Is anyone here a positive Catholic?

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I actually feel it’s this forum that creates such a spirit of cynicalism as it certainly doesn’t exist among the communities who follow those speakers you just mentioned. Others like Bishop Barron, even older speakers such as the Great Bishop Fulton Sheen. While it is a dark time for the Church it is also a golden era for the Church in the media that is getting it’s message around to millions daily and all i see is positivity from those who use this medium to express their faith
 
I haven’t been on Catholic Forums enough to know, I guess. Or possibly I always assume those who are being negative toward the Catholic faith aren’t the Catholics, but are here to troll?
 
St.Leonard said:
All the protestants I have known don’t feel abandoned and they always have their prayers answered even the big ones.
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God is not a vending machine. Do not be deceived. I spent 30 years as a Protestant. Pretty much everyone I know is Protestant. I know no one gets everything they ask God for.
 
St.Leonard said:
All the protestants I have known don’t feel abandoned and they always have their prayers answered even the big ones.
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All the Catholics in my family feel the exact same way. And I also know some Protestants who have felt abandoned.

Whether one feels God is responsive to prayers (including when he says “No” or “Wait”) is more a reflection of one’s personal relationship with God than whether you are praying Catholic or Protestant prayers.
 
I am an abnormally optimistic person. I often say that I’ve never seen a silver lining because I always overlook the clouds. This carries over to my faith life - I’ve read the book, I know how it ends. (Spoiler alert) We win! God has triumphed and all we have to do is accept the fruits of His triumph.

I don’t respond well to doom-and-gloom-and-the-sky-is-falling. Ironically, my wife is a world class worrier. If she’s not worried about something, she’s worried that she should be worrying. What’s that about opposites attracting? We’ve been happily married for more than 30 years.

Are there problems in the Church? Yes. The world? Yes. In my life? Yes.

Do I need to worry more about the problems? Probably.

But in the end for me, God is still God and the joy and hope that my Catholic faith brings me overwhelms the world, the flesh, and the devil.

So, yes, I’m a positive Catholic. You could say I’m positively positive that I am a positive Catholic.
 
We are all giving our life to a faith that believes a dead man (Jesus) came back to life, so we should all have hope and faith in God. The Church transcends time, and will be here regardless of what is going on in our broken world.
 
Please don’t take the thread off topic. If you would like to further discuss God’s responses to prayers, a topic we also have many, many past threads on, please start a new thread. Thank you.
 
St.Leonard, yes, I see you are new and that was aimed at you. Your comments were going off topic and that is not something that CAF likes happening. So, someone gave you a heads up. Why not start a new thread about your thoughts?
 
Im very happy and joyful with all the good things the catholic church has done for me with Christ the head. My mind , heart , intellect , relationships were given a new lease of life after i abandoned all the past intellectual furnitures i subscribed to for help.

I do find this forum to be very toxic which is sad . Considering how much of the world already shuns us for our good beliefs.
My deepest sadness stems from being bullied and discriminated by protestants over a span of 15 years. Not a day passes with me remembering all those words ring in my head over and over.
 
I think most posts are positive in tone. That said, people are less inclined to post about subjects about which there is general agreement like “mass was just as I like and expect it to be today”. Topics involving questions, confusion, complain or controversy are generally just more interesting. Consider how you take it, too…the post may be focused on solving a problem or seeking advice, but that differs from complaining.

Also, I think most bloggers either have a legit question and are seeking answers, have a problem and want advice, or are interested in lively intellectual debate and discourse. I come here for all three.

Nobody posts about the mundane, with which they are satisfied but about which they aren’t inclined to talk.
 
@Kindnessmatters, I found your post to be totally satisfying and mundane. And positive in tone. 😉
 
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The graph I saw was in the U.S., not worldwide.

I will see if I can locate it.
 
TheLittleLady said:
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7_Sorrows:
Sadly I read that since the year 2000 conversions to
Catholicism has dropped 46% in the United States.
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Source for this?

Cara Stats:

https://cara.georgetown.edu/frequently-requested-church-statistics/
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@TheLittleLady

I receive e-mails from NOR. It was within this e-mail
I saw the article. Unfortunately, I can only access the page within so many days. I tried to pull up the article
to see who did the study, but could not. As I said, it
deals only with the U.S.
 
I have to agree here. I asked serious questions before, but why when your very likely to get judgement, retaliation, and basically broadsided every time. There is no benefit to anyone.

My honest opinion, and I’m trying to say this with charity, I think if people here would like a mire optimistic forum don’t unload on every poster with both barrels. Why the presumption of negative intent? Why the retaliation?

I’m pretty optimistic about faith tbh. And I’ve had many good experiences with the Catholic Church specifically. I’ve had a few bad though too.

I think we need some humility to face our weaknesses if we want to change the tone. This is hard for all of us. But we also must be realistic about our current state. I think the Catholic Church really has some reforming to do. This is going to take some work, humility, and crosses. Its not hopeless God is forgiving, but me MUST do our part. I
But if we do I think God will make this place(earth) a pretty awesome place 😁
 
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I am a very happy life Iong Catholic, I would think the state of the Church has always been unhealthy on some level, a hospital for sinners after all. I think the struggles in the Church throughout history happen at times when the Church has grown complacent. Sometimes those trials and tribulations can shake the Church enough to wake everyone up. Which I believe is happening. In the case of the abuse scandals it’s good it comes out, and covering it up was a bad idea, even though I know why they most likely did. It’s up to us not to focus on the sins of our brothers and sisters but to pray for them and for all of our religious every single day. Every one of us needs to be a true reflection of Christ in our words and our actions every single day of our lives, to the best of our ability. We need to remember it isn’t about each of us personally it’s about all of us as a family as One in God. There are many things we may see or hear that we may feel helpless to have the ability to do anything about, but we are very far from being helpless, we have Prayer and the Power of Our Lord behind us. So for those who would rather complain, how about instead of complaining We Pray. God Bless
 
Tis_Bearself said:
From what I have heard, priests have often recommended that people NOT read these forums
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He didn’t call out CAF by name, but my priest cautioned against “Internet Catholics” in his homilies last week.

I’m a genuinely struggling Catholic, but not a negative one. I see a lot of beauty in the Church.

I referenced in another thread the C.S. Lewis classic, The Screwtape Letters. The senior demon, Screwtape, writes a letter to his demon-in-training nephew, Wormwood, advising him to ruin a human’s experience of Christianity by convincing the human to be as petty and negative about it as possible. This book is one of my favorites - humorous, satirical, and wise. CAF regulars would do well to read it.
 
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I have HOPE & FAITH - so I’m positive in that sense.

However, I’m also concerned that things are going to get worse before they get better.
 
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