Do you know God's personality?

[JamesATyler]

I feel that many religious people in this world have a particular problem. Let me give an example. There is another thread asking if it is better to die as an infant. Some respondents don’t seem to know. Some think the answer might be yes. If I go out and ask any non-religious person, they know it is better that infants grow up. It is a “Like, duh” question and they don’t need any theology to know. Now, I don’t think this is a Catholic only problem but I read many of these problems here, so I am more familiar with it here.

There seems to be a limitation. Many people seem to need a theological foundation laid out from the Church to believe something. Since the Church has never explicitly said that it is better for infants to grow up, many people just don’t know. In a way, I might understand. People have no sense of personal authority so they can’t say it is better for infants to live.

But this, what can I call it…common sense?..that non-Catholic, non-religious, people have is apparent in other conversations too. It just that many Catholics only seem to have the written stuff to go by. I don’t know if many people have any sense of God’s personality. Example, I know what kind of woman my mother is. Even if I were asked how she might react to something I have never witnessed her reacting to, I have a good idea what she would do. A strong sense of it, at least.

I asked about babies being saved. Now if God has the personality I think he does, the answer is yes, of course. If someone said, they might or might not be saved, then I think, then God is one character or another because that is no small thing. See what i am saying? If you don’t know if it is better that children grow up, according to God, then can you say you know God or are you just trying to figure that out by reading the rules and theology? I guess we are all doing that to some extent.

Thoughts?

 

[Catfish]

The early Church Fathers did a lot of deep thinking on topics like these to lay the foundations of the faith. Unfortunately, most of it is still in Latin, hence, hard to access, but you can ask for sources in translation.

 

[Kei]

Maybe it’s changed but pretty much all the comments I saw said it was better for them to grow up of course.

About being saved, it depends, hence we can’t really say. It depends on various things. It’s not like you’re asking about two exact same people getting different judgements, which we can’t make as we aren’t God and don’t have the perfect Judgement He has.

We know God through the Church, through the person of Christ. We can pray and speak to Him, and some with Him.

 

[JamesATyler]

Maybe those are not the best examples then. How about those with excessive worry about their sins. When someone comes up with a question like, (making this up) “I skipped school yesterday. Will I go to hell?” Do you think the person asking has any idea what kind of person God is? If he knew, would he need to ask?

 

[Kei]

Possibly not.
But that person is trying to learn more about who God is, so it is not a bad thing to ask necessarily.

 

[JamesATyler]

That is what i think too. I think that people are trying to learn what God’s personality is like. As am I. So I did grow around various denominations but in 35 years I knew nothing about the Catholics and what they believed. I knew nothing about the history or why Christianity came to be the way it is. I did have a sense of what God is like though. A strong sense. He is a hero. A savior. A brother. A father. A law giver and a forgiver. He is the last to condemn you and will be with you still, long after everyone else has left you. He’ll hold on to a shred of hope if there is a chance to save someone.

How do you describe God? What is your sense? Anyone?

 

[stupidisasstupiddoes]

But this, what can I call it…common sense?..that non-Catholic, non-religious, people have is apparent in other conversations too. It just that many Catholics only seem to have the written stuff to go by. I don’t know if many people have any sense of God’s personality.

Totally agree, but i don’t think the people on this forum really represent the average Catholic very well. Thankfully i have a much better experience in actual churches, actual masses an actual confession than on here (i.e. i find a lot more common sense offline).

 

[Kei]

Almighty and perfect, great and Holy, beyond comprehension or description, yet knowable, Love, Wisdom, source of all Good, and all that is.

I hope you look into His Church! God bless

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Totally agree, but i don’t think the people on this forum really represent the average Catholic very well.

This is true. You have a great many people on this forum who are very fascinated with philosophical and theological arguments and arriving at the “right” answer in view of the Bible/ canon law/ Thomism/ etc. Some of them even complain if people respond to a question in any way other than using these “official” Church sources to reason out an answer.

If the question is something like “can I receive Holy Communion twice in one day”, then citing to canon law works very well to answer.

If, on the other hand, the question is “is it better for a baby to die before he grows up” then I just run the other way because I know that many of the answers will be rooted in the above references and are going to look really strange to people who don’t sit around reading Scripture and Catholic theology books all day long.

You cannot make generalizations about “all Catholics” (total world population 1.2 billion of them) from the tiny handful of two or three dozen who choose to post on a message board.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

As for “knowing God’s personality”, to the extent God has a “personality” comprehensible to humans, Jesus is God and therefore His personality is God’s personality. Jesus also made a number of statements in Scripture describing the nature of God, which gives insights as to God’s personality.

 

[stupidisasstupiddoes]

If one has a question on theology then an internet forum of anonymous strangers is a curious choice to take it, given the alternative of a priest.

You can make statements of probability for any size sample.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

If one has a question on theology then an internet forum of anonymous strangers is a curious choice to take it, given the alternative of a priest.

I also agree with you there. However,

• in our culture today, the Internet/ social media has become the place to post any little question or thought that crosses your mind at any hour of the day
• many people who ask questions on CAF are non-Catholic or non-practicing Catholic and do not have ready access to a priest, and might not even know what they could ask a priest
• even those Catholics with access to priests find it hard to get a piece of the priest’s time, because priests nowadays are chronically overworked due to the priest shortage
• from what I understand, CAF used to have actual apologists who were trained in theology answering the questions…now it’s just the Wild West of anybody with a thought or opinion answering.

 

[JamesATyler]

Some priests are more accessible than others. I never found there to be much theological discussion in regular chat except in RCIA. But RCIA wouldn’t work for the purpose that these forums serve. Let me tell you my experience. If you ask too many questions about Catholicism of regular people, usually people get mad and start looking for a reason to think you are a wolf in sheep’s clothing or a heretic. Many people here are much the same.

 

[stupidisasstupiddoes]

You make some good points. Point 3 was my reason for joining, there is also not a catholic discussion group near me which is odd given i live in quite a big area but anyway.

I don’t really see point 4 as a problem, if we discuss things sensibly then the internet has a democratic nature. It does seem that some people love to just lecture others on their sins which is a very negative side of religion in general and totally turns me off.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

If you ask too many questions about Catholicism of regular people, usually people get mad and start looking for a reason to think you are a wolf in sheep’s clothing or a heretic. Many people here are much the same.

Often it’s not the content of the question, but the tone in which it is asked that puts people off. A lot of people ask questions that are very leading or that sound very disrespectful to a Catholic. Or the asking of a question is not just asking a question, but is a prelude to somebody launching an attack on Catholicism, arguing against Catholicism, or putting down Catholics. Sometimes this behavior doesn’t even take place on the forum but instead occurs in private messages so the forum doesn’t see what’s happening behind the scenes.

 

[stupidisasstupiddoes]

I get what you are saying. My experience of the priesthood has been excellent, but i think I’ve been lucky in that respect.