If I'm not Catholic, then what am I?

[TBolt1000T]

This question is for all Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians on this board. I’d love to have your oppinion on this.

I don’t know if I can be Catholic, because I cannot accept everything that the Church teaches. For one, I can’t accept the teaching that if I commit a grave sin, that Jesus Christ’s forgiveness isn’t enough, and I have to go through a priest, or I’ll go to Hell. I also can’t accept the Catholic teachings about holy days of obligation, because it seems to contradict scripture. I also have great trouble accepting that things like masterbation are sinful, let alone mortal sins.

Now that I’ve said all of this, I’ll say what I do agree with in the Catholic Church. I definitely agree that abortion is murder, because there’s plenty of evidence to support that for me. I sit on the fence when it comes to birth control though. I agree with most of the Catholic teachings about Mary. I believe that she’s the mother of the Church and Mother of God, that there’s nothing wrong with asking her to pray for me, and I believe that the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption are very possibly true, because of Marian apparitions that support them. Whether I’m Catholic or not, I still desire to pray the Rosary, and possibly have other Marian devotions. I don’t have a problem with the sacrament of Confession, because of John 20:21-23, but I also think that Jesus Christ’s forgiveness is just as good or better than absolution from a priest. I also believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

So, if I’m not Catholic, then what am I? Should I try an Orthodox church?

 

[inJESUS]

This question is for all Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians on this board. I’d love to have your oppinion on this.

I don’t know if I can be Catholic, because I cannot accept everything that the Church teaches. For one, I can’t accept the teaching that if I commit a grave sin, that Jesus Christ’s forgiveness isn’t enough, and I have to go through a priest, or I’ll go to Hell.

allow to ask a similar question. Can you get married without a priest?

the priest is an instrument of God, it is not the priest doing it but Jesus through the priest. After all, Jesus gave them authority, or didn’t He?

 

[jfallaw]

This question is for all Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians on this board. I’d love to have your oppinion on this.

I don’t know if I can be Catholic, because I cannot accept everything that the Church teaches. For one, I can’t accept the teaching that if I commit a grave sin, that Jesus Christ’s forgiveness isn’t enough, and I have to go through a priest, or I’ll go to Hell. I also can’t accept the Catholic teachings about holy days of obligation, because it seems to contradict scripture. I also have great trouble accepting that things like masterbation are sinful, let alone mortal sins.

Now that I’ve said all of this, I’ll say what I do agree with in the Catholic Church. I definitely agree that abortion is murder, because there’s plenty of evidence to support that for me. I sit on the fence when it comes to birth control though. I agree with most of the Catholic teachings about Mary. I believe that she’s the mother of the Church and Mother of God, that there’s nothing wrong with asking her to pray for me, and I believe that the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption are very possibly true, because of Marian apparitions that support them. Whether I’m Catholic or not, I still desire to pray the Rosary, and possibly have other Marian devotions. I don’t have a problem with the sacrament of Confession, because of John 20:21-23, but I also think that Jesus Christ’s forgiveness is just as good or better than absolution from a priest. I also believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

So, if I’m not Catholic, then what am I? Should I try an Orthodox church?

Hmm. Well I think it’s safe to say that most Protestant churches will tell you that Christ will not forgive a sin if you willfully do it and are not truly repentant. It would be too easy for someone to willingly sin all their life and then do the old ‘forgive me Jesus I’m so sorry’ thing on their deathbed. Why should Christ, who knows your heart, forgive you of something you are not really sorry about? So it’s not a matter of Jesus’ forgiveness not being enough, it’s a matter of truly being repentant. So no, even just relying on Jesus’ forgiveness might not always work. (Not all who say, ‘Lord, Lord’ will see heaven [Matt 7, 21-23])The Church’s teaching on confession is more complicated than what I’m saying, of course, but think of it this way- would you be willing to confess your deepest, darkest sins to a priest if you were not truly repentant? Anyone can say, ‘forgive me Jesus’, because, honestly, alot of people feel more comfortable doing that than actually confessing their sins to someone that they must see every Sunday (The fact that Jesus is always present and knows everything you do sometimes seems like less of a motivating factor- after all, you don’t SEE Him). Obviously confession is scriptural- John 20, 21-23 is the main source. Most Protestants choose to interpret a different way simply because they feel that their relationship with Jesus should be totally personal- that nobody else should have a right to be involved in it.

About Holy Days of Obligation- that really just comes down to whether you believe Christ gave authority to His Church. All Christians celebrate Christmas, and most consider it sort of a holy day of obligation- so much so that most businesses close on that day so that people can celebrate Christ’s birth. The Bible nowhere mentions that we should celebrate Christ’s birth every year, but we do anyway, and would feel horrible if we were not allowed to. The Bible nowhere says that we should gather at Church every Sunday, but you would be hard pressed to find a Protestant church that doesn’t basically command it. I know a few Protestant preachers who will tell you that if you don’t, you might be in danger of hell. The point is that you trust your spiritual leaders to look after your spiritual well-being, because they have devoted their lives to doing just that.

As to things like masturbation- when you masturbate, you are committing the sin of lust, which Jesus clearly warned against in the Bible. If you can masturbate without lusting after someone, then I’m afraid you have a very serious mental illness and should seek out a psychiatrist.

Keep asking questions, and ask people more knowledgable and literate that I am lol! Questions are good- they show that you truly desire understanding and that you wish to be united to Christ in the way that He would want.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

I can remember being pretty much where you are. In talking to a friend about it (another convert who came from a similar background) she pointed out to me that my real, underlying issue is Authority. Either you accept that the Church was given authority by Christ and is led by His Holy Spirit, or you make yourself your own Pope of your own Church.

Another wise friend (also a convert) said that during her conversion process when she encountered a doctrine she didn’t understand the reasonings for, or just flat didn’t agree with, she realized that the Church has had 2000 years to think about this stuff and who is she to say she knows better?

I see that you are in RCIA. Lots of these things will be covered through the class, just be patient. If God is calling you to be Catholic, HE WILL make you Catholic.

 

[Ag_not]

Avoid creating a shopping around system. Don’t make this a pick and chose exercise, where YOU decide whats acceptable or not and then go shopping for a faith that will accommodate what YOU believe.

It’s hard. But stick with your RCIA and ask questions of the catechist and your priest. They should be able to give you full and comprehensive answers.

If the answers dont suit you, then pray for the grace to understand and accept the teachings of Mother Church.

Ive had a REAL hard time with the chastity issues. But since having my heart opened to God, Ive come to realise the teaching in the catechism right. Now I could make all sorts of arguements as to why its wrong, or dumb, but where will that get me? When you read and research the churches teachings properly you realise that what She is doing is freeing you from a type of slavery to your own desires. And the discipline and self control are liberating. Dont get me wrong - I struggle like you wouldnt believe every day !!! But Im free and getting more free every day. And another thing I thought about as Im dealing with this - do I really want to receive the Body of Christ with a hand and fingers that has been doing THAT !!!
No. The Churches teaching is right on the money.

Forgiveness - ONLY Christ can forgive our sins. But we receive this through His priests, as they have been given the authority here on earth to absolve in His Name. You also have the added bonus of getting some spiritual direction and support from another human being. To me, thats much more attractive than just saying sorry in your bedroom.

Holy Days of Obligation - I just wish I could make every day a Holy day and get to mass every day. Whether it’s in the Bible or not.

I hope you stick with your journey and get your questions answered so you can stay on the straight and narrow.

Bruxilda.

 

[gookykookypig]

If you don’t feel like catholic, try sitting on the front pews.

 

[fbl9]

If you don’t feel like catholic, try sitting on the front pews.

lol,our preist is always complaining he is lonely,getting old and feeble of sight(can’t see to the back),or his voice is too weak to be heard waaay back there…now to the OP like others have said it is a matter of humbling yourself when recieving the sacrement of reconcillation.Also it is Jesus Himself forgiving you,the priest is the face of Christ,so to speak…would you not be on your knees confessing if it were Jesus risen Himslef standing before you?

 

[PraRFLEsEkHm]

Hi

I guess I can chime in, since I also had problems with some of these things during my conversion

Forgiveness - Of Course the forgiveness of Jesus is enough - it is ALWAYS Him who forgives you. If you can make a perfect act of contrition, absolution in the standard form is not needed (although encouraged).

Confession to the Priest is there for Humility. We need to be made Humble. Seeing our flaws and confessing them to the Priest not only gives us humility, it gives us Graces not to commit that sin again, or at least not commit it as soon - sometimes conquering sin takes time. Accepting that God made things this way for our own good, and acting on that - is the first step towards humility.

Believe me – the first time you make confession, feel that weight lifted off of your shoulders and feel the Love of Christ inside - you’ll want to go every Saturday whether you need it or not!

Holy Days of Obligation - Christmas and Easter are kind of Self-explanatory. Other days are in place more in relation to the Communion of Saints. We go to honor the saints in heaven, ask for their prayers formally, and to have communion with them. (Not communion in the Eucharist - but a shared communion if you get my meaning) I would be interested to hear how you see this as contradictory to Scripture?

Masturbation - Like someone else said - part of the problem is the lustful thoughts involved. But more to the point is the idea of mis-using something that God has given us to honor Him through it’s proper use, which is with your spouse. The whole purpose of our life here on earth is to be members of Gods Family, and Family is the central idea of everything the Church stands for. Abusing something which God has given to create that family, and essentially wasting it - is negating the possibility of life, and more to the point - telling God that you are not interested in what He wants, you are only interested in pleasing yourself - rather than Him. That is the reason it is a Mortal Sin, not only is it disobedience in itself - it is an affront to the whole purpose of our being, and the purpose to which God has called us.

Hope this helped a little, if it did - Glory to God

Peace

John

 

[runandsew]

If you don’t feel like catholic, try sitting on the front pews.

Be warned. When sitting in the front pew, you really should know when to stand and kneel, because everyone sitting behind you will follow your lead.
It can be quite embarrassing. Like when you keep singing that last verse of the song, which no one else in the church is, and you get halfway through it before you figure out that you are the only one singing.

 

[tee]

Uooh…my turn to give my take on the questions.

Reconciliation - this is more than just humbling yourself. This is a sacrament. God gives to the church is his sacraments, such as the anointing of the sick, marriage, priesthood, and reconciliation, etc. The point is you go to the priest to receive the sacrament that Jesus institutes. When the priest says “I absolve you from your sins” he is in fact calling the Holy Spirit down on you granting you more grace. That’s why the Church encourage you to go to the confession as much as possible to receive this wonderful grace.

Holy Day of Obligation - well, think it like this, you have family reunion and your family is very important to you but that day you don’t feel like going. However, knowing that you’re going to a reunion to celebrate the togetherness of your family and to make your family happy, will you go? Well, the Church point of making it a Holy Day of Obligation is to emphasize the importance of the day, so that you know it’s not just any other day.

Masturbation - most people already said it, it’s the sin of lust. Why do you masturbate? Isn’t it because it gives you pleasure or because you were just cold? So, the core idea of faith that Jesus wants from us is to be free, and that means to be able to control our desire and passion, and act on will and not emotion. Because emotion can leads us astray.

Contraception - God said, go and be fruitful and multiply, he didn’t say go and have just 2 or 3 fruits and if you feel like traffic is getting bad it means you got to stop. On top of that, God creates our body to be used in a loving way not in a selfish way. When we use contraception, we are being selfish because we are thinking of our quality of life not God’s wish. We are putting us before God.

That’s my take on it anyway. Hope that makes sense.

 

[TeresaElizabeth]

So, if I’m not Catholic, then what am I?

You are God’s beloved! He has you on a precious journey with Him. Trust Him as you wait to see where He wants you to go.

P.S. Faith is a gift from God. Ask, and you shall receive…

~TE

 

[Rightlydivide]

You asked a question…
I saw that you are from Louisville which has an abundance of options.
They would have Old Catholic churches (probably small parishes), Orthodox, etc.
Your theology, while maybe not Roman Catholic, would point you towards these, break out the yellow pages and take a look around.

 

[fbl9]

This question is for all Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians on this board. I’d love to have your oppinion on this.

I don’t know if I can be Catholic, because I cannot accept everything that the Church teaches. For one, I can’t accept the teaching that if I commit a grave sin, that Jesus Christ’s forgiveness isn’t enough, and I have to go through a priest, or I’ll go to Hell. I also can’t accept the Catholic teachings about holy days of obligation, because it seems to contradict scripture. I also have great trouble accepting that things like masterbation are sinful, let alone mortal sins.

Now that I’ve said all of this, I’ll say what I do agree with in the Catholic Church. I definitely agree that abortion is murder, because there’s plenty of evidence to support that for me. I sit on the fence when it comes to birth control though. I agree with most of the Catholic teachings about Mary. I believe that she’s the mother of the Church and Mother of God, that there’s nothing wrong with asking her to pray for me, and I believe that the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption are very possibly true, because of Marian apparitions that support them. Whether I’m Catholic or not, I still desire to pray the Rosary, and possibly have other Marian devotions. I don’t have a problem with the sacrament of Confession, because of John 20:21-23, but I also think that Jesus Christ’s forgiveness is just as good or better than absolution from a priest. I also believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

So, if I’m not Catholic, then what am I? Should I try an Orthodox church?

first you say that you don’t feel you need to go through a priest for forgivennes then you state you don’t have a problem with confession…which is it?
holy days of obilgation…what’s unscriptual about them?
mb not mortal sin?then what is it then?..you are indeed a catholic no matter what you try to say you are…or beleive…

 

[FollowTheWay]

The Lord doesnt want you to be catholic, protestant, etc. (the religions) he wants you to be his, he made us free men why be slaves to mans religion.

Only Jesus can forgive sins, ill always remember those times I used go to a priest and he told me my sins were forgiven for all the things I had just done and I went right back to work on messing up my life, I had the wrong guy.

 

[FollowTheWay]

I also forgot to mention that yes you can get married without a priest, it used to be as simple as the man and woman having dinner with the womans father then the 2 having sex that night. Now days you can go to a judge (because your supposed to be legal)

 

[mercygate]

I also forgot to mention that yes you can get married without a priest, it used to be as simple as the man and woman having dinner with the womans father then the 2 having sex that night. Now days you can go to a judge (because your supposed to be legal)

Such an arrangement in itself would not satisfy the conditions of Christian marriage in most settings, and it would certainly not meet the Catholic standard. Part of what happens in the ceremony for Christians is the public witness to the community and the commitment of the community to the couple.

The “matter” of the Catholic sacrament is the consent of the couple. For a Christian/Catholic marriage, that consent must include knowing what you are consenting to.

While the Church presumes a civil marriage of non-Catholics to be valid, if the couple sought admission to the Church, they would be queried on their understanding of marriage, and the marriage would then be either convalidated or given a radical sanation.

 

[FollowTheWay]

Such an arrangement in itself would not satisfy the conditions of Christian marriage in most settings, and it would certainly not meet the Catholic standard. Part of what happens in the ceremony for Christians is the public witness to the community and the commitment of the community to the couple.

The “matter” of the Catholic sacrament is the consent of the couple. For a Christian/Catholic marriage, that consent must include knowing what you are consenting to.

While the Church presumes a civil marriage of non-Catholics to be valid, if the couple sought admission to the Church, they would be queried on their understanding of marriage, and the marriage would then be either convalidated or given a radical sanation.

Im not part of the Catholic religion, just like the Jews werent in the old testament and they got married the way I described

 

[Genesis315]

Jesus’ forgiveness *is *all that’s necessary. But we cannot demand it on our terms, but rather we seek it the way He has willed. If you refuse to accept His forgiveness unless you get it the way you want it, yes, you will go to Hell–that’s the height of pride.

 

[Alexius]

Most of the issues you have with Catholic teaching you will also have with the Orthodox as well. These are apostolic teachings universal among the ancient churches.

I believe that in time, GOD will lead you to Truth.

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[mark_a]

I also have great trouble accepting that things like masterbation are sinful, let alone mortal sins.

I believe this to be the root of your post.

Its a sin and needs to be confessed. Confession is very humbling and an excellent deterent.

Here’s a link to the traditional Jewish teaching carried on by the Catholic Church to this day:

ccli.org/nfp/morality/bible.php