Leaving the Church for now

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rosejmj

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I have been Catholic my whole life and my Faith has always been a very important part of my life. Right now I am having a lot of trouble accepting Catholicism and Christianity in general is the truth. I do believe that if Christianity is true then Catholicism or the Orthodox Church most likely hold the fullness of the truth just based on history. But I’m not sure there is not enough evidence for me to be able to accept for myself that Christianity is true.

It hurts because part of me really wants to accept Catholicism. It has always been important to me, always part of who I was. I don’t know what life is without it. I just can’t accept it though if it is not the truth if I do not have some proof that it is. And the Bible or tradition does not count as proof because you can’t convince someone with something only those who already are Christian believe is “Revelation”

I have already stopped attending Mass and stopped praying and going to confession. It made me feel good before, but I know feelings prove nothing.

I don’t know if there are deeper reasons I may doubt such as anger towards God or my parents, or struggles and suffering I have experienced, or even just certain sins I don’t want to give up.
 
so what exactly don’t you believe about Christianity anymore?
 
rosejmj said:
But I’m not sure there is not enough evidence for me to be able to accept for myself that Christianity is true.
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And the flip side of that question— What does the evidence point to as being Truth, that attracts you to it?
 
Any of the teachings don’t make sense to me. Such as Original sin, the whole purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection, hell…
Also I am turned off by the way many Christians/Catholics practice and talk about their faith. It seems awfully close minded and sometimes like they are brain washed an just accept what the Church or Bible say without even questioning their validity. Also relying on feelings and “faith”
 
rosejmj said:
Any of the teachings don’t make sense to me. Such as Original sin, the whole purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection, hell…
Also I am turned off by the way many Christians/Catholics practice and talk about their faith. It seems awfully close minded and sometimes like they are brain washed an just accept what the Church or Bible say without even questioning their validity. Also relying on feelings and “faith”
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It kind of sounds to me like the Catholic faith was not properly explained to you (i.e. catechesis) if you’re still hung up on original sin, the Resurrection, and hell after being a lifelong Christian/Catholic.
 
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I am mostly just attracted to it because it has always been part of my life and it has been a consolation in times of suffering and hardship. I guess it is familiar, almost like the way a culture or family can be. It is hard to give up even if it doesn’t make sense just because it feels good
 
More than what you don’t believe, I think it matters what you do believe. One God? Created everything? Loves you? What else?
 
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I think I have had good catechesis. My parents are well educated in the Faith and I took Theology classes in high school and college and the teachers and schools were very Orthodox and faithful to Church teaching. I know what the Church teaches regarding these matters I just don’t understand why these things had to be the way they are and unfortunately the explanations don’t go on to explain those things in a way that is satisfactory to me
 
rosejmj said:
I think I have had good catechesis. My parents are well educated in the Faith and I took Theology classes in high school and college and the teachers and schools were very Orthodox and faithful to Church teaching. I know what the Church teaches regarding these matters I just don’t understand why these things had to be the way they are and unfortunately the explanations don’t go on to explain those things in a way that is satisfactory to me
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So what exactly about these matters is lacking to you? I’m just trying to understand
 
I think I believe in a God or some higher power. It makes sense for there to be some higher Being. I have trouble believing in the Christian God though

Seems like a made up entity to make people feel good
 
rosejmj said:
I just can’t accept it though if it is not the truth if I do not have some proof that it is.
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Right, but if you’re saying that you can’t accept something as the truth, unless you have proof that it is the truth— I’m asking where you found your proof for truth that’s drawing you towards it.

There was a nice line in the Bible. Jesus’ followers are disgusted with the “unless you eat my Body and drink my Blood” line (which gets repeated six or seven times), and a bunch of them abandon him. Jesus asks his Apostles if they plan on abandoning him as well. And Peter asks, “Where shall we go?”

So, we know what you’re leaving---- but we’re asking where you’re going, that fulfills and satisfies your desire for the fullness of truth.
 
Yes, if you are questioning.
  1. Does God exist?
  2. What can we say about said God if he does exist? Why not patheism, deism, or some supernatural force that is not ‘God?’ Essentially, why Theism?
  3. If Theism is correct, why is one religion the fullness of Truth? Why is the Truth not a non-contradictory combination of the Truth claims in different religions?
  4. If one religion is the fullness of Truth, why Christianity?
  5. If Christianity is True, why Catholicism?
Which question do you need help with?
 
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Out of curiosity where are you going after you leave? Are you searching, taking a break, or do you have a destination in mind?
 
alphonsus1 said:
  • If Theism is correct, why is one religion the fullness of Truth? Why is the Truth not a non-contradictory combination of the Truth claims in different religions?
  • If one religion is the fullness of Truth, why Christianity?
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These questions in particular
 
rosejmj said:
Seems like a made up entity to make people feel good
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Do you mean you’re not sure about heaven, about eternal life in the presence of God? That’s what Christianity is all about. It’s about how God loves you so much that he would rather be tortured and killed than live forever without you. If that’s all made up, I guess there is no hope. Or is there?
 
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Searching, maybe taking a little break so that I can be more open to other ideas and beliefs.

I’m not sure there really is a true religion. I think there is a God or higher Being though.
 
Regarding the first question: Catholicism is the fullness of Truth in the same way that there is only one answer to 2+2 and that is 4. You can find elements of the equation 2+2 in 2+1 or 2+10, but neither of those are going to add up to 4. The same can be said of false religions. They have elements of the Truth in them, but it isn’t until the Incarnation of Jesus Christ that these elements were contextualized in the Catholic faith.

As for the second question: Christ is the embodiment of Truth itself, and He was able to back up these claims through His works and the Resurrection. Therefore it follows that Catholicism is the only true religion, because it is the one established by Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate.
 
I don’t understand why a God would choose to be tortured and die for us. I don’t see it as love. Definitely God could have chosen anything else. And just because he chose a more painful bloody way to “save us” doesn’t mean there is more love in it or that we should somehow be more than happy kful and indebted. God shouldn’t have made us anyway if he didn’t want us to be with him forever. It is not our fault we were born with concupiscence. Not our choice that God chose a more painful way. His choice to make us- a “free gift”. I don’t see why he should expect a ton of love and gratitude. I don’t want to be ride but it seems almost stupid that he chose to save us by being tortured to death.

Of course God refers to the Christian God
 
Q3. The Truth claims are correlated. Essentially, if one claim is True, a bunch of other Truth claims must necessarily follow. In the same way as the 2016 US presidential election, if one state went republican a bunch of other states also went, so too, if Jesus is God implies the Holy Book written about him and his miracles are also True. If the Pope has the authority to teach on Faith and morals, implies other Magisterial decrees fall into place. One final observation, religions nearly universally claim to have the fullness of Truth. If you believed they were all wrong, then this would merely be to attract followers. However, if you believe they all have many Truths to them, then near universal claims like this, may be more likely to be True.

Q4: Arguments for the existence of God, that God is the only thing that within itself can be the explanation for its own existence, implies requiring another God to explain God is an extraneous assumption. For this reason, monotheism is True. Since there are three major monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism (as well as some obsecure Monotheistic religions), we have now already dramatically reduced the number of religions under consideration with just this one test!

Next, to answer the question of which monotheistic religion, look for:
(1) Historical evidence,
(2) Evidence of Miracles,
(3) Prophecies fulfilled,
(4) A dabate between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, which share the same Abrahamic God, and make up 50 percent of the world.
 
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I am sorry, but your post gives no evidence or proof that Christianity is the fullness of truth. Your point is made from a completely Catholic perspective and would convince no one other than a Catholic.
  1. Why is Catholicism the fullness of the truth? I have no doubt that as a Catholic you believe that, but why? What are the elements of truth that are contextualized in Jesus Christ? Even if you can point these out it does not mean Jesus Christ is somehow God. You need to give an argument on the validity and historicity of the Bible and of Jesus Christ and then some evidence that both are from God. How do you know Jesus Christ is God? Because of the Bible? That isn’t going to convince a non-christian
2.again you need to give some proof that Christ is the embodiment of Truth. Need to back up the claims of works and resurrection. Any works and miracles do not automatically prove Jesus is God. The resurrection also does not directly prove Jesus is God although it would be more believable than works or miracles. But you need proof that the resurrection even happened etc.
 
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