D
dyingtolive
Guest
A little disclaimer: I wasn’t sure where to post this question. I considered the Non-Catholic forum, however, after visiting I realized it was mostly issues pertaining to other religions rather than posts by Non-Catholics. Being that this post is pertaining to ones choosing of Catholicism and living a Catholic lifestyle, I figured this forum was more appropriate. Feel free to correct/move this if I am wrong.
Wew. Sorry to post my life story! I just thought it relevant to see that I didn’t just stumble upon Catholicism… --that I’ve journeyed the spectrum. If you’d rather pass at reading, skip down to the bold “I am now 31 years old.” part
I was raised (loosely) as a southern baptist. I can remember very clearly the events of September 11th, 2001, as it was a significant turning point in my quest for spiritual truth. How on earth could people do this to other humans? How could this possibly be justified? Religion, of course. This horrific act caused a rather juvenile response. Islam appeared to me as the antithesis of Christianity… --of our way of life. I hadn’t gone to a church service in many years, and when I sought to return, I was seeking a vengeful sermon attended by wrathful devotees, upholding the traditional values. My older brother had been dating a girl whose father was the pastor of a moderately sized church. He had been going regularly, and encouraged me to go, despite knowing I found that man (her father) absolutely detestable. I went, and lo and behold, it was a “modern” church with a watered-down sermon. He spoke of celebrities and pop culture. Of acceptance of homosexuality and reverence for rap stars in an effort to be relevant with the younger generations. After the sermon was given, I met a variety of people associated with their family. They talked and socialized for some time, and I left without ever having spoke of Jesus Christ, or his teachings. At no point did they talk about any profound ideas or lessons or scripture that was relevant to anything going on in their lives. It was such an absurd let-down for me. And these “modern” churches were springing up everywhere. I went several times more, before coming to the conclusion that the true God needed no building. He needed no place of gathering as most of these places were just host to weekly social events.
Wew. Sorry to post my life story! I just thought it relevant to see that I didn’t just stumble upon Catholicism… --that I’ve journeyed the spectrum. If you’d rather pass at reading, skip down to the bold “I am now 31 years old.” part
I was raised (loosely) as a southern baptist. I can remember very clearly the events of September 11th, 2001, as it was a significant turning point in my quest for spiritual truth. How on earth could people do this to other humans? How could this possibly be justified? Religion, of course. This horrific act caused a rather juvenile response. Islam appeared to me as the antithesis of Christianity… --of our way of life. I hadn’t gone to a church service in many years, and when I sought to return, I was seeking a vengeful sermon attended by wrathful devotees, upholding the traditional values. My older brother had been dating a girl whose father was the pastor of a moderately sized church. He had been going regularly, and encouraged me to go, despite knowing I found that man (her father) absolutely detestable. I went, and lo and behold, it was a “modern” church with a watered-down sermon. He spoke of celebrities and pop culture. Of acceptance of homosexuality and reverence for rap stars in an effort to be relevant with the younger generations. After the sermon was given, I met a variety of people associated with their family. They talked and socialized for some time, and I left without ever having spoke of Jesus Christ, or his teachings. At no point did they talk about any profound ideas or lessons or scripture that was relevant to anything going on in their lives. It was such an absurd let-down for me. And these “modern” churches were springing up everywhere. I went several times more, before coming to the conclusion that the true God needed no building. He needed no place of gathering as most of these places were just host to weekly social events.