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HopkinsReb
Guest
As I recall, we’re told to have a childlike faith. Never let the idea that your prayers aren’t good enough stop you from praying.
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Eric_Hyom
Guest
Either God the creator of the universe exists fully and totally; or there is no god, you could be one hundred percent right or wrong on the flip of a coin. There cannot be a probable God, it’s yes or no.
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halogirl
Guest
Ask God to show himself to you. Sit and just pour all this out in prayer and see what happens. Something is already at work in you as you are here and questioning and reaching out ! X
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gracepoole
Guest
@SugarMagnolia, I so understand your situation. For most of my adult life I have felt that I’m either a committed and faithful Catholic or an atheist fraud who’s going through the motions. I very much struggle with God’s existence at times. I don’t have solutions to offer but please know that you aren’t alone. I once asked a professional for advice on this and she wisely asked, “How do you know how many in the pews by your side are struggling in the same way?” Faith can be hard. I think it’s worth the continued effort.
Have you ever read Mother Teresa’s writings? She experienced LONG periods of spiritual drought. I find her work brings solace to me.
Have you ever read Mother Teresa’s writings? She experienced LONG periods of spiritual drought. I find her work brings solace to me.
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joyfulandactive
Guest
I was also an atheist but I gradually got to where you are now which is being open to the concept of God, then gradually things started to touch me until I had a very dramatic conversion experience - I felt the undeniable presence of God - and it completely changed my life.
One practical thing to do is find a Christian who you personally admire, whether priest, sister, family or friend and ask if they would spend time with you praying with you. Explain to them where you are as an unbeliever. This person or persons should have a rock solid prayer life.
Another idea is to find a prayer group, maybe a Catholic Charismatic prayer group that has confidence in the action of the Holy Spirit. Be honest with them about where you are at, you are someone with a desire for God who just cannot believe. God will come to you. Do your part of sincerely searching for Him. I really admire your sincerity and honesty - we can’t pretend we believe!
Also if there is a monastery or convent in your state that you could visit for a retreat and join the community for their prayers that would surround you with grace. All of this would never hurt you and could be the place you encounter God.
I would just pray any way you can. Just say “God help my unbelief! Show yourself to me!”. In the meantime go to Mass, go to confession and receive the eucharist. Jesus still wants to come to you. Be open.
One practical thing to do is find a Christian who you personally admire, whether priest, sister, family or friend and ask if they would spend time with you praying with you. Explain to them where you are as an unbeliever. This person or persons should have a rock solid prayer life.
Another idea is to find a prayer group, maybe a Catholic Charismatic prayer group that has confidence in the action of the Holy Spirit. Be honest with them about where you are at, you are someone with a desire for God who just cannot believe. God will come to you. Do your part of sincerely searching for Him. I really admire your sincerity and honesty - we can’t pretend we believe!
Also if there is a monastery or convent in your state that you could visit for a retreat and join the community for their prayers that would surround you with grace. All of this would never hurt you and could be the place you encounter God.
I would just pray any way you can. Just say “God help my unbelief! Show yourself to me!”. In the meantime go to Mass, go to confession and receive the eucharist. Jesus still wants to come to you. Be open.
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
God’s okay with that. He’s the one who is always telling us to be like little children.
Mine mostly are too. I just need help with stuff other than believing in God. We all need help with something.
You shouldn’t be assuming or concerning yourself with what “believers” think and do right now. Believers are not all one big amorphous group. Some of them also struggle mightily with suffering, some of them can “cope” with it for entirely different reasons than what you said.
Here is my advice:
- Keep praying every day. Tell God “I want to believe. Help my unbelief.”
- Sit with Jesus in church for a little while, as many days as you can work it in.
- Then go do something nice for another person. That way, your life will have meaning and purpose, whether you see God or not. Even if you just smile or compliment somebody because you have no money to donate, or you say some little kind thing, it makes life meaningful.
And if you keep that up, you’ll eventually see God, even if you see him only in other people.
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TheLittleLady
Guest
Belief is a choice.
You can choose to believe. We all have times of unbelief when we pray as St Thomas did “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”
You might read some of the articles over at Strange Notions blog.
You can choose to believe. We all have times of unbelief when we pray as St Thomas did “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”
You might read some of the articles over at Strange Notions blog.
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TheLittleLady
Guest
Ahhhhh, suffering. That is one of the greatest beauties of the Catholic faith. We don’t think that suffering will be rewarded in heaven, but, that suffering is something we can offer up for the good of others, for the good of the whole world.
Have you read John Paul II’s work on suffering?
Have you read John Paul II’s work on suffering?
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StAugustine
Guest
The desire to believe in God is itself a gift of God. So take courage- so long as you don’t extinguish the desire, he is preparing you for belief, sure as 2+2=4.
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Dan_Defender
Guest
I appreciate your honesty. For the faithless, it does not matter what you do or don’t during one’s earthly life, in the big picture it comes down to meaningless cosmic dust. Let this testimony be instructional to the rest of us.
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Annie
Guest
You could try thanking God when good things come into your life, even when it’s just a parking spot.
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0Scarlett_nidiyilii
Guest
Spirituality is such a profound and personal thing.
Thank you for sharing with us your feelings. It’s good to be honest with each other.
I don’t have anything profound to add, only that I’ll remember you in my prayers and if there’s any questions you do have, hopefully the folks here can be of help
ray:t2:
Thank you for sharing with us your feelings. It’s good to be honest with each other.
I don’t have anything profound to add, only that I’ll remember you in my prayers and if there’s any questions you do have, hopefully the folks here can be of help
ray:t2:Faith is not even the first step here. God gave us all the gift of reason. Faith is what makes us Christian. But reason makes us theist. It does not require faith to believe that God exists. By reason alone, one can come to the belief that God the Creator exists.
To deny that a Creator God exists is contrary to reason. You can start there.
To deny that a Creator God exists is contrary to reason. You can start there.
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Dan_Defender
Guest
I think Descartes would disagree with you. He tried that and concluded everything can be doubted except your own existence.
But I agree that if someone is an atheist but willing to search and reasonable on what to accept, one can get to at least Hope for God’s existence.
I don’t believe Descartes is a member of these boards, or that majority of people adhere to his philosophy. I think we can make the assumption that most people can accept as fact that they have two eyeballs embedded in their skulls, and that flagellum bacteria exist or that my toe hurts when I drop a toaster on it. I think I can safely presume our OP believes that things exist outside of himself. Otherwise, he can say if he is a Descartist or solipsist. Till then, I will assume he has a functioning faculty of reason and does not adhere to some weird “nothing is real” philosophy.porthos11:
I think Descartes would disagree with you. He tried that and concluded everything can be doubted except your own existence.
But I agree that if someone is an atheist but willing to search and reasonable on what to accept, one can get to at least Hope for God’s existence.
To deny the existence of a Creator God is contrary to reason. Our OP can start there.
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BenYosef
Guest
I’m a Reconstructionist Jew. I accept that God is real, but I don’t believe or have faith in God.
I don’t believe God is a Being. I don’t accept the Christian conviction that God is there for us to help us see through the bad times in life.
If God exists, it doesn’t matter if you or I believe in God. Your head is real, right? Do you go around believing in your head? Of course not. Real things don’t require belief or faith. They exist whether or not you believe in them.
For me, a Jew, the physical universe and all life is the result of a great Source. The universe, gravity, the gases that burn in the stars, all that is empowered by that great Source. My ancestors used “God-language” to describe the Source of the effect of what we know as life, existence, the universe–things which are very real. If the Effect is real, it’s Source must be real too. Neither requires belief or faith. You can witness them both.
But life is not better believing in God if God is not real. If you believed you had two heads it would be ridiculous and a waste. You would spend extra money buying food to feed the extra mouth and soap to wash its face, etc. You would comb its hair and pretend to talk to something that is not there. You would be acting crazy.
It is ridiculous to believe in fiction. Life is not better to do that.
While we may not have been rescued from slavery to Egypt exactly the way it is written from Scripture, we were rescued from the horrors of the concentration camps controlled by the Nazis and supported by the Axis World Powers.
Without army, dying, wasting away, we were rescued and returned to our land after 2000, while our enemies faced embarrassing defeat, one of their countries divided in two, and another defeated by having two nuclear bombs dropped on it. How did we survive and find freedom again while the massive armies of our enemies found nothing but death and devastation?
You don’t have to believe in history. World War II and the Holocaust and our return to Israel really happened. How did we survive against such odds? Did belief do it? Did fiction do it? Or was it Reality?
I don’t believe God is a Being. I don’t accept the Christian conviction that God is there for us to help us see through the bad times in life.
If God exists, it doesn’t matter if you or I believe in God. Your head is real, right? Do you go around believing in your head? Of course not. Real things don’t require belief or faith. They exist whether or not you believe in them.
For me, a Jew, the physical universe and all life is the result of a great Source. The universe, gravity, the gases that burn in the stars, all that is empowered by that great Source. My ancestors used “God-language” to describe the Source of the effect of what we know as life, existence, the universe–things which are very real. If the Effect is real, it’s Source must be real too. Neither requires belief or faith. You can witness them both.
But life is not better believing in God if God is not real. If you believed you had two heads it would be ridiculous and a waste. You would spend extra money buying food to feed the extra mouth and soap to wash its face, etc. You would comb its hair and pretend to talk to something that is not there. You would be acting crazy.
It is ridiculous to believe in fiction. Life is not better to do that.
While we may not have been rescued from slavery to Egypt exactly the way it is written from Scripture, we were rescued from the horrors of the concentration camps controlled by the Nazis and supported by the Axis World Powers.
Without army, dying, wasting away, we were rescued and returned to our land after 2000, while our enemies faced embarrassing defeat, one of their countries divided in two, and another defeated by having two nuclear bombs dropped on it. How did we survive and find freedom again while the massive armies of our enemies found nothing but death and devastation?
You don’t have to believe in history. World War II and the Holocaust and our return to Israel really happened. How did we survive against such odds? Did belief do it? Did fiction do it? Or was it Reality?
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thebible
Guest
For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved
Romans 10:13
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
You can believe in God too. Just call upon His name. You don’t have too be an atheist. There is a God who loves you so much that He gave His only Son Jesus to Earth to die for you,me,and everyone else. You do have a choice on believing God exists or God doesn’t exist through free will. You are not forced to be an atheist.
Romans 10:13
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
You can believe in God too. Just call upon His name. You don’t have too be an atheist. There is a God who loves you so much that He gave His only Son Jesus to Earth to die for you,me,and everyone else. You do have a choice on believing God exists or God doesn’t exist through free will. You are not forced to be an atheist.
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midori
Guest
Remember what God is-- God isn’t some old guy with a gray beard in the sky; he’s that without which everything else cannot exist.
Also remember what God is-- God is Love. And, as John puts it very nicely, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Without God, we’re not very nice people-- about the best we can manage is polite indifference.
Loving and serving those around us helps connect us with God, because we act as his hands on earth. There’s a void when we don’t do our parts, like a missing piece of puzzle, even if we don’t fully understand the extent of our influence on those around us. Feeding the hungry and comforting the sick are always a good place to start.
I remember going through a period where I knew stuff with my head, but I wasn’t feeling it with my heart. And the advice I was given was that it doesn’t matter if I can feel things with my heart or not— I need to keep doing what I’m supposed to be doing, even if there’s no tangible, immediate reward for it. But at the same time, it’s good to read the writings of the saints-- because they were people who Got It. They understood things far better than I ever could, and their relationship with God progressed far more than mine ever will. And so I could read what they wrote, and be happy that God was able to interact so clearly with their lives— and at the same time, despite that clarity, they were so often plagued by the same doubts and dryness that everyone else is!
Also remember what God is-- God is Love. And, as John puts it very nicely, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Without God, we’re not very nice people-- about the best we can manage is polite indifference.
Loving and serving those around us helps connect us with God, because we act as his hands on earth. There’s a void when we don’t do our parts, like a missing piece of puzzle, even if we don’t fully understand the extent of our influence on those around us. Feeding the hungry and comforting the sick are always a good place to start.I remember going through a period where I knew stuff with my head, but I wasn’t feeling it with my heart. And the advice I was given was that it doesn’t matter if I can feel things with my heart or not— I need to keep doing what I’m supposed to be doing, even if there’s no tangible, immediate reward for it. But at the same time, it’s good to read the writings of the saints-- because they were people who Got It. They understood things far better than I ever could, and their relationship with God progressed far more than mine ever will. And so I could read what they wrote, and be happy that God was able to interact so clearly with their lives— and at the same time, despite that clarity, they were so often plagued by the same doubts and dryness that everyone else is!
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lagerald24
Guest
If you would like some good, reasonable proofs for the existence of God, I would highly recommend Peter Kreeft’s work which you can find online at the link right here: Twenty Arguments God's Existence by Peter Kreeft (& Ronald K. Tacelli)
Just always remember, Jesus is a real person and died for you personally. He wants to be in a relationship with you, and wishes to bring you to Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, for He is all these things. God Bless you on your journey!
Just always remember, Jesus is a real person and died for you personally. He wants to be in a relationship with you, and wishes to bring you to Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, for He is all these things. God Bless you on your journey!
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Anne1964
Guest
I stopped believing in God as a child. I had a terrible childhood and there was no one to help me deal with it until I became an adult and found a good counselor.
I was away from the church for close to thirty years before I returned. All the time I was away I was searching for something greater than myself, something I could believe in. I explored many spiritual paths but nothing felt right and Like you, I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere.
When I first returned to the church I wasn’t sure it was for me. Everything about the church and belief in God felt so foreign. I have been back for 13 years and I do fit in here now, but it was a very gradual process and took a few years.
Are you familiar with Eucharistic Adoration where a consecrated Host is displayed for viewing by people? Look for a Eucharistic Adoration chapel near you and just go and sit in the chapel. You can talk to Jesus just like you would talk to another person. It’s ok to ask him to help you or to tell him about your doubts or how your day went, etc.
I was away from the church for close to thirty years before I returned. All the time I was away I was searching for something greater than myself, something I could believe in. I explored many spiritual paths but nothing felt right and Like you, I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere.
When I first returned to the church I wasn’t sure it was for me. Everything about the church and belief in God felt so foreign. I have been back for 13 years and I do fit in here now, but it was a very gradual process and took a few years.
Are you familiar with Eucharistic Adoration where a consecrated Host is displayed for viewing by people? Look for a Eucharistic Adoration chapel near you and just go and sit in the chapel. You can talk to Jesus just like you would talk to another person. It’s ok to ask him to help you or to tell him about your doubts or how your day went, etc.
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