Im not sure if I should be Catholic

[Torrance]

Ive been struggling for a while with my discernment about Catholicism. Ive was born Catholic but wasn’t an active participant. I didn’t get back into it until I was 17 years old and have been committed to it since then. However, I am currently 20 now and I am attending a Catholic university and I have learned many things about Catholicism that has got me concerned about my belief. I have been told many new things about Catholicism that has me questioning about what I should do. I dont wanna leave Catholicism at all, but I am concerned if Catholicism is even the right religion I am to follow from what I have been told. I have some Orthodox friends and they have told me that Catholic teachings and theology is inconsistent, our traditions have changed too much over time and arent right (such as Novus Ordo), the Catholic belief of essence-energies distinction is wrong compared to how the Orthodox see it, the Catholic belief on the trinity is wrong compared to how the Orthodox see it, and having a Pope/papal infallibility is wrong. All of these things I have no clue how to defend and comprehend has being right on the Catholic defense. I dont know anything that is wrong in the Orthodox church or religion to help defend my stance on Catholicism. I would really want to know things that is wrong with Orthodoxy because I know none. I really need help and am questioning if Catholicism is even right

 

[JHFamily]

I’m so glad to see that you aren’t ready to ditch Catholicism until you truly learn about it. I know so many people that left the Church based on what other sects taught them about Catholicism that were completely and utterly wrong.

I would suggest that you start with the Baltimore Catechism No. 3 along with the Explanations to the Baltimore Catechism. You can then move to The Quest for Happiness Series sold by Lepanto Press. These will teach you the very fundamentals of the Catholic faith, which unfortunately, are often not taught at Catholic universities; indeed, they are often belittled. At that point, you can really begin some higher level understanding and learning of the faith, which opens a whole world of things to you.

One book that might be particularly helpful right now to counter some of the things you are hearing/reading about Orthodoxy is Theology and Sanity by Frank Sheed. He does a really nice job in explaining the Trinity in this book.

Don’t forget that the use of reason is a fundamental part of our spiritual lives meant to be used and not suppressed.

Contrary to what your friends have claimed, the Orthodox has changed its teachings on contraception and divorce, among other items. There is no central authority, so jurisdictions are free to judge for themselves.

These are confusing times. There are some Catholics, for example, that argue that the Novus Ordo was a man-made construct rather than an organic development, without, however, saying it is invalid. Also, papal infallibility has a rather tight definition, which does not get used very often. The more you learn, the more you will understand. I hope you will search, for if you do, you will certainly find.

 

[MockSock]

Yes, you should be Catholic

 

[CroatCatholic]

What JHFamily and MockSock said.

Please, friend, trust in Our Lord. Do not leave the Church, but with love, patience and humility evangelize, correct and advise. Remember, the ones who will receive the crown are the ones who persevere.
So, dear friend, let us flee from Satan by comitting ourselves to Christ. Let us persevere in love, mercy, faith, doctrine, gentleness and humility. Trust in God and in His Church, do not be afraid.
For if we stand fast in our faith, doctrine and love, we have a sure hope that we will see our Lord if we do not give up. Let us finish this race, let us stand fast till the end.
If we fail 100 times, let us get up 101 times.
Pray, study, love and trust.
Peace!

 

[yankeesouth]

Pope/papal infallibility is wrong.

Well you should probably start here because it always comes down to Authority.

Check out a book called Jesus, Peter and the Keys:A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy.

 

[1ke]

Ive been struggling for a while with my discernment about Catholicism. Ive was born Catholic but wasn’t an active participant.

If you were baptized into the Catholic Church, you will always be a Catholic. It’s an ontological reality.

I didn’t get back into it until I was 17 years old and have been committed to it since then. However, I am currently 20 now and I am attending a Catholic university and I have learned many things about Catholicism that has got me concerned about my belief.

I’m sorry your parents didn’t give you better formation as a child. That is really unfortunate. However, if you go to a Catholic university, you should have some good resources available to you including your professors, the priests and others at the university.

I have some Orthodox friends and they have told me

You need to stop right there. First, if they are trying to confuse you and persuade you to leave the Church they are NOT your friends. And, you should STOP discussing religion with them if it is harming your faith. It is easy to tell half truths and twist things so as to confuse Catholics who are not well grounded in their faith. Until such time as you are well grounded, stay AWAY from these sorts of discussions.

Catholic teachings and theology is inconsistent, our traditions have changed too much over time and arent right (such as Novus Ordo)

Do you even know what “norvus ordo” is? And that it has NOTHING to do with theology? Your friends are ignorant and taking advantage of your own lack of knowledge here.

the Catholic belief of essence-energies

NO IDEA what this means?

Catholic belief on the trinity is wrong compared to how the Orthodox see it

Both Catholic and Orthodox believe in the Trinity. The Orthodox issues with aspects of the Creed in NO WAY means that Catholic belief is wrong.

and having a Pope/papal infallibility is wrong.

In their opinion.

All of these things I have no clue how to defend and comprehend has being right on the Catholic defense.

Stop trying to defend them. STOP talking about religion with these people.

What you need to do instead is study the Catholic faith in an organized and logical fashion, not jumping all over from topic to topic without context or background.

I really need help and am questioning if Catholicism is even right

And that’s a sad shame. I would encourage you to talk to your professors and get some study materials and IGNORE these so-called friends of yours.

 

[MPat]

I have been told many new things about Catholicism that has me questioning about what I should do.

Well, first of all, deal with one objection at a time, don’t let them overwhelm you by mere quantity.

Take one of them, consider it, ask about it in this forum.

I dont know anything that is wrong in the Orthodox church or religion to help defend my stance on Catholicism. I would really want to know things that is wrong with Orthodoxy because I know none.

Well, there are some things.

One of them is the lack of unity among the Eastern Orthodox. Currently there is a schism between Patriarchs of Moscow and Constantinople. It started because Patriarch of Constantinople recognised a separate Patriarchate of Kiev. For that matter, there is no clear process to solve this problem.

Then there is a matter of Russian Orthodox Church existing as a department of Russian government for a rather long time. And not merely metaphorically - the Most Holy Synod (that was a replacement for the Patriarch of Moscow in 1721-1918) was headed by Ober-Procurator, and, for example, the last of them were members of Provisional Government (after February Revolution).

Then there is an apparent lack of missionary activity by Eastern Orthodox, when compared with Catholic missionary activity.

That should be sufficient for a while.

 

[CelticWarlord]

I would really want to know things that is wrong with Orthodoxy because I know none.

I would gently suggest that instead of looking for what’s wrong elsewhere, look for what the Catholic Church itself genuinely teaches. For many years the Protestant churches I attended and read up on had many things to say about Catholicism, none of it positive. It wasn’t until I began researching on my own and wanting to know exactly what the Roman Catholic Church was about that I began to see that everything I had been told about Catholics, all by hostile non-Catholics, was very much in error. Never take someone else’s word for this sort of thing, but investigate for yourself. If the Catechism is too cumbersome you might find a very easy read in Catholicism for Dummies. It was of great help to me. Blessings to you.

 

[adamhovey1988]

born Catholic

I got some news for you, no matter what you decide to practice you’re still Catholic.

 

[Torrance]

Thank you so much! I will definitely look into the things you suggested

 

[jclarkson]

Just to give a little background to what I’m about to say, I was born into an Anglican family by name, but not really by practice. Other than for a short period of time, we didn’t attend church on a regular basis nor participate in parish-life. I now follow the Catholic faith.

First off, I suggest you set aside schism, papal infallibility, Novos Ordo, Vatican II and all that other stuff for one minute. This will allow you to address the underlying question you asked.

The way I made the choice to follow the Catholic faith (knowing that Catholicism is the right way) was to follow the line back to Jesus.

What I mean by this is Jesus started the Catholic church. I don’t think there’s many that will debate this point.

From there, nearly 1,000 years later the Eastern Orthodox group broke off. And then I think there was Mennonites followed by Lutherans. Then we had Anglican, Presbyterian etc etc etc. There must be a thousand different sects or religious bodies now descended from the one Catholic church.

I looked at that and thought about what caused the formation of these different bodies. I of course have not researched every single one, but I saw a bit of a theme - they formed due to men having disagreements about how things should be done. Take the Anglican church formed by King Henry VIII. My understanding is that he formed the Anglican church because he couldn’t do what he wanted to do. IF you believe in God, Jesus, Christianity etc how can the Anglican teachings be correct?

Once I came to the conclusion that the Catholic church was the right path, I then addressed the other issues you mention in your post and am in the process of making my decision about where I am going to move forward.

Anyone reading this, please understand that I am not a religious scholar and these may seem super simple thought processes. I also know I haven’t articulated this particularly well, but I hope it explains a short part of my journey.

 

[new-kirishitan]

I think the Orthodox church is in a state of mess. First of all, there’s no systematic church governing, especially when it comes to doctrine, because each patriarch pretty much gets to decide whatever he wants. It is very loosely organized, unlike the Catholic Church. In the Catholic Church, we have the pope as the top man who governs the entire Church. The Orthodox churches instead, doesn’t have such kind of a figure. The Patriarch of Constantinople is merely the “first among equals”. He has no authority over any other patriarchs. And then there’s a schism that happened in 2018, when the Russian Orthodox Church broke away from the rest. In addition, the canonization process in the Orthodox Church sounds like a joke to me. Correct me if I’m wrong, but each Orthodox church can pretty much claim someone to be a saint, and there’s even a church in Russia that canonized Stalin! So even though the Orthodox Church should be the second after the Catholic Church when it comes to the fullness of the Christian faith, I seriously doubt its credibility as a whole, because the Orthodox churches themselves are quite split.

 

[Minks]

I’m curious, @new-kirishitan, as to what kind of ethics these “friends” have. They sought admittance to a Catholic University, and, as students there, expect a Catholic University degree, once they’ve fulfilled the scholastic requirements, and all the while they’re matriculating there, they’re seriously badmouthing the Catholic faith? Sounds like a Freemason stunt.

 

[rosejmj]

You need to stop right there. First, if they are trying to confuse you and persuade you to leave the Church they are NOT your friends. And, you should STOP discussing religion with them if it is harming your faith. I

I would disagree that that necessarily makes them bad friends. They could really just care about the spiritual well being of the OP and think their faith is true. Is a Catholic who defends their faith in a discussion about religion with Protestant or non-catholic friends not a real friend just because what they say may make their friends question their faith? From what we know the OP does not know what is true and they must do the searching to find out for themselves even if that means becoming Orthodox

 

[rosejmj]

You don’t have to be Catholic to go to a Catholic University. I’d say most Catholic Universities are only Catholic by name and most o the professors don’t even believe or teach what the Church believes

 

[Minks]

I realize and agree with the points that you made. Nonetheless, I expect greater integrity from people claiming to have their brand of religious training. They fall short of honorable by my standards.

 

[ReaderT]

First of all, there’s no systematic church governing, especially when it comes to doctrine, because each patriarch pretty much gets to decide whatever he wants.

Our doctrines are actually quite old and we have been doing the same things since the very beginning. We even still fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, which was written in the Didache (100 AD). Our Sunday Liturgy was written in the 300s and we’ve used it every Sunday for the last 1,600 years non-stop.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but each Orthodox church can pretty much claim someone to be a saint, and there’s even a church in Russia that canonized Stalin!

There was one (uneducated) priest that put a picture of Stalin with a halo in his church. It was certainly not official canonization. Don’t you also have Catholic priests who occasionally do silly things?

 

[new-kirishitan]

I’ve seen plenty of unethical people taking advantage of others, so this doesn’t surprise me. Growing up among the Chinese, I’ve seen quite a few staunchly anti-Christian Chinese immigrants going to local churches to get free food and then selling it to make money. And if you ask them why do they pick churches in particular, their answer would most likely be “Christians are nice and dumb, so they are easy to take advantage of compared to the others.” So yes, it’s very common for unethical people to take advantage of others, just like the example you’ve given me.

 

[Minks]

@Torrance +++Please come back and talk with us. It’s concerning that you are obviously disturbed by these people who claim to be your friends. I can understand that, if they think their church is the true church, they’d try to bring you aboard with them, but don’t be suckered into their arguments. Tell them there’s a whole world of topics that you guys can discuss, but religion isn’t one of them; repeat as many times as necessary. Be insistent and be consistent. If they refuse to respect your wishes, walk away or leave the site or chat room.

I’m sorry that you did’t receive a good grounding in the Catholic faith, because insecurity is now yanking your chains. You owe it to yourself here on earth—and to your everlasting soul and where it shall finally rest for all eternity—to get the skinny on what Catholicism truly is, not what other people falsely claim, however sincere they may be.

Read these sources that others have suggested here. As @jclarkson suggested, go back to the source of all Christendom: Jesus Christ. What did He say, repeatedly, during His lifetime? What did He say, especially to the apostles at the Last Supper, and after He miraculously left His tomb? What did He promise, to ONLY that first Church which became known as the Catholic Church?

As soon as you possibly can, call your priest! Tell him exactly what you’ve told us. Ask him where you should start. Keep coming back here with questions. Hunt for an online RCIA class. The Internet is a constant Christmas morning with all kinds of good info!

As for essences and energies, stay sway from that! It’s not only anti-Catholic (no matter what you’re told), it’s just not good for you (no matter what you’re told). Seek Catholic friends. Ask your priest if he knows other Catholic college students with whom you might interact with online and by phone until this virus is under control.

Best wishes to you!

 

[adamhovey1988]

There’s a lot of good that Orthodoxy has in it, but a lot of this anti Latin polemics, yeah that kind of needs to stop. This is something I have actually discussed before I think on these very forums. I’m very skeptical of claims like first amongst equals, especially since I see no historical evidence of it , but I don’t go around telling Orthodox that Orthodoxy isn’t true, because where it agrees with Catholicism, it definitely is. And if they want to say that Catholics have changed over time, we’re not the ones that started allowing divorce and remarriage. How something changes externally, it does not mean it has changed internally. There is no unifying Authority in Orthodoxy, other than Churches saying that they are Orthodox.