i think im doomed

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SLTS

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i tired asking this in a the apolagists forum but it wouldnt let me, heres my situation…

im a 17 year old male and i was born in a religious believing family. everyone in my family beleives in god…

i dont believe it god. i tried when i was younger, i went to church and prayed every night. But as i got older i realized that deep in my heart i didnt REALLY believe. i quit going to church because i felt guilty and i quit praying for the same reason. i began to realize that everyone else was devoting their life to this god, and i was simply showing up to church and praying with no emotional attachment.

i am a great person, i really am and i know it. i sin. i drink, i smoke, i’m intimate with my girlfriend, and ive experimented with minor drugs. but aside from that i am honeslty as great of a person as one could be. i dont have a mean bone in my body. i am constantly helping out total strangers, helping animals and offering my time to the less fortunate.

but no matter how hard i try, and beleive me i HAVE tried i cant believe in god. i can say i do, i can act like i do. but deep down i REALLY DONT beleive. it all seems fake to me, and i honestly cant help it. obviously there is a thought in my mind that god may exist since i am here. but i can make myself believe. aside from the nornal person who beleives in god and has doubts of his existance. i DONT beleive in god but have doubts that maybe he does exist. but i just cant bring myself to believe that he does without proof. and even if god himself were to come before me i know i would try to come up with a logical explanation for it. so im in a tough situation. from what i know if hell DOES exist one is doomed to go there if he doesnt believe in god

so even though im a great person and i tried to believe but just can bring myself to, i am doomed to eternal damnation?
 
Continure to try brother! I know that it can be hard but you must push on and force yourself to believe. Since you belive in hell, and therefore the Devil you must believe in God, like two sides of a Coin, you can’t have one without the other…

That said you need to find your faith, I recomend getting someone to talk to when these feelings get really bad, prehaps a priest or a catachist to help you along the road of understanding. Remember we all have doubts and that no matter how many doubts we have we can always find out way back. Continue to try and devote yourself to God, and He will not be outdone in kindness and genorosity.

If you want to talk further on a more private forum send me an e-mail or a Private message, and I will try to help you further. I will be praying for you.
 
We can’t pass judgement on your imortal soul because only God can judge. Please don’t think that you are doomed because that is despair and is a sin against the Holy Spirit.

The fact that you are even asking yourself whether God exists or not seems to me that you have opened the door a crack to Jesus’ presence in your life. Somewhere in Revelation it talks about Jesus knocking on the door, wanting us to invite Him into our lives. (I’m a Catholic, I can’t quote scripture and verse. 😉 )

Try reading Amy Welborn’s “Prove it God!” . It is very cheap, written for young people and published by Our Sunday Visitor. When you finish that you might try “Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine” by Archbishop Sheehan edited by Fr Peter Joseph. The first chapters contain some classic proofs for God’s existence.

Bottom line though. Belief in God is a matter of faith. We take the great leap of faith and look for proof later. The man in the bible said “Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief.” I pray this prayer every day. Jesus said after the Resurrection, “Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.” Some great things we can’t “prove” exist by scientific standards e.g. love, hate. We can have biological reactions to those terms but that doesn’t prove beyond doubt that they exist.

Good luck with your wrestling.

If you are honest in your search for God you might start by obeying the commandments. 👍
 
Friend…pray. Pray The Lord’s Prayer and pray Hail Mary too.
I will be praying for all of us too. God bless you.
 
SLTS, question for you…**What is the purpose of man’s life? **Everything has a purpose…for example a car, a chair the air we breath …everything has a purpose…answer the first question if you can and if you do then the second question is: How do you know?
 
Hey, SLTS, I’m the same age as you (I’m a girl, though). A year ago, I would have avoided talking about the Catholic church, or anything related, like the plague. Now I don’t go a day without talking intently about it. My point is that I’ve come aloooooong way from how I was last year in regard to my faith and stuff. I’m still having a hard time with a few things but I’m learning to get past time. :B I know you said that you’ve stopped praying but start it up again. What could it hurt? Don’t give up so easily. :3 I’ll pray for you.
 
Hate to bust your bubble-you’re not doomed. When asked what happened in the monastery, one of the Benedictines said something like “we fall down and get up, we fall down and get up, we fall down and get up.” If only perfect people made it into Heaven, it’d be a dismal place indeed.

Because you’re asking the question, you must be at least a little concerned–read CS Lewis The Screwtape Letters–it’s short, and not real preachy. Try prayer-St. Francis said preach always use words if necessary–G_d hears the prayers you say when you help your fellow beings.

Don’t give up–I really believe that G_d isn’t.

Tim
 
so crates:
Look yourself in the mirror. Realize its all bunk. Laugh hard. It might take a few weeks or months or even a few years to stop fooling yourself, but it eventually it will happen… Now go find some purpose to your life besides adopting a cookie cutter religion.
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I would say Look at yourself in the mirror and say what is the purpose of my Life?
 
Your not doomed. And with regards to our friend who wishes to stay in apostatsy there is no need to drag somone down with you.

So crates some interesting facts. Socrates beleived in one God, thats why he died. Einstein was a Jew and Jews are seen as our brothers.(most early christians were Jews) and even the founding fathers including franklin and Jefferson beleived in a creator. Newton a physicist amd scientist beleived in a God.

Its okay to feel the way you do I’m also a seventeen yr old guy and many times it is incomprehensible to beleive in eternity or raising from the dead, or God etc. But then again there are things that happen every day that are amazing. Miracles, true unexplainable medical, or religous miracles. People after praying have been healed completly of cancer or other ailments, consecrated wine and bread have changed into real human blood and a part of a real human heart many of these miracles are on display throughout Europe. Crucifixes bleed, saints who have died hundreds of years ago look as if they are just sleeping! This sounds like something out of a book of fiction but you can visit these things all around the world. Beleive me there are more things that seem even more unbelievable.

Its ok if you haven’t found God yet many people don’t find God till their later years but you seem drawn now to him even though you don’t believe you feel a tingling inside you. Don’t slide away, always stay a good person no matter what. God or no God a good person leads a more fulfilling life.

But maybe you need a more p…ersonal relationship with God. If you decide to start praying again its fine to pray the popular prayers haily Mary, the rosary, the our father etc. but also try speaking your mind to him open up to him as best friends would, maybe that will help.

I hope you have a wonderful life

Peace and GB
 
Hi so crates;

Why “our myths” are true and no ones else are, is because the Catholic Church was founded by a God, not just a man. Every other religion was started by a man or woman.

Ask yourself how the world was made in such an orderly fashion. Why the very planets follow a path or design. Did this just happen by chance? How about cause and effect? The world is ordered. How did it get so, by chance? How many times have you tried to do something by chance? Could you repeat the action again and again with the same result?
 
Hi SLTS;

It could be that what is holding you back from believing in God is the things, sins, you sight , minor drugs, intamite with your girlfriend etc. You have many natural virtues. These can lead to God. Try asking God for the gift of faith. Also have you ever read the proofs for the excience of God. The world is orderly. How come? Was it created by God in an orderly manner or was there some random explosion? Why do the planets revolve in a path instead of crashing into each other? These are just some of the logical things that can lead you to God. God gives us our minds to reason with to know Him better. I’ll be praying for you. 🙂
 
Hi So crates. Well, I have to say that your post makes me nervous. I have a 15 year old son who goes to church, receives communion and was just confirmed. Sometimes I worry that he is only doing these things because I make him. Other times, I feel he truly believes and I thank God for that. I was a cradle Catholic who left the church, went through periods when I didn’t even believe in God or Jesus. I have had a pretty uneventful, ordinary life and felt that I was going along well and didn’t need the crutch of religion. I too was basically a good person with relatively few vices and thought that was all there is to life. When my grandmother died, I returned to the little church I went to as a child. Before entering I believed that I was doing this out of love for her even though it was meaningless. During her funeral service, I came to realize what a gift it was to know that she was with God and I thought, wait a minute, you don’t believe in God. I don’t know why or when but sometime during that service, I returned to Him. It was not anything I did myself, it was the gift of grace God extends to all but the heart must be open to receive it. All of the years my grandmother begged me to return to the Church, any church and depend on God fell on deaf ears. Sitting in the church of my childhood, I came to understand that her death was sad for me but happy for her. I knew she was not afraid because she knew and trusted the promises of her Lord and that knowledge is what opened my heart. All men since the dawn of time have searched for the Great One. He revealed Himself to the Jews and thus to us through His Son. Even when you don’t believe, He is there. Ask Him to soften your heart and lead you to faith and then trust that in His own good time He will. Don’t give up, live as if you have faith, pray for that faith to be strengthened and let God work His miracle. I will pray for you as I pray for all to come to know God’s love.
 
SLTS and So Crates,

Obviously, faith is a gift from God. A gift can be accepted or rejected. It would seem that, at this point in time, niether of you is willing to accept God’s gracious and loving gift of faith.

Sometimes non-acceptance of God’s free gift is because our minds have not been prepared for it. If we adamantly refuse to entertain the possibility of God’s existence, we will never be able to accept His gift of faith. I would suggest that you both get some reading materiel that shows the logical arguments for and against the existence of God. Once you’ve “thoroughly” examined the arguments and all counter arguments you will discover that “every” argument against the existence of God has a logical refutation. At the same time, you will discover that many of the arguments for the existence of God cannot be logically refuted. That is not to say that the arguments automatically prove the existence of God (that is why we still need faith), but it demonstrates that it is more logical to believe in His existence.

There are many authors that can help in this regard including C.S. Lewis and Peter Kreeft. Once you prepare your mind for God’s existence, it is then time to begin the preparation for surrender. If God does exist, then it is a tremendoudly unholy and sinful act to “knowlingly” ignore Him. Surrender to God is, on the other hand, a sublime and worthy act that points to a beginning. We are made for relationships. And the ultimate relationship is with almighty God.
 
Dear SLTS,

St. John tells us that Jesus said,** “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” **

This means that if you obey His commands (remain in My Word), you will come to understand the Truth. If you continue to disobey so seriously, you will not likely come to see the Truth.

I recommend that you sincerely try to live according to His Law, even if you don’t like, agree with or understand it. Keep praying, even when you feel it doesn’t work.

Each day I say the following prayer: “Dearest God, please give me a heart to obey, eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to understand .” Faith is a gift from God, but we have to accept it.
 
You are confusing feelings with faith, and reason with evidence. C. S. Lewis was in your position at one time in his life. One of the things that helped him was reading G. K. Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man. Lewis said that no young atheist who wished to remain one should read it! 😉 You can find the text online: The Everlasting Man. You can also purchase a copy through Ignatius Press. Just search under the title or under Chesterton.

I will pray for you. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just do some good reading and if your intentions are right, you will no doubt find that God is very real, and that he loves you unconditionally no matter how much you have sinned.
 
SLTS,

You used “i” about 45 times in you post! I will give you the bad news, Okay!

***IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU! ***
*** IT’S ABOUT JESUS CHRIST!***

You need to REPENT and turn away from sin!

When you speak stop saying “iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” (That’s about 45 i’s)

Start saying:
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,

SAVE ME!

Peace,
John

PS: This is not a joke! Do it!
 
I believe that you are a great person. I know many people who don’t have a strong faith who are great people. Whether you know it or not, these good works you are dooing are a gift from God, and even if you don’t believe in Him, He believes in you enough to provide these graces so that it has been put in your heart to do these things. If you can respond to His grace with good works, then it is that same grace that allows a person to resppond with faith. So keep praying, even if it feels empty to you. Be sincere. It could take years, and you may even feel foolish, but do it. Look at it this way, if God doesn’t exist, it’s not like praying is going to hurt anything.

That said, you listed a few things that are sinful. Yes, the Church teaches that pre-marital sex is a serious sin. Experimenting with drugs is sinful. One problem is that serious sin automatically separates you from God, and it makes you feel guilty about seeking Him in Church, or even in prayer. So the cycle continues… you sin, and then you feel like you can’t believe or don’t deserve to believe. The more sin, the more your reason is clouded.

Personally, I would talk to a Priest about what you are feeling and what you have all done. He may or may not wish to grant you confession - you need to be contrite about your sin to make a good confession. But if you can contemplate your sin, resolve to live without it, and make a good confession, then you may suddenly find yourself with a clarity of conscience and reason that then allows God’s grace to work in you to bring you to faith.

Consider that strongly.
 
Hey,

The fact that you are concerned is a great sign. Pray one simple prayer for now. “God, please help me to beleive.” Start with that, do it often over the course of the day. See if that helps. Like someone else said, find a priest to talk to, but not a hippy type who says its ok not to believe. Just ask for faith. Start there.
 
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SLTS:
im a 17 year old male and i was born in a religious believing family. everyone in my family beleives in god…

i am a great person, i really am and i know it. i sin. i drink, i smoke, i’m intimate with my girlfriend, and ive experimented with minor drugs. but aside from that i am honeslty as great of a person as one could be. i dont have a mean bone in my body. i am constantly helping out total strangers, helping animals and offering my time to the less fortunate.

but no matter how hard i try, and beleive me i HAVE tried i cant believe in god.
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Here’s the answer I’d give my own son.

This isn’t an intellectual problem for you, God exists and you know it. God made sure of that. He wrote Himself on your heart at your conception. Your problem is a moral one. What you’re saying is, God isn’t convenient for you to believe in Him right now. You’re 17 and doing all the things you shouldn’t be doing. And it sounds like you like things the way they are. At 17 you think you’re bulletproof. Lots of life ahead of you.

Well, our close friends just buried their son 2 months ago. It’s interesting, his friends said of him he drank, he smoked, he was intimate with his girlfriend, and he experimented with minor drugs. but aside from that he was honeslty as great of a person as one could be. Just like you say of yourself. Well, he went to Mexico for spring break this year, and died of alcohol poisoning in a Mexico hotel room after a wild night of “fun”. He was only 20 years old. Not bulletproof, not invincable.

You’re playing roulette with your soul. Nothing is worth that. And I mean NOTHING! You can’t fathom how long eternity is, especially seperated from God. You assume you’ll have a long life. Baloney! You don’t know when your life will end. It could end 15 minutes from now. If you have mortal sin on your soul at this moment, get rid of it immediately. Call a priest and change your life. Love God, and dread with every fiber of your being, the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell.
 
Hey, SLTS:
The only people who go to hell CHOOSE to go there - and hell is a very real place.
God is not going to force heaven on ANYBODY. It’s a gift. Either you WANT to be with God or you don’t. It’s that simple.
Those who choose NOT to be with Him, ELECT to be eternally apart FROM Him.
Being a nice guy or being there for your buddies or helping old ladies walk across the street doesn’t amount to a hill of beans without faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (Jn 11:25)
He also assured us, “Amen I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day.” (Jn 6:53-54)
Finally, he promises us:** Then he will say to the ones on His left, “Depart from me, you accursed, into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matt 26:41)**
I WILL NOT judge you, my friend, but I would be sinfully remiss if I didn’t share with you what our Lord has commanded us to do.
You need to ask yourself: "Do I want to be with God forever or do I want to be eternally seprated from His love and grace - " . . .into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels?"

"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" - St. Jerome.
 
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