Differences in beliefs

[CRATUS]

Often people claim the CC has the fullness of the truth. People are resistant to hearing the truth. What is the truth anyways? Some people can be particular pushy about their religious beliefs and if I do not agree or immediately accept them, then I am full of pride. What? The Catholic Church has a whole list of beliefs I sometimes find ridiculous. If I listened and changed everything other people thought I should fix about myself, I would not be “me” anymore. Some may argue it is pride that “blinding” me from agreeing with all their critiques about me. I need to work on my humility, of course, I do, everyone does.
I think people pick and choose what they want to believe. They choose what parts of the bible they believe is important and ignore parts they do not. This leads me to wander who will make it to heaven ultimately? No one I know, myself included, is perfect in all the virtues. Some may think honesty is more important than patience. Some are so focused on admonishing the sinner, they forget charity. Even priests I notice have topics they will avoid and sins they focus the most on.
God gives us free-will, yet he expects to follow his rules - if we do not hellfire awaits. As much as I admire the saints, I wonder if they were half as perfect as texts make them seem. All things are possible with Christ.

 

[PaulineMargaret]

CRATUS, the saints were human, and of course had faults and weaknesses.
It’s how you deal with the faults and weaknesses that counts.
If you read the writings of the saints themselves, they don’t pretend not to have faults to overcome. Sometimes people who write about them don’t understand that an put a rosy glow and a halo over all they say about the saint, although this is less likely now than with some past hagiography.

And no, people shouldn’t judge or ‘critique’ you over your position, unless you specifically ask them or the person is your spiritual director, although if you are still in your parents’ care they do have responsibilities towards your welfare. Only God knows your true intentions and your state of soul, and where you are on your journey.

There are positive ways of drawing the best outcomes and behavior out of each of us, and it is regrettable that the people you speak of don’t know how to do that. Attack and criticism rarely brings the best out of us. Not everyone has the skills, and not everyone deals with their fears about you, about others, very well. If they’re trying to compel you to ‘fix’ your faults, they are somewhat fearful. Not everyone handles that well. Nobody likes to be attacked, and automatically we can feel defensive, and act defensive and resistant. Is that pride? Who of us, as you say, doesn’t have that.

Self-love isn’t as terrible as some think so long as it helps us to care about and understand others better. Jesus said, “love others as you love yourself” Some people fail to understand that implicit in that command, is the command to rightly love yourself…not in a self-'indulgent way, but a wise, proper care of you individual human needs.

So you’re questioning lots of beliefs and issues. Hopefully in your own and God’s time you’ll get through all that.
Hopefully the people around you can have patience, as you also will hopefully have patience with yourself.

Few people are going to eliminate their faults completely, if they are really faults in the first place. If we act with caring ad love as our motivation, and love is what God requires of us, then our lives and the lives of our family and associates can be more workable and pleasant.

God grant that you’ll find your way through the questions, with His grace and your good-sense, and that others, and you, can have the patience to do so with love, trust, and respect. Then, whatever characteristics you have can be a blessing to you and to others.

God bless you and your friends and family,

Pauline

 

[meltzerboy]

I think you bring up some legitimate concerns. It is my belief that G-d looks favorably upon our efforts toward improvement and does not expect us to be perfect. I suppose I get this idea from my own faith, which does not demand perfection. Indeed Judaism is not even focused on “making it to heaven” in the way Christianity, or at least some Christians, seem to be. Jews believe it is much more important to try to fulfill G-d’s commands toward Him and our fellow human beings while we are on earth. And if we mess up, as we are all bound to do since we are only human, G-d’s mercy is still with us so long as we continue to strive to do better the next time. The afterlife is not a given although many Jews do believe in it. In either case, however, it is in G-d’s hands, and leading a good and meaningful life as best we can in the present is what should most concern us.

 

[pianistclare]

Often people claim the CC has the fullness of the truth. People are resistant to hearing the truth. What is the truth anyways? Some people can be particular pushy about their religious beliefs and if I do not agree or immediately accept them, then I am full of pride. What? The Catholic Church has a whole list of beliefs I sometimes find ridiculous. If I listened and changed everything other people thought I should fix about myself, I would not be “me” anymore. Some may argue it is pride that “blinding” me from agreeing with all their critiques about me. I need to work on my humility, of course, I do, everyone does.
I think people pick and choose what they want to believe. They choose what parts of the bible they believe is important and ignore parts they do not. This leads me to wander who will make it to heaven ultimately? No one I know, myself included, is perfect in all the virtues. Some may think honesty is more important than patience. Some are so focused on admonishing the sinner, they forget charity. Even priests I notice have topics they will avoid and sins they focus the most on.
God gives us free-will, yet he expects to follow his rules - if we do not hellfire awaits. As much as I admire the saints, I wonder if they were half as perfect as texts make them seem. All things are possible with Christ.

Sounds kind of self-serving to me.
As in “I don’t want to follow what the Church teaches, so I’ll just say that God is mean in the meantime and that will get me off the hook for adhering to church teachings. After all, isn’t God all forgiving?”

Doesn’t work that way dear friend.
Following the Lord is frequently hard, and no, we’re not expected to always “get” everything.
Either the Church contains the fullness of truth, or it doesn’t. You have to decide.
Is being a part of the Catholic Church a vehicle for you to have a personal and intimate relationship with Christ, and is so evidenced by the way you live your life? Or is it something that people do “just in case this whole God thing is correct?”

Something to really pray about.
The Saints were not perfect. But they had perfect faith.
2 totally different things.
God bless.

 

[CRATUS]

Sounds kind of self-serving to me.
As in “I don’t want to follow what the Church teaches, so I’ll just say that God is mean in the meantime and that will get me off the hook for adhering to church teachings. After all, isn’t God all forgiving?”

Doesn’t work that way dear friend.
Following the Lord is frequently hard, and no, we’re not expected to always “get” everything.
Either the Church contains the fullness of truth, or it doesn’t. You have to decide.
Is being a part of the Catholic Church a vehicle for you to have a personal and intimate relationship with Christ, and is so evidenced by the way you live your life? Or is it something that people do “just in case this whole God thing is correct?”

Something to really pray about.
The Saints were not perfect. But they had perfect faith.
2 totally different things.
God bless.

I think you missed the point. I never said anything self-serving at all.

 

[pianistclare]

I think you missed the point. I never said anything self-serving at all.

You weren’t playing devils advocate?
Then what exactly is your point?
People have different beliefs
Check
You don’t find all Catholic teachings legit.
Check.
What did I miss?

 

[CRATUS]

You weren’t playing devils advocate?
Then what exactly is your point?
People have different beliefs
Check
You don’t find all Catholic teachings legit.
Check.
What did I miss?

I was not directly referring to myself in all of the piece. I was reflecting on a conversation I had with some friends.

 

[CRATUS]

I think you bring up some legitimate concerns. It is my belief that G-d looks favorably upon our efforts toward improvement and does not expect us to be perfect. I suppose I get this idea from my own faith, which does not demand perfection. Indeed Judaism is not even focused on “making it to heaven” in the way Christianity, or at least some Christians, seem to be. Jews believe it is much more important to try to fulfill G-d’s commands toward Him and our fellow human beings while we are on earth. And if we mess up, as we are all bound to do since we are only human, G-d’s mercy is still with us so long as we continue to strive to do better the next time. The afterlife is not a given although many Jews do believe in it. In either case, however, it is in G-d’s hands, and leading a good and meaningful life as best we can in the present is what should most concern us.

I like this Jewish way of looking at the world.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

Some Protestants I’ve known and read about, and some Catholics I’ve known and read about, have been very selective in what bits of Scripture they want to believe and what they don’t.

Others of both kinds have sought to believe the lot.

The best strategy Cratus, is to ask God to throw you in with more of the latter kind. True fellowship is a - or even the - vital yet underrated component in the Christian life. And if we dialogue personally with Him He will impact our needs concretely. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know - twice over!

It is easier to tell a person’s beliefs when you know them in the round than over the internet. Short posts probably omit a lot of information through lack of energy or time, carelessness, assuming it’s implied, etc.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I think you bring up some legitimate concerns. It is my belief that G-d looks favorably upon our efforts toward improvement and does not expect us to be perfect. I suppose I get this idea from my own faith, which does not demand perfection. Indeed Judaism is not even focused on “making it to heaven” in the way Christianity, or at least some Christians, seem to be. Jews believe it is much more important to try to fulfill G-d’s commands toward Him and our fellow human beings while we are on earth. And if we mess up, as we are all bound to do since we are only human, G-d’s mercy is still with us so long as we continue to strive to do better the next time. The afterlife is not a given although many Jews do believe in it. In either case, however, it is in G-d’s hands, and leading a good and meaningful life as best we can in the present is what should most concern us.

I believe this teaching in Judaism is why the Jewish people have made so much contribution to the world - in science, medicine, the arts, etc. because they feel God is commanding them to help fellow human beings while on earth-in the present.

 

[fred_conty]

I think you bring up some legitimate concerns. It is my belief that G-d looks favorably upon our efforts toward improvement and does not expect us to be perfect. I suppose I get this idea from my own faith, which does not demand perfection. Indeed Judaism is not even focused on “making it to heaven” in the way Christianity, or at least some Christians, seem to be. Jews believe it is much more important to try to fulfill G-d’s commands toward Him and our fellow human beings while we are on earth. And if we mess up, as we are all bound to do since we are only human, G-d’s mercy is still with us so long as we continue to strive to do better the next time. The afterlife is not a given although many Jews do believe in it. In either case, however, it is in G-d’s hands, and leading a good and meaningful life as best we can in the present is what should most concern us.

mmmmm…

…
leading a good and meaningful life as best we can in the present is what should most concern us.

Why? If there is no afterlife based on good, then why?

 

[fhansen]

All things are possible with Christ.

Yes, that is the essence of the New Covenant. It’s another way of saying that all things are possible with grace, because all things are possible with God, and “Apart from Me you can do nothing”. (John 15:5)

And that is the basis of the Catholic faith: the need for communion with the God Whom she points and helps lead us to. Our perfection lies in Him, we achieve it only to the extent that we’re united with Him. And this union is only fully consummated in heaven. Here, on earth, we start working on it, with His help.