Do you believe in reincarnation, rebirth, or a permanent afterlife?

[Whitacre_Girl]

Look, I realize how many times I have changed religions and I know that there have been times when I changed my religion several times in one day. That is beside the point. The point that I am trying to make to you is that I am happy and at peace now. I better understand the world that we live in as well. I respect your beliefs and I respect your religion as well. I also respect your opinion about me even though I do not think that my changing my religion to Buddhism this time was an emotional problem.

Look, I am not saying this because I disagree with your decision if this were someone who hasn’t coverted more than 100 times in the last year. I am saying it because I don’t believe for a second you have found real peace. You have said you have found rela peace every time you convert. Be honest with yourself. Go back and read your blogs. If you were honestly becoming a Buddhist out of a real choice, then fine. I’d be happy that you finally found something that brings you constancy. I don’t think this is the case, I am not trying to make you catholic, I am trying to make you find constancy. You need to STOP trying to find answers, and stop thinking you have to be at one extreme or another. YOu will admit that you need to change. You can’t keep living in this confusion, but constantly changing faiths 3x a week, or a DAY, is not that. Stop. Take a breath. Wait before making decisions. Many of these faiths you talk about converting to require wating periods before coming in, which I am pretty sure you aren’t following. Pick a faith (maybe wait until you want to be catholic again?) and follow through with the waiting period. Don’t convert for however long they say. Try going to a church faithfully for 6 months or a year.

 

[Holly3278]

Look, I am not saying this because I disagree with your decision if this were someone who hasn’t coverted more than 100 times in the last year. I am saying it because I don’t believe for a second you have found real peace. You have said you have found rela peace every time you convert. Be honest with yourself. Go back and read your blogs. If you were honestly becoming a Buddhist out of a real choice, then fine. I’d be happy that you finally found something that brings you constancy. I don’t think this is the case, I am not trying to make you catholic, I am trying to make you find constancy. You need to STOP trying to find answers, and stop thinking you have to be at one extreme or another. YOu will admit that you need to change. You can’t keep living in this confusion, but constantly changing faiths 3x a week, or a DAY, is not that. Stop. Take a breath. Wait before making decisions. Many of these faiths you talk about converting to require wating periods before coming in, which I am pretty sure you aren’t following. Pick a faith (maybe wait until you want to be catholic again?) and follow through with the waiting period. Don’t convert for however long they say. Try going to a church faithfully for 6 months or a year.

I understand that you want me to find some constancy and I would like to find it as well. I also understand that you not wish me to rush in to anything and I don’t wish to rush in to anything either. However, I must say that I am convinced that Buddhism is the true path and so, I will more than likely stick with it.

I must admit, however, that right now I am having a few doubts about Buddhism. I am wondering if I made the right decision. I honestly don’t know if I did or not. I do wish that I knew.

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

I understand that you want me to find some constancy and I would like to find it as well. I also understand that you not wish me to rush in to anything and I don’t wish to rush in to anything either. However, I must say that I am convinced that Buddhism is the true path and so, I will more than likely stick with it.

I must admit, however, that right now I am having a few doubts about Buddhism. I am wondering if I made the right decision. I honestly don’t know if I did or not. I do wish that I knew.

This is exactly what I am talking about.

You need to slow down and stop jumping around. The only faith that seems to recur between each jump is catholicism. I quote from YOU:

I will always be a Roman Catholic for the rest of my life even if I may for some reason temporarily change my religion.

 

[JaredR]

I understand that you want me to find some constancy and I would like to find it as well. I also understand that you not wish me to rush in to anything and I don’t wish to rush in to anything either. However, I must say that I am convinced that Buddhism is the true path and so, I will more than likely stick with it.

I must admit, however, that right now I am having a few doubts about Buddhism. I am wondering if I made the right decision. I honestly don’t know if I did or not. I do wish that I knew.

Speaking as someone who also used to jump around a lot, I think the others have a point when they suggest you change your beliefs for emotional reasons and not rational reasons.

Instead of focusing on what to believe, focus on getting better. Instead of researching apologetics and different religions, spend your time researching better ways to manage your BPD. God will not hold it against you because you did not discover the truth right this second. He knows how BPD affects your thinking and He wants you to get better.

If you do decide to come back to the Church, don’t dive into it with all the fervor in your being. Don’t take up causes and devotions and get involved in all sorts of online debates in defense of Catholicism. Go to Mass and receive the Sacraments, but spend your time and energy on achieving mental health–not playing a part.

God bless you.

 

[Holly3278]

Well, I just did a little more journaling and I think I have come to a decision. I am going to come back to Christianity because I honestly don’t like the fact that Buddhists don’t believe in a deity and don’t pray but I am not coming back to Catholicism, at least not yet. I am going to start going back to the United Church of Christ and be a liberal Protestant for at least a long while. If after a long while I feel called back to the Catholic Church, I will go back to the Catholic Church.

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

Well, I just did a little more journaling and I think I have come to a decision. I am going to come back to Christianity because I honestly don’t like the fact that Buddhists don’t believe in a deity and don’t pray but I am not coming back to Catholicism, at least not yet. I am going to start going back to the United Church of Christ and be a liberal Protestant for at least a long while. If after a long while I feel called back to the Catholic Church, I will go back to the Catholic Church.

If this is what you truly want, and what you think is truly right (I disagree with this faith, but whatever) then you need to get in contact with a pastor and have him/her help you STAY there, and find some constancy. Focus on Christ and just calm down.

 

[rpp]

Holly, since you seem to have sincerely sincerely rejected the Truth of the Catholic Curch, could you please resign from the CAF groups we see on your profile, “Prayer Warrior” and “Greeter”? I think it is only appropriate as this is a Catholic site. You can easily do this by going to the “Group Membership” link on your profile control panel.

 

[Holly3278]

I have changed my mind. I am staying Buddhist.

 

[rossum]

If this is what you truly want, and what you think is truly right (I disagree with this faith, but whatever) then you need to get in contact with a pastor and have him/her help you STAY there, and find some constancy. Focus on Christ and just calm down.

There is a story from a Hindu sage called Ramakrishna of two men who wanted to dig wells to get water. The first man dug down six feet, did not find any water so he went and dug a new well elsewhere. The second man dug down six feet, did not find any water but he carried on digging in the same hole. After six more feet of digging the first man started a third well while the second man started deepening his twelve foot hole into an eighteen foot hole.

At 24 feet deep the second man found water while all the first man had was four dry wells, each six feet deep.

Your advice to Holly is good; find somewhere you are happy with and stick with it.

Some Buddhist techniques, such as mindfulness, are compatible with other religions so it is possible to fit a cut-down set of Buddhist practices into Christianity if that helps.

Maybe try Buddhism again the next rebirth.

rossum

 

[tbcrawford]

Dear Holly

Whatever religion you wish to be part of so be it.I feel for your own sanity and for
saving yourself any more embarrassment,it would be a good idea to keep your
alternating religions private.You may do whatever you wish with your life and your
soul. We can all pray for you here and may God guide you and protect you.

God bless you

 

[Edwardjohn]

Heck, it took me almost 3 years to battle out switching between Assemblies of God to Catholicism.

It took My wife and I about two years to do the same thing. In 1996 at Faith City Assembly of God we had a revival that renewed our dedication to the Lord and brought our children into a relationship with Him. I’m not talking about your run of the mill revival either. It was like all of a sudden, one Sunday in October this feeling like floating honey permeated the church and everybody started loving each other, forgiving each other, praying for each other, helping each other, it was unbelievable! It lasted about three or four months. Now, we’ve come full circle and the celebration of the eucharist is awesome, and the full richness of the Church, indescribable! I don’t want to make it sound all rosey because, along the way the devil has been beating us down, but the Lord Jesus is faithful! Anyway…Happy Easter everybody…HE’S ALIVE!

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Weren’t you reverting back to Christianity last night? Then at almost 3am you decided to go back to Buddhism? Holly, either you are being a troll and just getting attention here by the most bizarre conversion antics in history or you have some serious, hard-core soul-searching and therapy to seek out. This is bizarre. I think you need to get off CAF, people (like me as well as Whitacre Girl) need to quit responding to these conversions of yours, and you need to get it together. Tough love but sorry this is lame…

I have changed my mind. I am staying Buddhist.

 

[ConcernedApathy]

People on this board would do well to stop feeding this egoism.

 

[Angels_Unaware]

Weren’t you reverting back to Christianity last night? Then at almost 3am you decided to go back to Buddhism? Holly, either you are being a troll and just getting attention here by the most bizarre conversion antics in history or you have some serious, hard-core soul-searching and therapy to seek out. This is bizarre. I think you need to get off CAF, people (like me as well as Whitacre Girl) need to quit responding to these conversions of yours, and you need to get it together. Tough love but sorry this is lame…

She has Borderline Personality Disorder. It is a mental illness that causes severe identity disturbances and emotional instability. People with personality disorders are generally just consistently troubled or maladaptive in some way. However, people with BPD can sometimes have brief psychotic episodes where their actions become erratic and bizarre.

Medication helps people like this when they become especially erratic. Trying to “reason” with people with this condition does not help. Giving her attention does not help her.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

That’s what I said

She has Borderline Personality Disorder. It is a mental illness that causes severe identity disturbances and emotional instability. People with personality disorders are generally just consistently troubled or maladaptive in some way. However, people with BPD can sometimes have brief psychotic episodes where their actions become erratic and bizarre.

Medication helps people like this when they become especially erratic. Trying to “reason” with people with this condition does not help. Giving her attention does not help her.

 

[DaughterOfMary6]

This is exactly what I am talking about.

You need to slow down and stop jumping around. The only faith that seems to recur between each jump is catholicism. I quote from YOU:

You need to get back to your catholic parish, and talk to your priest. Set up weekly meetings with him and talk about all of this, then make a commitment that you will go to church every week for 6 months and not read about other faiths. Don’t even think about them, but rather, focus on JESUS. Have your priest hold you accountable. If he doesn’t see you at mass, have him call you. If a priest won’t work, find another church member.

Things have to change. You can’t do the same thing you always have done and expect different results. I suggest you stick with catholicism because it seems to have been giving you themost peace and you stick with it the longest. Get in a catholic church and make a commitment that no matter how you feel, you will keep going. If you want to change faiths, don’t move on it for at least 6 months. Keep going to your regular church, and see if it passes. Write down how you feel about your faith in Christ, and sign your name on it. Make a commitment to SOMETHING and don’t change it.

Faith is intricately linked to who we are. When you change a major identity like that this often, it can really mess with you in more ways than you realize.

Great advice. I agree 100%.

 

[AntiTheist]

I have been on a search for the true path to happiness for a long time and I believe I have found that path this time.

I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. Are you just trying to be happy? Or are you interested in what’s true? Those two things aren’t always the same.

Personally, I’m quite happy living in the real world, to the degree that I’m able to discern the real world. In order to discern it, I rely on evidence and reason. But even if the real world made me miserable, I’d still rather live in it than a fantasy.

Your poll doesn’t include an option for my position: that there is no compelling evidence for the existence of any kind of afterlife.

Good luck on your search.

 

[Xavierlives]

I have changed my mind. I am staying Buddhist.

While I appreciate a yo-yo as much as the next guy, I think the only warning that should be given is a yo-yo does not go anywhere and does a lot of spinning.

Revelation 3:16 says,
So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

The truth is enbedded in all of us, all you need to do is seek it. Then when you find it, do not fear it because it isn’t what you expected, but embrace it for the diversity from your learned human thoughts.

 

[Dorothy]

There have been times when I have been happy as a Catholic and times when I have been miserable as a Catholic. I admit that. However, I honestly don’t think that looking at my past is going to change the fact that I am happier as a Buddhist.

If you want to have a chance at bringing me back to the Catholic Church, it is best to try and show me how Buddhism is wrong. If you want to do that, feel free to post it in my thread here.

What Buddha has to say comes not from the direct Revelation of God, as that came to the Jews first, and then the fullness of truth through the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Buddha, Mohammad, Confucius and all other religious leaders have some bits of truth in them - But the Catholic Church has all of the revelation God gave to man.

Those names I mentioned (man-made religions) have tombs of where they are buried.

Jesus is Risen, Glorious! God Incarnate! That has never happened before and will never happen again.

I have times when I don’t feel good…but I know it is not because of Jesus. I pray and make acts of faith and He is there for me.

 

[Dorothy]

She has Borderline Personality Disorder. It is a mental illness that causes severe identity disturbances and emotional instability. People with personality disorders are generally just consistently troubled or maladaptive in some way. However, people with BPD can sometimes have brief psychotic episodes where their actions become erratic and bizarre.

Medication helps people like this when they become especially erratic. Trying to “reason” with people with this condition does not help. Giving her attention does not help her.

Good point. This is my last post in this thread. I’ll pray for her.