I convinced a guy to give up his life saving money to a church and then I stole it.

(I don't know why I'm posting this, I've never told anyone) <br><br>I've gone to church my entire life, been an active member, had a second family there. I was very active in the youth group and in the church choir. I was raised in a strict Christian household with my parents, my father is a deacon in the church and plays the organ for services. As a child, I wasn't allowed to do anything outside of school and church but once I got into my teens, I got permission to go to an after school program where we could hang out and get help with our homework. I made new friends there, one of which was a guy who had been placed in foster care and would have to switch homes every couple of years. He was the same age as me but he had no contact with his family and was completely on his own. He was very soft spoken and it would take a lot for him to open up, but once he did, he would tell you anything. After months of befriending him, he started opening up to me and told me he had an inheritance from his mother, she had passed when he was a child and he had been given a trust that he could only access when he turned 18. <br><br>I had no contact with him in the summer, but he told me that he was going to use that money to buy his own place, rent a small apartment and enjoy the little bit of freedom he had. I had always been fascinated by his inheritance, so that was the first thing I asked about when I saw him again. I asked him how much money he had received, and he told me that he had received over $200k. I was stunned, that was more money than I ever would have dreamed of having access to. He told me that he had already found a place, rented it, and bought everything he could for the apartment. He would have just over $50k left. I was only 15 years old at the time, and I was already jealous that he could afford to do everything he had done. After months of friendship, I decided to try to push him into giving it to the church, I knew that if he gave it to the church, my father would know about it, and he would tell me how much he had given. <br><br>I told him that God is always with you no matter what, and that if he gave his money, it would create a better life for him, he would be able to afford college, and he would be handsome in the eyes of the Lord. I convinced him to give the money to the church and I would help him with everything. He was hesitant at first, but I wouldn't give up, and eventually he said yes. I convinced him to give it by telling him that I would go with him, because he trusted me so much that he would do anything I told him to. After he gave the money to the church, he became very distant, he didn't want to talk to me or have anything to do with me anymore. I was confused, so I asked him why he was acting this way. He told me that he had given away his entire safety net, and he didn't know how he would be able to pay for college, or even his rent. I told him that he did the right thing, and he would see that in the long run. <br><br>He didn't come to the youth group again, and eventually I heard he had dropped out of school and moved across the country to live with a friend. I felt bad for what I had done, but I had convinced myself that I had done the right thing, and he was in the wrong. I didn't see him again until a few years later, when he came back into town and saw me working at a restaurant. He came in, looked straight at me, and walked past me into the bathroom. He was in there for a few minutes, and I was expecting him to confront me, but he just left without saying anything. I continued to be active in my church, I had gotten closer to the head minister, and he had convinced me to study to be a pastor. I was waiting for my fellowship to come in, but I needed money to pay for school. I asked the head minister for the money, and he gave me the money that the guy had given to the church. <br><br>I had used that money to pay for school and my rent, and I had also invested it into some stocks. I still have a lot of the money, and it has been doing very well for me. The guy in question hadn't been back in town for years, until last year when I met up with him again. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes, told me that he was sorry, that I had been right, that he had struggled for years, but he had found a way to make a good life for himself. I felt so ashamed, I had done something terrible, and it had affected him so much. I told him that I had been wrong, and I was sorry, but he didn't believe me, he told me that he was the one who had been wrong. I don't know why he was saying that, I know that I was the one who had convinced him to give all his money away, and live in poverty. <br><br>I haven't seen him again, and I have just been living my life, but I'm ashamed, I feel bad, I wish I could go back and tell myself to be a better friend. I don't know if I will ever be able to heal, but I do know that I will never forget what I did, I will never forget how much it affected someone else, I will never forget what I did to my friend.<br><br>**EDIT:**<br>Thank you all for your kind words and for the upvotes. I've been reading a lot of the comments and I do want to say that the church did not convince me to do any of this, it was entirely of my own doing. I was raised in the church and it had been a big part of my life, but it was never the church's fault. I was a terrible person and I am truly sorry for what I have done.