I need help. Serious help

[ILoveTheLordGod]

I can’t tell whether or not I believe in God.

(I still fear hell and I still go to confession though)

I mean in time of distress I’d feel the Lord’s presence and pray to Him, but in my idle time, I become skeptical and have some doubts.

I mean people bury me in tons of questions like “What if man made God to ease his own fear of death?” “Why are there different religions, some even older than that of Judaism and Christianity?”

The 100% thing I’m sure of is that I WANT God to be real.

I’m trying my best to stay in belief. I’d say that my faith is not gone, just struggling.

 

[tskrobacz]

It matters not what you believe - that is, after all, simply some thoughts in your mind. You will only really trust that which you experience to be true, not what you think to be true. Remain open to the possibility that there is something more than what you can know at this moment and allow the events of your life lead you to greater truths and wisdom. Take note and journal when you stumble upon a new revelation, a new truth…in time you will collect numerous truths that will guide you and fuel your heart to seek more.

 

[wanner47]

I can’t tell whether or not I believe in God.

(I still fear hell and I still go to confession though)

I mean in time of distress I’d feel the Lord’s presence and pray to Him, but in my idle time, I become skeptical and have some doubts.

I mean people bury me in tons of questions like “What if man made God to ease his own fear of death?” “Why are there different religions, some even older than that of Judaism and Christianity?”

The 100% thing I’m sure of is that I WANT God to be real.

I’m trying my best to stay in belief. I’d say that my faith is not gone, just struggling.

That’s completely normal.

My advice is to read works by others who share or shared your struggles so you can feel more confident about the reason for your hope, even in the face of opposition. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and *Orthodoxy *by G.K. Chesterton are two good ones. Also The Handbook of Christian Apologetics and The Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Kreeft et al.

Peter Kreeft’s website also has some great material.

 

[ESMDHokie77]

I mean people bury me in tons of questions like “What if man made God to ease his own fear of death?” “Why are there different religions, some even older than that of Judaism and Christianity?”

If those people really were genuine, they would let you in your belief. But they want you to lose your faith. If men made God, we would’ve put a lot less requirements on social and ethical morality, why make it so tough?

 

[Iamacatholic77]

I can’t tell whether or not I believe in God.

(I still fear hell and I still go to confession though)

I mean in time of distress I’d feel the Lord’s presence and pray to Him, but in my idle time, I become skeptical and have some doubts.

I mean people bury me in tons of questions like “What if man made God to ease his own fear of death?” “Why are there different religions, some even older than that of Judaism and Christianity?”

The 100% thing I’m sure of is that I WANT God to be real.

I’m trying my best to stay in belief. I’d say that my faith is not gone, just struggling.

I believe that is normal to question.The only thing is it depends on where you get your answers. Here is a good place. Church is a good place. Most of the internet is not. When you have doubts it is a bad idea to discuss them with who lack faith they will feed you defaithism. Pray for clarity. Im sure many people reading this will be pray with and for you as well. One thing I have learned is you have somewhere than 25 of the worlds population that believe in Catholism and are united in doctrine and weekly teachings. God is real.We certainly didnt just apear from nothing for no reason but to return to nothing it makes no sence. If you want to believe then it is in your heart. whats in your heart you should trust. Life is not always as we would have it and sometimes it can get so bad that our faith can be in doubt, but know that our Lord God will NEVER put us in any situation that we cannot get out of. He ALWAYS gives us a way out. It is however up to us to recognize the path and even if you miss the path there is always another one up ahead.

 

[mcrow]

I can’t tell whether or not I believe in God.

(I still fear hell and I still go to confession though)

I mean in time of distress I’d feel the Lord’s presence and pray to Him, but in my idle time, I become skeptical and have some doubts.

Having doubts is normal. It becomes a problem when you don’t believe at all. Doubts are normal, saying the church teachings are false or denying God is not OK. So, if you simply are not sure, that’s OK. Study up more and you may believe easier.

I mean people bury me in tons of questions like “What if man made God to ease his own fear of death?”

Pretty unlikely. There is far too much order to the universe. Simply, something of higher power had to have created earth. I won’t go into detail here abut Scott Hahn’s book “Reasons to Believe” is a great source for this subject.

“Why are there different religions, some even older than that of Judaism and Christianity?”

That is false. Christianity has roots in Judaism. Judaism goes back 3000 years. Adam and Eve were the first people and three main religions branched off from them somewhere down the line. Adam and Eve are common among the Jews, Christians and Muslims. I would say these can trace roots back to Adam and Eve which would make them the oldest.

 

[sb50]

If those people really were genuine, they would let you in your belief. But they want you to lose your faith.

Exactly. They’re probably just jealous of you, because they can’t bring themselves to do it.

I believe that is normal to question.The only thing is it depends on where you get your answers. Here is a good place. Church is a good place. Most of the internet is not. When you have doubts it is a bad idea to discuss them with who lack faith they will feed you defaithism.

I agree. That’s one of the dangers of such a diverse society; people didn’t have to spend their time wondering “what if that other group of people are right”, because everyone was a catholic!

One thing I have learned is you have somewhere than 25 of the worlds population that believe in Catholism and are united in doctrine and weekly teachings.

Also a good point. How can people without faith remember their beliefs without regular reminders?

Pretty unlikely. There is far too much order to the universe.

Some people go on and on about how the human eye isn’t put together in a logical way, but they just assume that they could understand God’s logic. I hardly need to remind anyone that God’s ways are mysterious?!

That is false. Christianity has roots in Judaism. Judaism goes back 3000 years. Adam and Eve were the first people and three main religions branched off from them somewhere down the line. Adam and Eve are common among the Jews, Christians and Muslims. I would say these can trace roots back to Adam and Eve which would make them the oldest.

someone should tell people that nature religions aren’t really religions, and that what they had in ancient Greece were mythologies.

 

[Tomster]

I can’t tell whether or not I believe in God.

(I still fear hell and I still go to confession though)

I mean in time of distress I’d feel the Lord’s presence and pray to Him, but in my idle time, I become skeptical and have some doubts.

I mean people bury me in tons of questions like “What if man made God to ease his own fear of death?” “Why are there different religions, some even older than that of Judaism and Christianity?”

The 100% thing I’m sure of is that I WANT God to be real.

I’m trying my best to stay in belief. I’d say that my faith is not gone, just struggling.

First of all, don’t get tied up in a knot over it, seriously!

Although faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepency between faith and reason; since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, and God cannot deny Himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth. The false appearance of such contradiction is mainly due, either to the dogmas of faith not having been understood and expounded according to the mind of the Church, or to the inventions of opinion having been taken for the verdicts of reason.

Just a suggestion, you might want to take a look into the different approaches to Catholic spirituality the Church presents for us. One such method might be the Benedictine method of simply work, prayer and study. Tailor it to your own set of circumstances and obligations. Look into all them for sure but a daily, set routine of work, prayer and study might be just the thing for you. (Throw some fun into your daily life and just enjoy God’s creation. Any Franciscan will tell you that.)

Prayer is essential. Prayer in a group setting with other believers is a great way to help you through your current situation. Don’t be afraid to sit with the Church ladies before Mass in the morning and just “listen” to them pray their daily rosaries. It’s a beautiful and encouraging thing.

Don’t worry! God has brought you this far. He will not let you off at the next bus stop.

 

[sw85]

I can’t tell whether or not I believe in God.

(I still fear hell and I still go to confession though)

I mean in time of distress I’d feel the Lord’s presence and pray to Him, but in my idle time, I become skeptical and have some doubts.

I mean people bury me in tons of questions like “What if man made God to ease his own fear of death?” “Why are there different religions, some even older than that of Judaism and Christianity?”

The 100% thing I’m sure of is that I WANT God to be real.

I’m trying my best to stay in belief. I’d say that my faith is not gone, just struggling.

God cannot die – His existence is rationally unavoidable and necessary. And man worshipped false idols because he is a fallen creature in sin.

Familiarize yourself with Thomas Aquinas’ Five Ways, or read Edward Feser’s “The Last Superstition” for a layman’s version. You will see that there is no rational way to avoid God.

And bear in mind always that faith is not believing against reason, but a decision to trust willfully in what your reason has revealed to be true – no matter how much your senses scream out against it.

 

[midori]

Gehh, where are you hanging out that you get buried in that kind of talk?

Questions are good. If you challenge your faith— this person believes that. I believe something else. Why do I believe something else? Ahh, this makes sense. – it can come out stronger in the end, because you’re not just taking your faith for granted. God gave you faith and reason, and expects you to use both of them throughout your lifetime.

Questioning things can be constructive, but it sounds like you’re asking questions without having a solid base to build your answer on.

Get thee to a library. Interlibrary loan is your friend. Make it your goal to read something theological each month. You might read up on the lives of the saints-- their discouragements, their triumphs, their relationships with God. You might try something like an apologetics handbook, a book about miracles, or something by one of the church doctors. Get yourself some food for your brain and your soul at the same time.

In my own summer reading pile, I’ve got “Thank God Ahead of Time”, a biography about Ven. Solanus Casey. His faith and humility on display throughout his lifetime were very striking and inspiring.

“Handbook of Christian Apologetics” is very logical, methodical, and readable. It’s broken up into sections that build on each other. You’d probably have a good time with this one.

Still working on “Mystical City of God”. I read one bit, and it’s like, “Wow! That’s pretty insightful! I like that!” And I read another bit, and I think, “What?! That’s ridiculous.” And I put it away for a month or two to get over my annoyance before picking it up again. Just because I don’t agree with Mary of Agreda on her medieval ideas of when ensoulment happens, doesn’t mean I have to disregard all the other profitable thoughts her writings call to mind. Her humility is a little overwhelming at the beginning when she talks about how the book came about, but if you can get past that, it’s the kind of book I need to re-read with a highlighter, and that’s not something I’d normally do to a $150 set of books.

“Interior Castle” is the next in my to-be-read pile. I’m embarrassed that it’s been sitting unread for so long, since I know it has some good stuff in it— but I keep getting distracted by other good stuff.

But yeah. Prayer and confession are both important, but if you just coast along with your faith, you can’t expect it to grow and be strong, especially in the face of doubt or difficulty. Good luck with your path!

 

[Kay_Cee]

Looks like I’ll be the third to recommend Peter Kreeft’s *Handbook of Christian Apologetics. *It contains twenty arguments for the existence of God. Kreeft is not only a professor of philosophy, he is also the author of a textbook on logic.

 

[Lazarouslive]

Know that wanting to believe something doesn’t make it true!

All the other forum members have already suggested readings and answers for you, but Catholic Answers obviously has a Catholic Bias.

Your faith and beliefs are an important issue you can only decide for yourself, and if you haven’t at least explored other alternatives, you are doing yourself a disservice. Read about other religions, and about Atheism ( try god delusion), and if you still find yourself drawn to Catholicism it will be because it is right for you, not just because everyone is saying its right for you!

 

[Iamacatholic77]

Know that wanting to believe something doesn’t make it true!

All the other forum members have already suggested readings and answers for you, but Catholic Answers obviously has a Catholic Bias.

Your faith and beliefs are an important issue you can only decide for yourself, and if you haven’t at least explored other alternatives, you are doing yourself a disservice. Read about other religions, and about Atheism ( try god delusion), and if you still find yourself drawn to Catholicism it will be because it is right for you, not just because everyone is saying its right for you!

ATHEISM DOESNT EXIST! The God drlusion is a horrible twisted book so is the thought of ateism

 

[wanner47]

Know that wanting to believe something doesn’t make it true!

All the other forum members have already suggested readings and answers for you, but Catholic Answers obviously has a Catholic Bias.

Your faith and beliefs are an important issue you can only decide for yourself, and if you haven’t at least explored other alternatives, you are doing yourself a disservice. Read about other religions, and about Atheism ( try god delusion), and if you still find yourself drawn to Catholicism it will be because it is right for you, not just because everyone is saying its right for you!

Oh, please, not God Delusion. At least read some atheist writers who make logical sense and are informed about what they’re rejecting. Or, if you do read it, follow it up with The Godless Delusion.

Lazarouslive, I find your suggestion that Catholics/Christians aren’t critical thinkers to be simultaneously laughable and insulting, especially your assumption that the vast majority of us have never seriously examined our faith. Among faithful Catholics, I think you’ll find that by and large the opposite is true. For example, see the books Atheist to Catholic: 11 Stories of Conversion and From Atheism to Catholicism: How Scientists and Philosophers Led Me to the Truth.

 

[FCEGM]

If those people really were genuine, they would let you in your belief. But they want you to lose your faith. .

This, and also demonic whisperings to abandon God must not be overlooked. Ignorant men and fallen angels are both enemies of our faith.

 

[Kay_Cee]

Know that wanting to believe something doesn’t make it true!

For example, wanting to believe atheism doesn’t make it true!