How to deal with someone who believes in God but doesn't want to repent of their sinful ways?

[Holly3278]

Hi everyone. My best friend, Darrell, has gone from being an Agnostic to believing in God while I have known him. I attribute this to God’s working in through the prayers of many people on the Prayer Intentions forum who are praying for his conversion and my prayers as well. I don’t want to sound proud by saying that I believe my prayers have had an impact so I give all the glory to God and not to myself. That said, he has gone from being an Agnostic who believed in God at times but at other times didn’t to being a believer in God pretty much all the time I believe. :extrahappy:

That said, I don’t know what to do next. He doesn’t want to repent of his sins. For one thing, he thinks that repenting of his sins means he’ll have to quit listening to heavy metal music and quit watching horror movies. He thinks it means a drastic change in his life. Now, I am not sure but I think that a Catholic can still listen to heavy metal music and watch horror movies without any major moral dilemmas. Am I right or wrong?

Also, he has told me before that he will never be Catholic. He says that the more I push for it, the more he resists it. But the thing is, I don’t hardly ever push for it. I just try to live my life as best I can and admittedly I fail… sometimes a lot.

I know that we are to preach the Gospel at all times and to use words only when necessary but I fear that he looks at my sin and says “What a ‘Catholic’ she is.”

Also, he doesn’t like it when I am “hard core Catholic”. I really don’t know what to do about that. I like being a hard core Catholic. I am not exactly sure what he means by “hard core Catholic” but I think he thinks that I take my religion too seriously but how can I not? My religion is very important to me.

Someone, please help!

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

When someone’s heart is hardened like that, there isn’t much you can do but pray. I tried myself in a similar situation and it blew up in my face. I will not do such a thing again.

Only God can change hearts. But you might try asking questions: why does he have this or that belief? Keep listening and the Holy Spirit might move in.

Depends on the movie and the music, too, really. Old time monster movies were morality tales, and as I loathe heavy metal I’m not familiar enough to say it’s one way or another.

And good luck!

 

[aingil]

It might help him to realize how much his sin hurts him.
In many cases, people are afraid of losing their identity and what they consider their happiness when they leave their sin behind them. Their sin has been with them so long that they don’t know themselves without it. They can’t see what they could be if they got rid of their sin.

He may be afraid of your “hardcore Catholicism” as many people are afraid of fanatics. Peter Kreeft talks about this fear, and points out that not all fanaticism is crazy. Lovers are always fanatic. If they weren’t they wouldn’t love. Basically you need to show him something better than sin. That you can’t really love in moderation, you can’t experience real joy in moderation. People often settle in life for things that give them pleasure, instead of seeking for things that satisfy their hearts.
I think, like the previous poster said, that you should pray and let the Holy Spirit guide you to do and say what can help change your friend’s heart.

P.S. horror movies and screamo music are not in and of themselves sinful, though some Christians avoid them because of the connotations that they bring up…they don’t find them uplifting.

 

[Catholic1954]

Don’t stop praying or being a “hardcore Catholic”! He is in a resistance phase right now, but hopefully will come around one of these days. If we had five cents for everyone who said they would NEVER become Catholic, the national debt would be history. Just ask Scott and Kimberly Hahn.

 

[Holly3278]

Ok, thanks everyone for your advice! It is greatly appreciated. Does anyone have any book recommendations or anything that I could recommend to him?

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Ok, thanks everyone for your advice! It is greatly appreciated. Does anyone have any book recommendations or anything that I could recommend to him?

Pillar of Fire?

It’s a little booklet available from this site for a dollar.

 

[PJM]

=Holly3278;5296529]Hi everyone. My best friend, Darrell, has gone from being an Agnostic to believing in God while I have known him. I attribute this to God’s working in through the prayers of many people on the Prayer Intentions forum who are praying for his conversion and my prayers as well. I don’t want to sound proud by saying that I believe my prayers have had an impact so I give all the glory to God and not to myself. That said, he has gone from being an Agnostic who believed in God at times but at other times didn’t to being a believer in God pretty much all the time I believe. :extrahappy:

That said, I don’t know what to do next. He doesn’t want to repent of his sins. For one thing, he thinks that repenting of his sins means he’ll have to quit listening to heavy metal music and quit watching horror movies. He thinks it means a drastic change in his life. Now, I am not sure but I think that a Catholic can still listen to heavy metal music and watch horror movies without any major moral dilemmas. Am I right or wrong?
Someone, please help!

First way to go!

In the situation you are in much care [and prayer] are necessary.

He says “he now believes in god?”

Then ask him to define god, our at least his understanding of god.

Be gentle and encouraging. But in the end, IF he will listen to you; explain that a simple but good defination for God, is that “God is all and only everything Good.”

Let him mull that over for awhile. When the time is right, ask do you thing being “just” and being “fair” are good things?

If he says “maybe” let it go. If he thinks they are good, you can explain that God who is “all and only good” must be, actually has to be be both fair and good. If he can comprehend this, then again at a later time, bring it up again.

Why must we seek forgiveness for past errors? Because God is Good, and just, and fair, and loves us. and if we love Him in return, then we must “repent and convert.”

Everyone must conform to at least minimal standards of obedience and morality. There are traffic laws, and there are Gods laws. Both are to save us from ourselves.

And pray, pray, pray.