I fear I'm leading my friends into sin

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finding_light_1

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Please, I need someones advice. I don’t know if I am sinning, or not, or being oversentsitive or OCD…

I’m a recent revert to the faith, after having been raised nomially Catholic. I was always Catholic,. but it’s only been in the past year that I actually learned my faith, and I feel I can be a little overanalytical.

Ever since my reversion, I’ve struggled with the fear that I am leading my friends into sin, or that I’m not doing enough to lead them to the truth. None are Catholic, most are Christian, or agnostic. They’re all open to my faith and don’t mind hearing me share it. But I’m afraid i should be doingmore, to evangelize them, and my family too, many of whom are ex Catholics. I try to be a good example, but I feel like that isn’t enough.

Additionally, I always feel like I’m being a BAD example, and leading my loved ones to sin. My friends know I don’t support a lot of things they support, yet I feel guilty if I don’t continually remind them of that. They don’t push their beliefs on me, about premarital sex or homosexual marriage, because they know I’m not cool with it. Should I be doing more? I’m also a writer; I hope to be published someday. Before my conversion, I wrote very graphic, erotic literature to share with my friends.I don’t now, Praise jesus for showing me the way, but now I’m very anxious over everything I write. I’m afraid my friends will read my new writing and, even though it’s not dirty, be reminded of my works before, if I use the same characters or it’s a rewrite of a formerly graphic story. Even though my stories are now clean, I am so afraid they will remember my old stories, and I will be guilty of leading them to sin.

I dread family gatherings, because I never know how to speak about God to my family, who often mock me for my religion.

What are your thoughts?
 
The best way for you to evangelize is to continue to set a good example, to pray for your friends and to answer questions honestly about your faith. If they want to learn more, they will ask you.

As for the writing, I find myself much in the same position. I think the best way to avoid some of your anxiety is to create a clean creative slate. Don’t bother trying to rewrite your old material or to rehab your former characters. Wipe the slate (and your hard drive) clean. Write new original stories with new characters instead of trying to recycle tainted work. It may take you some time to come up with new ideas, but that’s okay.
 
I do try to be a good example, I hope to be able to do that!

…I would rather stop writing forever, or simply stop sharing my writing with my friends, than “get rid” of my characters. Any author knows that your characters become your children. I actually used my change to be in continuity with my stories, my longer ones. Characters who might have done this or that before, seeing how it was affecting them, changed, or characters who formerly reveled in sinful lifestyles now see the challenges such choices face. “getting rid of them” isn’t an option, but if that’s the only one, then I just won’t be showing my workto anyone anymore.
 
I think that sounds sort of neat, how you did that, actually! A good author has characters who grow with you. It would probably be a poor literary decision to just have them, say, all convert or something, but bringing up their struggles in your writing as you evolve sounds like not only a good story decision, but also a good tool for evangelization.

Honey, you can’t control what your friends do or think. It sounds to me like you’re putting forth an effort, by keeping scandalous materiel out of your writing. If you friends love your stories, and are invested in your ideas, then seeing these new struggles may be a way for them to be open to ideas and concepts they might be closed to if presented in another way. 😃
 
“Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words.” --attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi

You don’t have to be a preacher to lead people to Christ. Just speaking to your friends at all about your faith, especially nowadays, goes a long way. One of the best things you can do at this point is to pray for them and yourself. If you attend Mass, receive the sacraments, read the Bible, study the Catechism, and grow in the faith, sooner or later you will be comfortable delving into the tenets of the faith with others.

As for your writing, well, that doesn’t sound to good too me, but it’s not necessarily sinful or scandalous. I recommend speaking to a priest to get some spiritual direction.

God bless you!
 
thank you, both, Miguelita and bearer.

I think I should buy a Catechism; having the basics of the church at my fingertips might be very calming,I think, and you’re right, I should try to immerse myselfin church teaching, so I can better understand and come to my own answers.

I do want to be able to make my stories a sort of mode for evengelization for my friends, and family, readers. In fact, some of my more recent stories have involved more spiritual and religious themes, my friends really like one of my characters who is a devout man, and have responded well to the changes I made in our old favorites. I just still fear that if, evern with a clean story, they think something sinful from it, it’s all my fault…
 
My best friend I have, and she was very understanding. she said such fears,with her at least, werer silly, because she is who she is with or without my “influence”
 
…Now that I’m rereading all this I feel rather silly. XD
 
Well, if you’ve already talked to your best friend about it and she’s assured you that with her, it’s a nonissue, you should accept her assurances and not worry, at least in that department. She must be a very open and loving person, if she was able to hear that from you and still be fine/
 
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