Losing my faith: help!

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Many of my favourite NT stories have been explained by the priest as pointing to theological rather than historical truth. So, if this applies to many NT stories, why not the resurrection? This after all is what liberals within the Anglican Church believe.
 
Thank you! But we’re still left with the conundrum that something existed out of nothing, ie God.
 
Thank you. But it still means that God intervened at a particular point in a process lasting billions of years, where this intervention was not required.
 
But the CC does not give a view about whether creationism or theistic evolution is the right solution, and simply condemns atheistic evolution. But if the latter is scientifically sound, it means there is no need for God for the theory to work. That’s what the atheists around us argue.
 
Yes, I saw you say you were a scientist. Mysticism is perfect for some balance; I have read it for years and loved it. Still do. Good choice.

Best argument I ever have for God is the ‘good.’ Evil destroys a lot, but does it completely destroy/annihilate the good? Its potentiality? Good is eternal - love being the highest form. (is creation good? I say yes) (this is me - no theology that I am aware of or quoting 😇) Anyway, this is the argument that saves me many a day. Dostoevsky I guess maybe, Aloysha Karamazov, is about the closest. Sticky green leaves. Good luck.
 
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If Evolution is ture it still does not discredit God and his existence. He is still creator of the universe. A lot of people think that the Bible is a history book and things happened in that order. We don’t really know we have the literal word of Genesis but did God created the world in 7 day, years or centuries we don’t know. We have Jewish tradition that has the Sabbath on the seventh day, the day God rest. The other six days he created the universe.

The soul appears at conception when the egg and the sperm meet. It is a mystery like most of the things of God. We have finite mines and we can’t grasp the Almighty.

As for as for the Bible I know one thing that Jesus born of a Vergin. Healed the sick Rose the Dead. Had a big following until in John : 6 we see several times he talks about starting in John 6:51 about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, will have eternal life, in 55 he said it is TRUE food and TRUE drink. In 56 whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
Notice in verse 60 after Jesus saying this several times his followers say that this is a hard saying who can accept it? In 61 since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this he said to them, " does this shock you ". 62 what if you were to see the son of man ascending to where he was before? Another words where is there faith. As long as they could see it on Earth with their own eyes is healing they would believe but to see him under the appearance of bread and wine and that they had to eat was to much.

Then came his death in Resurrection. If Jesus is God what is so hard to believe in his resurrection. God can do anything.

I hope this helps just have faith pray God bless
 
don’t lose your faith brother! Evolution is a myth. The Bible clearly teaches that death is the result of sin. Evolution can not be truth. Survival of the fittest? hang onto your faith and the church. God’s word is true. Make an appointment to see your priest or someone you can count on to give you true council in love. Brother, you need Jesus, so do I and he will never leave you nor forsake you. The devil hates you and feeds on and will grow your doubt. Blessings to you and there are many people on this forum who will be praying for you.
 
Well, there is no need for God for biological evolution to work in the same sense that there is no need for God for digestion to work, or for an airplane to fly, and so on.

But that does not thereby abandon the need for God as the First Cause and Unconditioned Reality – without which, nothing would exist at all.
 
  1. First cause. I struggle with the philosophical argument that everything that was created has a first cause. This doesn’t really work for me, because we’re still faced with God being eternal. (I know He’s not created, but that doesn’t really work for me).
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But the issue cannot really be the existence of a First Cause, because there must be one – or at least one. Nothing could exist if there were not at least one reality whose nature was to exist. Everything cannot be conditioned: There must be at least one non-conditioned reality.

So the problem is with the imagination. And that’s understandable. It’s similar to those who object that “Well then what caused God?!” That’s just silly. God by definition is that reality which is fully actual and not caused – a reality that much exist.

It’s just as hard to imagine an eternal God as it is to imagine an infinite Universe in time, or any other scenario we may wish to give in order for some"thing" to have always existed. So the real issue is, now that we know there has to be a First Cause, what is the nature of this cause?

And this is where philosophy especially comes and has plenty to say. See Five Proofs of God’s Existence by Ed Feser.
 
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Here’s an interesting concerning Science proving God does exist

theconversation.com

Arguments why God (very probably) exists

There remain many mysteries that are beyond science. Does that mean that a God truly exists? A scholar gives reasons for this possibility.
theconversation.com theconversation.com

Another about why Science does not disprove the existence of God

time.com

Why Science Does Not Disprove God

Biology, physics, mathematics, engineering and medicine help us understand the world, but there is much about life that remains a mystery.
time.com time.com

Faith is the ability to believe in something that may not be proven, but cannot be disproved either
 
1. Evolution
(a) Even if evolution were true (which is not), it still doesn’t explain how life originated. The simplest single-cell organism is so complex that it’s unreasonable to think it appeared by chance, even if given the supposed age of the universe. Recent scientific discoveries (how the cell works, the enormous quantity of information encoded in the DNA) only made the gap larger: what appeared possible in Darwin’s time, it now appears extremely unlikely.
(b) The information in the DNA points to intelligence. Wherever we find encoded information (a book, a website, a video) it was ALWAYS created by an intelligent agent. In the case of DNA, God created that information. It would be almost funny to say that a book could arise by chance (even aided by a mechanism like natural selection). Yet, the DNA contains information what would require hundreds of books to store.
As a computer programmer, I can tell you it takes a lot of effort to create programs (which is what DNA is). We make a lot of mistakes. And no computer program we ever wrote is even close to the complexity of DNA.
Read some books from the Intelligent Design movement.

3. Bible
I believe the Bible is historically accurate. According to our Lord, there was such a man and woman as Adam and Eve (Mark 10:6), there was a man called Noah, and there was a global flood (took all away, Matthew 24:38-39). Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah were real events (Luke 17:28-29). Jonah was really swallowed by a large sea creature (Matthew 12:40) - he was probably protected from gastric acid, etc. by God.
The Bible is trustworthy as proven by secular history and archeology repeatedly. The homilies you listened to are not reliable. Stop listening to such faith-destroying sermons.
Check some videos on the reliability of the scriptures by Josh McDowell.

4. Resurrection
The body that Christ received after resurrection is a glorified body, such as believers will have after our Lord’s second coming. (Philippians 3:20-21).
For historical evidences regarding the resurrection, check some videos/books by Gary Habermas.

5. Other religions
No other religion can back-up its claims with a literal, bodily resurrection, which can be proven from history.

6. Miracles
Placebo is very limited. It cannot cure leprosy (Matthew 8:2-3). It cannot make a blind man see (Matthew 12:22). It cannot raise dead people (John 11). It cannot explain the resurrection of Christ in the least. Actually, no naturalistic explanation for the resurrection is adequate given the historical data. This is admitted even by atheists (again, check Gary Habermas).
 
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In addition to what I wrote above, I would recommend the following:
  • for the moment stop listening, reading, or viewing anything that causes doubt. We are changed by what we behold (2 Corinthians 3:18). Doing this is not irrational. Until you are acquainted with the arguments in favor of the faith, it’s not safe to do so, because you will make a premature, uninformed decision.
  • start reading books or watching videos that build faith. Look for reasons to believe. Christianity is the only religion that can withstand honest rational investigation. That’s because it’s true.
  • note down (in your own handwriting) the reasons for believing
  • pray to God to lead you to the truth. He loves you more than you can imagine (Romans 5:7-8). You are not alone in this. He will get you through.
 
I’m sorry, but it’s complete rubbish and illogical to say that Evolution eliminates the necessity for God. Since the last three popes, have spoken openly about their support for the idea of evolution, whilst reaffirming the existence of God, that’s not something I’d buy. And this isn’t from someone who doesn’t know anything about it, my mother has a background in biology. If you are getting things that say Evolution and belief in God contradict, you are getting misinformation.
 
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Lucas3 said:
If evolution is true, there is no need for God.
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It is true. You just haven’t understood it properly because it’s virtually irrelevant to God. John Paul II spoke on this so i suggest you learn more about it before making such statements.
 
The larger question may be what is sentience. God explains evolution and DNA in Genesis quite well if you listen lyrically to the greatest poet who ever loved you. Yet, that is not what matters. He can make it clear that science has not discovered something He forbade knowing. But His love for us, for all eternity, is what these Scripture writings need to speak to us. He could make an infinity of multiverses in the next instant and this would not change His singular focus and love for you. Christ’s Passion answers every doubt if our heart is open to be loved with Holy, perfect love.
 
Lucas3 said:
  1. Evolution. If evolution is true, there is no need for God.
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Why? As St. Thomas Aquinas shows, any change has an associated causal chain that goes back to God. That includes such changes as mutations.
Lucas3 said:
  1. When did the soul appear? If evolution occurred, then when was the soul created?
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The soul appeared when the life appeared. The rational soul appeared when humans appeared.
Lucas3 said:
Were all ‘homo’ species provided with a soul, or only Homo sapiens?
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What difference would that make? Both answers seem to be compatible with Catholicism, and there seems to be no reason to make a choice now.
Lucas3 said:
  1. Bible. I’ve become rather despondent when listening to homilies, as time and again, I’m told the Bible stories I’ve believed as fact are actually theologically rather than historically accurate. if so, how can I still believe in the biggies like the resurrection?
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You do not specify those “Bible stories”. Maybe you were right, maybe the priests saying the homilies were right.

In either case, it is the Church that tells us what Bible means.
Lucas3 said:
  1. Miracles. Medicine is littered with stories of the power of the mind, and the placebo effect.
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“Littered”? 🙂

You wouldn’t be exaggerating a little here? 🙂

And, as others have noted, placebo effect is not panacea. 🙂
Lucas3 said:
  1. First cause. I struggle with the philosophical argument that everything that was created has a first cause. This doesn’t really work for me, because we’re still faced with God being eternal. (I know He’s not created, but that doesn’t really work for me).
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Read “Summa Theologica” (http://dhspriory.org/thomas/summa/index.html) and “Summa Contra Gentiles” (http://dhspriory.org/thomas/ContraGentiles.htm) by St. Thomas Aquinas, perhaps following outline from blog post “Pre-Christian Apologetics” by Edward Feser (Edward Feser: Pre-Christian apologetics).

You will see that after the arguments showing that “First cause” exists come arguments showing that it is eternal.

Then there are other things you can do.

First, have a look around in this forum. Seeing how an atheist makes a fool of himself might not be a very strong argument for Catholic faith, but it might still help.

Second, don’t worry too much if you cannot prove that God exists. What do you have to lose, if you choose to believe, even without 100% proof? See Pascal’s Wager, if necessary.

Third, don’t forget to pray.

And one more thing… Is there anything else that could be related to your problems with faith?
 
I see a lot of theological misunderstings.
For instance, humans are not the only creatures with souls. Animals and plants also have souls, albeit different.

Private interpretation of priests are not authoritative. The Church’s proclamations are. Your priest (or deacon) may simply be wrong.

It is clear that post resurrection bodies are different. Look up the four qualities of glorified bodies Aquinas.

There are various levels of miracle, and many miracles are well beyond what is possible via placebo or like effects.

Philosophical ways of understanding God may not strike your fancy, but arguments are either logical and consistent or they are not. If the premise (s) of a logically coherent argument are correct, then the argument should be correct regardless of how striking they may seem.

Often times they are simply ways of understanding God. Nothing is impossible, hence by necessity there is something existing. The Universe is continent as it has not always existed. Hence the necessary existence must hold agency, to bring forth a merely continent thing. This isn’t an argument and has presuppositions, but is a way of understanding that I personally have thought of.

Are you in the state of Grace? I find my faith becomes weaker if I have more sin on my soul.
 
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Lucas3 said:
Many of my favourite NT stories have been explained by the priest as pointing to theological rather than historical truth. So, if this applies to many NT stories, why not the resurrection? This after all is what liberals within the Anglican Church believe.
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We’re not Anglican. The Catholic Church Teaches the historical truth of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
Lucas3 said:
Thank you! But we’re still left with the conundrum that something existed out of nothing, ie God.
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Basically, what I’m trying to tell you, is that there is no such thing as “nothing”. Think about it.
 
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