I need help regaining my faith

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Hi.

This is very uncomfortable for me. My family has never been strict when it comes to religion. I only go to church on the Catholic holidays. Sometimes.

My mother is a Catholic, and my father an Atheist. They both raised me as a Catholic.

I used to have this blind belief when it came to God, and Heaven, and Jesus.

Now, after taking a few AP Biology Courses, Child Development, Chemistry… After discovering scientific answers to the mysteries on earth… After looking from the outside in at Catholics praising “The Lord”, and seeing how silly it looks and sounds… After all that, it doesn’t even seem close to likely.

I’m fourteen years old, by the way. So mind my grammar and all that.

The Greeks believed in the Gods, and their stories are very similar to that of the Bible. Why, I wonder, are we so quick to dismiss those tales as just “Myths”, while widely spread religions are even more preposterous?

Only a year ago I felt a bit outraged when my close friend told me she was an Atheist. Now I find myself edging towards it. There is no proof of anything to do with religion.

My little cousin randomly sprung up a question about God, because I was explaining the Greek stories to her. She is six years old. She asked if they (all the gods and goddesses I happened to mention) were God himself, and I explained that they were just stories. She said something along the lines of, “But God is real.” and I didn’t know how to answer.

It just feels like something to turn to. That’s what I see any religion as now. Just something people made up so that people would have something to turn to during times of stress.

But whenever I even think about calling myself an Atheist, I can’t. I never could. Even though I don’t pray anymore, and all my faith seems to be gone, I couldn’t live being labeled an Atheist. Even now, this question of belief just gnaws at me. I feel almost hallow. I feel very confused. I want to believe in it all again, but I don’t know how. I wish I knew what faith really felt like. I wish I could be like those others, saying that they loved God. I wish I could say Jesus is my savior.

Please help.
Thanks.
 
At 14, yes, at that age I thought I knew all the mysteries of the earth as well. The older one gets, the less one knows.

Faith is a gift, you were given that gift at your baptism. Belief on the other hand is a choice.

How much do you pray? Spend time in conversation with God? Can you know a someone you never talk to?

Before you close your mind to God, have you REALLY studied the Faith? Have you read the great works of the Early Church Fathers, of the Doctors of the Church? Begin with Aquinas. If he is a little deep, then, maybe begin with these books:

Prove It! God by Amy Welborn
Answering the New Atheism by Scott Hahn
 
Thank you for answering.

I’m not trying to seem smug by saying “All the mysteries of the earth.”

Just learning things that I would of thought before as just things God controlled. Now, I understand why certain emotions are produced, why the sky is blue, why the wind blows, what love actually is, evolution… So on.

I know those are all little things. But like I said; the more I learn, the less I believe. It just seems more logical not to believe in anything.

As for the praying, no. I rarely ever pray. I’ve only prayed when feeling distraught. That’s good advice, and I’ll try that more often.

I feel this nagging voice that tells me I believe, while my brain says it’s all a big fairy tale. I can’t explain it.

I’ll try to pray more often at night…
 
Tigress, the reason we believe in God is not because this faith explains things in nature… for example, why is it God or chemistry? He created chemistry.

You might be interested in the book “a Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel, and “Mere Christianity” by CS Lewis. 🙂 Try also spending more time in prayer and receiving the Sacraments, Confession and Communion.

God bless!
 
Monica4316 said:
why is it God or chemistry? He created chemistry.
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Once again, thank you for the response.

I really don’t know. It’s just like love. I don’t believe in love anymore after I began my scientific studies. It’s just chemicals in the brain.

Kind of depressing.

A part of me feels awkward posting here. But the other part feels like this is the right place to be. Both responses have made me feel like I can regain my belief 🙂

From the outside it seems so rediculous, though… So why do I feel like it has to be true?

Basicly, what we all (more most of us) believe here is that an invisible man who lives in a paradise made some rules then created an entire universe with diverse beings.

I guess it’s more reasonable in the bible then how I put it, but I wouldn’t really know.

Why does it feel so hard for me, when it seems so easy for others?
 
God is not an invisible man. Man is a created creature. God is the Creator. When one tries to make God in man’s image, it does make the whole thing silly.

Questions are good.

Do you have a way to get to Confession and to Mass? Will your parents take you if you ask? What about youth group at your parish? Religious Ed at the Parish?
 
Not really.
If I really wanted too, I could. But it’d be so sudden, and my mother would probably bombard me with questions. She reads into things to much.

Once, because I said “I just want to be left alone”, she claimed it was a sign of clinical depression and called the doctor. She still won’t let me live that down.

If I say I want to go to church (I haven’t in years), she’ll put me on suicide watch. Lol.

So what is god than. What does he look like? And how did he create everything? Is there any explanation to that?

Religious Ed…
I don’t know. I got my communion when I was eight, but that was the last religious event in my life. Since then I’ve gone to church on Easter, and baptisms, but that’s really it.
 
Don’t let classes turn you away from God. There is so much you don’t know about in those fields. You are only beginning. You can’t judge anything on the little you know. Those fields are very, very large and at your age you have just started them. Remember that there are great scientists and other great minds who believe in God.

Castello gave you good advice, as will others on this forum. I would only add, regarding prayer, it is so important to go back to praying. I’m not talking about the kind of prayer where you ask for things, but the kind of prayer where you share your day with our Lord. You can’t have a relationship with friends when you don’t talk to them, and the same goes for God. If you don’t talk to Him you won’t have a relationship. The more distant you get, the more you will be convinced He does not exist.

I have also looked at Catholicism with atheist eyes. I know exactly what you mean by certain things seeming silly. If there is no God, they ARE silly. But if God exists, they are incredibly beautiful.

The myths of gods have similarities, but also differences. A big difference is that you will find no evidence that they walked the earth, while even secular historians say the story of Jesus is no myth.

Regarding a God who was made up for comfort in times of stress, as my priest repeatedly says, if you’re going to make up a God, you’re not going to make up the God of Christians! To really, truly follow Christianity is a very difficult thing. At 14 you probably don’t get all the implications of it; I sure didn’t at your age. As you get older and understand more, you realize that my priest is right. Just remember: the God we worship asks us to take up our cross and follow Him, among other difficult teachings. If you think you know about God and what you know doesn’t stretch you and make you feel uncomfortable, you don’t really understand the Christian God.

I will pray for you, and would guess that others here will as well.
 
Tigress said:
Why does it feel so hard for me, when it seems so easy for others?
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I wish I had an answer for this. But know that you are not alone in this.

Even some of the great saints found it difficult.
 
Tigress said:
Not really.
If I really wanted too, I could. But it’d be so sudden, and my mother would probably bombard me with questions. She reads into things to much.

Once, because I said “I just want to be left alone”, she claimed it was a sign of clinical depression and called the doctor. She still won’t let me live that down.

If I say I want to go to church (I haven’t in years), she’ll put me on suicide watch. Lol.

So what is god than. What does he look like? And how did he create everything? Is there any explanation to that?

Religious Ed…
I don’t know. I got my communion when I was eight, but that was the last religious event in my life. Since then I’ve gone to church on Easter, and baptisms, but that’s really it.
Click to expand...
This is another reason it’s difficult. You’re in school, learning all the reasons that there is no God, and you’ve had no real teachings about God to begin with.
 
Incomplete said:
Don’t let classes turn you away from God. There is so much you don’t know about in those fields. You are only beginning. You can’t judge anything on the little you know. Those fields are very, very large and at your age you have just started them. Remember that there are great scientists and other great minds who believe in God.

Castello gave you good advice, as will others on this forum. I would only add, regarding prayer, it is so important to go back to praying. I’m not talking about the kind of prayer where you ask for things, but the kind of prayer where you share your day with our Lord. You can’t have a relationship with friends when you don’t talk to them, and the same goes for God. If you don’t talk to Him you won’t have a relationship. The more distant you get, the more you will be convinced He does not exist.

I have also looked at Catholicism with atheist eyes. I know exactly what you mean by certain things seeming silly. If there is no God, they ARE silly. But if God exists, they are incredibly beautiful.

The myths of gods have similarities, but also differences. A big difference is that you will find no evidence that they walked the earth, while even secular historians say the story of Jesus is no myth.

Regarding a God who was made up for comfort in times of stress, as my priest repeatedly says, if you’re going to make up a God, you’re not going to make up the God of Christians! To really, truly follow Christianity is a very difficult thing. At 14 you probably don’t get all the implications of it; I sure didn’t at your age. As you get older and understand more, you realize that my priest is right. Just remember: the God we worship asks us to take up our cross and follow Him, among other difficult teachings. If you think you know about God and what you know doesn’t stretch you and make you feel uncomfortable, you don’t really understand the Christian God.

I will pray for you, and would guess that others here will as well.
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Even more terrific advice.
Thanks a lot for this one, it answered each question.

Don’t let classes turn you away from God. There is so much you don’t know about in those fields. You are only beginning. You can’t judge anything on the little you know. Those fields are very, very large and at your age you have just started them. Remember that there are great scientists and other great minds who believe in God.

I started taking classes in these fields in 6th grade. I’ve done a lot of career shadowing in the health fields, and bought some text books before my curriculum said I should. Sorry, I know I seem immature, but I just really can’t articulate. I’m pretty tired. I really don’t know much about the field, but it’s not like I’ve only been taking it for a month. Four years, in small doses.

Well, I am immature. I’m just a kid. I barely know anything. But all these explanations and theories have made me feel distant. But maybe that’s just the lack of prayer.

And how does God hear prayers?
 
Tigress said:
Not really.
If I really wanted too, I could. But it’d be so sudden, and my mother would probably bombard me with questions. She reads into things to much.

Once, because I said “I just want to be left alone”, she claimed it was a sign of clinical depression and called the doctor. She still won’t let me live that down.

If I say I want to go to church (I haven’t in years), she’ll put me on suicide watch. Lol.

So what is god than. What does he look like? And how did he create everything? Is there any explanation to that?

Religious Ed…
I don’t know. I got my communion when I was eight, but that was the last religious event in my life. Since then I’ve gone to church on Easter, and baptisms, but that’s really it.
Click to expand...
Sure does sound like a crisis of faith. Can you get Catholic radio where you are? If not, try listening over the internet. You need to get something wholesome into your ears to balance out the culture of death.

I also recommend that you start reading your bible every day. Start with the Gospel of John. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. If you read and listen to it, your faith will grow. You will be in my prayers.
 
Everyone, this really does mean a lot to me. I promise to take all of your advice. This is all very helpful. I really do feel like there’s a reason to believe already. Knowing that there could of been a reason I’ve felt so distant alone helps me. It makes me feel like… It’s not that there is no God, it’s that I’m not allowing him to contact me.
 
Tigress said:
Once again, thank you for the response.

I really don’t know. It’s just like love. I don’t believe in love anymore after I began my scientific studies. It’s just chemicals in the brain.

Kind of depressing.

A part of me feels awkward posting here. But the other part feels like this is the right place to be. Both responses have made me feel like I can regain my belief 🙂

From the outside it seems so rediculous, though… So why do I feel like it has to be true?

Basicly, what we all (more most of us) believe here is that an invisible man who lives in a paradise made some rules then created an entire universe with diverse beings.

I guess it’s more reasonable in the bible then how I put it, but I wouldn’t really know.

Why does it feel so hard for me, when it seems so easy for others?
Click to expand...
Love is a whole lot more than just chemicals in the brain, though infatuation has a great deal to do with chemicals and certain feelings have a lot to do with chemicals. But ultimately love is a choice. Because love, not infatuation and not feelings but love, is about wanting what is best for the beloved even if it is of no benefit to you, even if it hurts you.

I’m so glad that you’re here. I’m glad you have the sense that you can regain your hope. You will find two things on your journey:
  1. To ask these questions is an excellent thing, as long as you are asking with humility, not thinking you know it all. And it’s clear that you are, indeed, asking with humility. What you will find is that someday your faith will be much stronger for it.
  2. There are a lot of intellectual giants in Catholicism. Catholicism says we can figure this stuff out not just by feelings, but by reason. Sometimes it helps to know that folks who know far more than we’ll ever understand aren’t worried about things like the chemical nature of love, because they can reason it out and see that it does not disprove Christianity. That means it is not nearly as silly as it seems; at the very least, belief in God is reasonable.
 
Tigress said:
Even more terrific advice.
Thanks a lot for this one, it answered each question.

Don’t let classes turn you away from God. There is so much you don’t know about in those fields. You are only beginning. You can’t judge anything on the little you know. Those fields are very, very large and at your age you have just started them. Remember that there are great scientists and other great minds who believe in God.

I started taking classes in these fields in 6th grade. I’ve done a lot of career shadowing in the health fields, and bought some text books before my curriculum said I should. Sorry, I know I seem immature, but I just really can’t articulate. I’m pretty tired. I really don’t know much about the field, but it’s not like I’ve only been taking it for a month. Four years, in small doses.

Well, I am immature. I’m just a kid. I barely know anything. But all these explanations and theories have made me feel distant. But maybe that’s just the lack of prayer.

And how does God hear prayers?
Click to expand...
Oh, I know you have had classes for awhile. I also don’t doubt that you are a very bright 14-year-old. You articulate much better than you think you do! You do not seem at all immature to me.

But the science fields are huge when it comes to amount of knowledge. Think of how much education a person with a Ph.D gets, and that person still doesn’t know it all.

I don’t know how God hears prayers. I don’t know how He creates, either. Maybe someday we’ll know, huh?
 
I realize that some of my posts make me seem smug. I’m not trying to say I know it all. It’s just really little things that I keep learning more about in my classes and studies are pushing me away from my religion. Or at least, that’s what it feels like / felt like.

People have spent their entire lives dedicated to the fields of science and mathematics, and there remain to be unanswered questions. Just know I understand that.
 
Tigress said:
I realize that some of my posts make me seem smug. I’m not trying to say I know it all. It’s just really little things that I keep learning more about in my classes and studies are pushing me away from my religion. Or at least, that’s what it feels like / felt like.

People have spent their entire lives dedicated to the fields of science and mathematics, and there remain to be unanswered questions. Just know I understand that.
Click to expand...
Funny, I don’t think you sound the least bit smug. In fact, I think it takes some humbleness to say some of the stuff you have said.
 
Incomplete said:
Oh, I know you have had classes for awhile. I also don’t doubt that you are a very bright 14-year-old. You articulate much better than you think you do! You do not seem at all immature to me.
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That’s good 🙂
But the science fields are huge when it comes to amount of knowledge. Think of how much education a person with a Ph.D gets, and that person still doesn’t know it all.
Click to expand...
Yeah.
I don’t know how God hears prayers. I don’t know how He creates, either. Maybe someday we’ll know, huh?
Click to expand...
I hope so… That’s one of the other things I’ve always been a bit unsure of. It confuses me how that all works…
 
I’ve questioned the existence of God a lot. One thing I have realized is that not understanding that stuff just means my brain is too small to get it. It does not disprove God.

I did a ton of reading and a ton of talking to folks, and a lot of praying. But as I said before, not so much the kind of prayer that asks for stuff, but more a prayer of relationship.

I wish you were in a position to find a good spiritual director. But we can keep praying.
 
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