I'm confused, how am I going to hell for this?

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back2l17

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I went to a Catholic elementary school and am no longer Catholic. I have a question though. When I went to that school, I had an out of body experience. I didn’t know what it was called at the time of course, I was only 8! I was in 3rd grade when the teacher called on me to answer a math question and I said something like, I missed the question, I saw the top of my head. I was floating by the ceiling. She sent me to talk to the new Monsignor, who told me, “You’re going to hell.”

Even though I was very religious and had wanted to be a nun at the time, I decided not to be Catholic. I ended up spending a lot of time with my Buddhist grandfather. I just thought about it recently though. How exactly, in Catholicism, does my experience equate damnation? It wasn’t something I tried to do, I wasn’t even aware of what it was. He could have at least chosen his words a little more carefully to an impressionable child.

I just went to church this morning for the first time in years, albeit a different church.
–Lori
 
There’s no way an out of body experience would lead to damnation. We don’t even have a firm grasp of what causes those experiences, so that’s ridiculous. Maybe the guy was just superstitious.
 
For anyone to go to hell, according to catholic teaching, he must be in a state of mortal sin upon death. Mortal sin is sin that is must fulfil this criteria 1)it must be of grave matter 2)one must have full knowledge of what he/she is going to be doing 3) be consenting 100% to it.

So your out of body experience has nothing to do with whether you are going to hell or not. It is what you do with your emotions and feelings that count.
 
back2l17 said:
I went to a Catholic elementary school and am no longer Catholic. I have a question though. When I went to that school, I had an out of body experience. I didn’t know what it was called at the time of course, I was only 8! I was in 3rd grade when the teacher called on me to answer a math question and I said something like, I missed the question, I saw the top of my head. I was floating by the ceiling. She sent me to talk to the new Monsignor, who told me, “You’re going to hell.”

Even though I was very religious and had wanted to be a nun at the time, I decided not to be Catholic. I ended up spending a lot of time with my Buddhist grandfather. I just thought about it recently though. How exactly, in Catholicism, does my experience equate damnation? It wasn’t something I tried to do, I wasn’t even aware of what it was. He could have at least chosen his words a little more carefully to an impressionable child.

I just went to church this morning for the first time in years, albeit a different church.
–Lori
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This story makes no sense. Either the Monsignor was completely nuts, or part of the story is missing. Maybe he thought you were lying in order to get out of trouble? If that were the case though, he would have probably explained how lying is a grave sin and not just said, “You’re going to hell.” Perhaps you don’t remember everything that was actually said and are only remembering your impression of what was said?
 
Priests, even monsignors, are just men. Men make mistakes, and sin. I don’t know what he was thinking of, or what he might have intended to mean, but you can’t be doomed to hell for ANYTHING. If you go to Confession, any sin can be forgiven.

I don’t see any sin in what you related. Probably the priest thought you were lying. Many people don’t believe in out of body experiences, except those induced by drugs, brain injuries, etc.

Please don’t let that bad experience keep you from coming home to the Church if you feel the Holy Spirit leading you that way. I’m sure lots of people can remember some childhood injustice received from an adult. I can, and I can still remember my feelings about how unfair it was. It’s very intense. But he was one man, and it will help you if you try to forgive him for what he said to you.

God bless you!

–Jen
 
I am so sorry to hear this happened to you! 😦 Please give the Catholic Faith another chance. Take some time to study it and learn about it, and pray for God to guide you. Try to find another priest to talk to about what happened when you were a child, and ask God for the grace to forgive that priest back then. He probably acted in ignorance because he didn’t really understand what was going on with you. And it hits a child really hard to hear something like that at a tender age.

I will pray for you that this bad memory will be healed and you can go forward and hopefully return to the Catholic Church and have it be a joyful experience for you! :getholy:
 
I don’t believe you had an out of body experience and I don’t believe the priest told you you were going to hell.
 
Dont pay any attention to him (OR the 2 posts before this)

Its them who should be worrying
 
I don’t understand how all these people leave Catholicism because of one bad and/or stupid person. Don’t you realize that all religions have those kinds of folks?
 
nobody knows where your soul will go other than God

even if the Bishop of Rome said your going to hell its not up to him its up to God

don’t let it bother you , even Monsignors are just men which are all very capable of error which it seems like he did based on your story
 
rafarose said:
For anyone to go to hell, according to catholic teaching, he must be in a state of mortal sin upon death. Mortal sin is sin that is must fulfil this criteria 1)it must be of grave matter 2)one must have full knowledge of what he/she is going to be doing 3) be consenting 100% to it.
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Where does it say this?
 
Isaiah_53 said:
Where does it say this?
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From the Catechism, Part 3, Section 1, Chapter 1, paragraphs 1857
1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”
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back2l17 said:
I went to a Catholic elementary school and am no longer Catholic. I have a question though. When I went to that school, I had an out of body experience. I didn’t know what it was called at the time of course, I was only 8! I was in 3rd grade when the teacher called on me to answer a math question and I said something like, I missed the question, I saw the top of my head. I was floating by the ceiling. She sent me to talk to the new Monsignor, who told me, “You’re going to hell.”

Even though I was very religious and had wanted to be a nun at the time, I decided not to be Catholic. I ended up spending a lot of time with my Buddhist grandfather. I just thought about it recently though. How exactly, in Catholicism, does my experience equate damnation? It wasn’t something I tried to do, I wasn’t even aware of what it was. He could have at least chosen his words a little more carefully to an impressionable child.

I just went to church this morning for the first time in years, albeit a different church.
–Lori
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Hi Lori, thanks for sharing that.

Unless the Monsignor is Almighty God (which, for some reason, I highly doubt), he doesn’t have a clue what your eternal destination will be.

In fact, the Church has never proclaimed anyone to be damned (except the Devil, but that’s by the by), not even Judas. So I wouldn’t take that event too seriously. Even Monsignors can have a bad day!

However, I encourage you to continue looking more into the Catholic faith. Ask any questions you want on this forum and hopefully we’ll be able to help.

God bless you.

Jonathan
 
empther said:
I don’t believe you had an out of body experience and I don’t believe the priest told you you were going to hell.
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It is highly unlikely that either of those things actually happened, however, it’s certainly possible that the OP is accurately describing what he remembers based on how he felt and what he understood the priest to mean. Small children often only hear every third word you say to them, expecially when they are very riled up over a percieved injustice. Every teacher or principal has a student who spends a whole lesson being a clown and interrupting the lesson with smart-aleck talking out until the teacher gets fed up and gives him a consequence. By the time the student gets home they are convinced that Mr. So-and-so gave him a detention just because he asked a question.
 
latingirl said:
I don’t understand how all these people leave Catholicism because of one bad and/or stupid person. Don’t you realize that all religions have those kinds of folks?
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She was 8! Why would a child want to stay in a religion that seemed so ugly. For those who don’t believe her, you might just be too trusting. There are plenty of priest in the past that would and have said things like that.

I grew up in a Jesuit parish and school and our priest were so kind and wonderful, like Fr, Mulcahy from “MASH”; however, other some of the other schools had much meaner priest, so mean that when we had our high school retreats, the kids from the other catholic grade schools were too afraid to go to face to face confessions, which had just started. Most didn’t leave the church, but did affect how they viewed the church.
 
empther said:
I don’t believe you had an out of body experience and I don’t believe the priest told you you were going to hell.
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Thats not really my problem, now is it? Your choice to believe me or not. After all, we all have free will.

latingirl, of course all religions have bad apples. But those bad apples shouldn’t be the ones in positions of authority.

Shelbysun you are right. It wasn’t the only thing that caused me to leave Catholicism but it did raise questions and doubts for me since he was a figure of authority.

Allegra. The “OP” is female. He said that and sent me back to class. He didn’t explain anything. I also thought it odd that he didn’t assign me any type of punishment.

Monsignor was new to the church at this time and the previous Father had been there a long time - in fact he was the same priest who baptized me. I remember him being a kind man. My family still goes to the same church and while I would go back to church, I just wouldn’t go back to that church.
 
back2l17 said:
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latingirl, of course all religions have bad apples. But those bad apples shouldn’t be the ones in positions of authority.
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But in other religions they are. I can tell you personally about a baptist pastor who spoke slurs against Jews from the pulpit, the same pastor ended up in jail for having sex with a minor. I have heard of Rabbi’s abusing children and Evangelical Pastors laundering money. It’s the human condition and if you wish to be in a place free of corruption or stupid people in authority, it’s never ever going to happen anywhere.

Maybe I’m confused, when you say “that” church are you speaking of that parish or the Catholic Church. Because, I had a new priest in my parish I didn’t like and just switched parishes. I TOTALLY understand if you never want to go back to that parish again! But leaving the entire Catholic religion because of this would be stupid. If I am grossly misunderstanding this, please forgive me. You would have every right to leave that parish.
 
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