Doubting Catholicism

  • Thread starter Thread starter Image_of_God
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I

Image_of_God

Guest
I love the Church so much, and I try to believe that it is never wrong. But sometimes I am disheartened…by almost everything. Sometimes I think that maybe the Orientals, etc. are right on the matters. Sometimes I doubt Papal Infallibility. I even doubt that God loves me anymore. I always try to believe that Catholicism is right, but what if the Catholic Church is wrong? No…this is not to cause others to doubt, but so that I can express my doubt with others.
I love the Roman Catholic Church because I feel at home in it. She is my mother and I always have this notion that I will never abandon her. As a teenager, I try to grow in my Faith, but there are doubts. What if the Orientals are right and the Orthodox and Catholics are wrong for example?
Please help me!
 
It would help us to know what you think the “Orientals” are right about and where the Church wrong in comparison? And who are the “Orientals” you are referring to? Can you be more specific? 🙂
 
Della said:
It would help us to know what you think the “Orientals” are right about and where the Church wrong in comparison? And who are the “Orientals” you are referring to? Can you be more specific? 🙂
Click to expand...
The Oriental Orthodox.

Maybe they are right that there is no Papal Infallibility and that the Synods are the one who say what is. The Orientals do not believe in Papal Infallibility, nor do the they believe in Papal Primacy
 
Image_of_God said:
The Oriental Orthodox.

Maybe they are right that there is no Papal Infallibility and that the Synods are the one who say what is. The Orientals do not believe in Papal Infallibility, nor do the they believe in Papal Primacy
Click to expand...
And why would you think them right on this teaching and not the Catholic Church?
 
Della said:
And why would you think them right on this teaching and not the Catholic Church?
Click to expand...
Well, because the mind wanders far…I have seen some places that might varify Papal Infallibility in the Early Church, but not ones that do varify it.
Could anyone resort some place?
 
Della said:
Perhaps an article from the Catholic Encyclopedia would help: Infallibility as a starting point for discussion.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I will read it, probably tommorrow. I have already read it, but maybe I just actually need to relect on it. I know that doubting will come and go and I trust that God is always directing the Roman Catholic Church to truth. I trust and try not to doubt that their is no Church that surpassess her excellence in the truth.
I KNOW she is the true Church. I KNOW and trust that God will never permit me to forsake her. But to grow and love her in humility so that I can love Him. And I pray that I will be at least a small help in bring all Churches into communion with the Bishop of Rome.
 
Image_of_God said:
As a teenager, I try to grow in my Faith, but there are doubts.
Click to expand...
Good for you seeking to grow in your faith! Also, you are wise to seek answers to your questions, rather than letting your doubts run away with you. Doubt creeps in from time to time, even with “mature” people. So, for what it’s worth, you are normal. The difficult part is not to let your doubts rule your behavior by letting them draw you away from what you know to be true. Stick to your love for the church, pray, and read the Catechism. Go to mass. 🙂

I have not read it myself, but I have heard that “Jesus, Peter, and the Keys” can be helpful for understanding the Papacy. I hear it’s also very heavy reading though. Is there anyone here who has read it who can comment on it better than I?
 
As someone said good for you to think about your faith.

I went into all these religions because i work with these people in other faiths. Sone things i found out are that none of the other faiths have a God who can say “I am who I am” None of them is a TRUE God, they are all statues (Budda) , or prophets, or they all came from Old Testement figures and that means that they are the same as us believing in the Old Testement.
B
ut NOT giving our Father in Heaven the right to come down onto this earth to show us the way. They don’t give the Father the right to have a Son (Jesus) and to accept Jesus as the WORD of God. Therefore they CANNOT have the spirit of God in how we have been shown. Take for instance Muslem who say they are the right way and yet they have the right to kill if you don’T believe in them. Then they say they want love and peace. (they are still our brothers though but missguided)

Jesus said there are many trappes, so He gave us the bible, which we need to become one with through reading, taking it all in, and not to leave us alone He sent the Hoy Spirit, to guide us, if we invite Him to come in to us to do with us what He wants.

Our God is LOVE, He is spirit not flesh nor stone, there is no other that I have seen.

Be strong in this time of uncertainty cling to Jesus and He will guide you with the Holy Spirit.
Read the lives of the saints (St Therese)for instance she is your age.

God bless
 
Image_of_God said:
I love the Church so much, and I try to believe that it is never wrong. But sometimes I am disheartened…by almost everything. Sometimes I think that maybe the Orientals, etc. are right on the matters. Sometimes I doubt Papal Infallibility. I even doubt that God loves me anymore. I always try to believe that Catholicism is right, but what if the Catholic Church is wrong? No…this is not to cause others to doubt, but so that I can express my doubt with others.
I love the Roman Catholic Church because I feel at home in it. She is my mother and I always have this notion that I will never abandon her. As a teenager, I try to grow in my Faith, but there are doubts. What if the Orientals are right and the Orthodox and Catholics are wrong for example?
Please help me!
Click to expand...
ignatius.com/therese.htm

theworkofgod.org/saints/
 
You are young and as most teenagers…doubting and testing the waters is normal. With age comes wisdom and lasting faith.
The Bible is the oldest and most read book ever written, even archaeologists have proven it to be very accurate.
The Bible “is the word of God” , he speaks to us through his written words. Pray to the Holy Spirit, ask to be transformed by your beleif in Jesus and that your Catholic faith be strengthed.
God Bless you:)
 
Image_of_God said:
I love the Church so much, and I try to believe that it is never wrong. But sometimes I am disheartened…by almost everything. Sometimes I think that maybe the Orientals, etc. are right on the matters. Sometimes I doubt Papal Infallibility. I even doubt that God loves me anymore. I always try to believe that Catholicism is right, but what if the Catholic Church is wrong? No…this is not to cause others to doubt, but so that I can express my doubt with others.
I love the Roman Catholic Church because I feel at home in it. She is my mother and I always have this notion that I will never abandon her. As a teenager, I try to grow in my Faith, but there are doubts. What if the Orientals are right and the Orthodox and Catholics are wrong for example?
Please help me!
Click to expand...
when i was still a child i always ask questions like other kids how things came about. then i was taught about religion (catholic). i can’t seem to think why the god described in the old testament is different from the god described in the new testament. i can’t imagine how he can love us, at the same time, destroy us…sometimes without any reason at all.

if we believe that salvation is through religion; salvation through christianity to be specific…looking at this chart, only about 33% makes up the christian sect. and within that 33%, we are not sure how many are catholics. but what if it’s the wrong religion? then we are doomed.

http://www.adherents.com/images/rel_pie.gif

“What if we picked the wrong religion? Every week we’re just making God madder and madder.” - Homer Simpson
 
It might be useful if you told us what you think Christ intended when He (a) changed Simon’s name to Peter (Rock), (b) told Peter (alone) that he was given the keys to the kingdom, told Peter alone to tend and feed His sheep, (d) told Peter alone that whatever he bound was bound in heaven, and whatever he loosed was loosed in heaven, and then (e) later told the assembled apostles the same thing.
 
stillwater said:
if we believe that salvation is through religion; salvation through christianity to be specific…looking at this chart, only about 33% makes up the christian sect. and within that 33%, we are not sure how many are catholics. but what if it’s the wrong religion? then we are doomed.
Click to expand...
Catholicism does not teach that salvation is through Christianity alone, but rather that salvation is through Christ alone.
 
Image_of_God said:
Well, because the mind wanders far…I have seen some places that might varify Papal Infallibility in the Early Church, but not ones that do varify it.
Could anyone resort some place?
Click to expand...
I suggest you read the book by Steven K. Ray titled Upon This Rock. It is very well researched and has many footnotes to primary documents of the early church.
 
stillwater said:
when i was still a child i always ask questions like other kids how things came about. then i was taught about religion (catholic). i can’t seem to think why the god described in the old testament is different from the god described in the new testament. i can’t imagine how he can love us, at the same time, destroy us…sometimes without any reason at all.

if we believe that salvation is through religion; salvation through christianity to be specific…looking at this chart, only about 33% makes up the christian sect. and within that 33%, we are not sure how many are catholics. but what if it’s the wrong religion? then we are doomed.

http://www.adherents.com/images/rel_pie.gif

“What if we picked the wrong religion? Every week we’re just making God madder and madder.” - Homer Simpson
Click to expand...
God the Father is the same loving Father in the Old Testament as in the New.

To suggest that God would destroy us without any reason is to suggest we know the mind of God.

We do not know God’s mercy as to the souls of the OT. The gates of heaven were not opened until Jesus’s death.

Bottom line. Jesus opened the gates of heaven. He essentially is the gatekeeper. No one gains eternal life unless through Him. Religion simply means to “bind to”. So through religion we bind ourselves to God.

God sent His only Son because He loves us so much. He founded the Church as the earthly roadmap to gain heaven. It is indeed a hard road, the Catholic proposition. But, is the reward worth trying, or not?
 
VociMike said:
Catholicism does not teach that salvation is through Christianity alone, but rather that salvation is through Christ alone.
Click to expand...
Not exactly. If you find yourself in heaven, you will be Catholic.
 
Catholicism teaches that all those other 67% of people have the chance of being saved as long as they have not knowingly and willingly rejected Christ or His Church. To knowingly and willingly reject Christ would require a a great deal more than simply being born into the wrong religion. Salvation is not through religion, it is through God and loving God. The Catholic teaching can be summed up very succinctly: if you love God, you will be saved. Now loving God is more than simply having an affection for Him, it means following Him in whatever way He asks of us of course, but that obviously comes down to if we are following Him to the best ability that we have given what we know that He has asked of us. So salvation is not found in completing a check list (even a check list as short as being Christian), but simply by loving God.

All that being said, it is critical that we do seek out God and try to determine what He asks of us. After all, if we, here on this board, with all the simple access to information and answers, seek not to take advantage of it and at least attempt to determine what God asks of us, how can we say we love Him?
 
Lazerlike42 said:
Catholicism teaches that all those other 67% of people have the chance of being saved as long as they have not knowingly and willingly rejected Christ or His Church. To knowingly and willingly reject Christ would require a a great deal more than simply being born into the wrong religion. Salvation is not through religion, it is through God and loving God. The Catholic teaching can be summed up very succinctly: if you love God, you will be saved. Now loving God is more than simply having an affection for Him, it means following Him in whatever way He asks of us of course, but that obviously comes down to if we are following Him to the best ability that we have given what we know that He has asked of us. So salvation is not found in completing a check list (even a check list as short as being Christian), but simply by loving God.

All that being said, it is critical that we do seek out God and try to determine what He asks of us. After all, if we, here on this board, with all the simple access to information and answers, seek not to take advantage of it and at least attempt to determine what God asks of us, how can we say we love Him?
Click to expand...
Do you mean that if I happened to reject Catholicism [not that I will], I will go to hell?

I thank you all for your kindness by the way.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top