesn’t produce good fruit. I have no idea who is truly a follower of Jesus, the Christ, but I have observed that those who were lured into the community of Christians by devious means were not producers of good fruit. The end still does not justify the means!
I “joined the church” at age seventeen because it seemed like the logical thing to do and then secondarily because it was a safe thing to do just in case the world came to an end before I was ready for it to do so.
Therein was the BIG trump card that my denomination played over and over again. The “R” card would always scare the hell out of people and bring them IN to the fold- temporarily. I’m talking RAPTURE of course.
I can see why the early church harped on it being an imminent event. There were lots of Scriptures to support the theses. Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32 and 2 Peter 3:10 to mention a few.
Even though the word rapture was not in the Bible, I Peter 4:7 came close enough to convince most people that the principle was a valid one. But you’d think that after a thousand years or so, that rapture, FEAR BASED mentality would have outworn it’s welcome.
It hasn’t! 
When I think about the salvation I discovered in my youth, I remember a salvation of singularity. Specifically, everything about salvation was making sure I had fire insurance; it was all about me…singular. Everything about witnessing revolved around making sure someone else had fire insurance and would be called up with Him in the clouds when He returns – unless they understood the three steps of salvation, then it was crispy critter time for them! But better them than me, I always said…because I HAD insurance!
I recall that despite the ongoing fire and brimstone messages, I always questioned my salvation because I was petrified of missing God and going to hell. I also recall that none of the teaching ever taught me to seek God for the sake of knowing Him. Until I was an adult, I did not understand that being “saved” did not take away the impulses and wants that I struggled to overcome all of my life (thus making me question my salvation). It was not until I was grown that I realized that truely seeking God for the sake of seeking Him was enough to curb the things within me that caused me to question salvation in the first place.
I still deal with things, but I know that it has nothing to do with my understanding and faith in Jesus…I don’t have to cower and have nightmares of suddenly finding out, “Oh, snap, I’m not saved!”
John 17:3. Eternal life is KNOWING God, not knowing FACTS about God or BELIEVING in “Belief systems” which religion is good about constructing.