Losing my faith: help!

[PJM]

CONTINUED FROM ABOVE

There is NO difficulty in “standing” [explain our Faith] against other religions when one knows well OUR Catholic Faith. We have thee TRUTH and God on our side. The evidence of this is Catholicism have just one True Faith for 2,000 years now and the thousands of differing churches’ each with its OWN set of faith beliefs; based in individual personal and WRONG understanding of the Catholic Bible, in the Protestant communities 500 year

6. Miracles. Medicine is littered with stories of the power of the mind, and the placebo effect.

MIRACLE. A sensibly perceptible effect, surpassing at least the powers of visible nature, produced by God to witness to some truth or testify to someone’s sanctity. (Etym. Latin miraculum, miracle, marvel; from mirari, to wonder.)

Miracles approved by the Church are independently investigated by scientific sources. They can ONLY happen when God approved; and when there is the possibility of aiding a Souls path to heaven.

7. 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).

I know I’ve been influenced by the highly atheistic Western culture. I know this culture is dying out, and will probably be gone within 2 generations. so maybe I’m being influenced by dying thinking. But I’m struggling.
Help!

So what you’re saying is that YOU choose not to believe in God. IF you’re sincere contact me by PM and I’ll at least make the attempt to prove God’s existence to you. [PJM] its late and I’m OLD and tired.

The First cause is common sense; not just philosophical. In ALL of creation ONLY humanity is Rational precisely so ALL of us CAN know of God’s existence. That millions choose to deny what is right before their face [literally] is an obstinate denial of the realities surround them. “Faith: is a gift that CAN be lost and found; depending on one’s personal life goals & openness to TRUTH. While God desires that ALL humanity be saved; He leaves it up to each individual to accept or reject His Grace.

THAT my friend is a GOD who loves US so much He is willing to lose those who reject His Grace offer. Heaven and Hell are REAL and for eternity.

Sir.15:17 “Before a man are life and death, and whichever he chooses will be given to him” AMEN [I do believe.]

May God guide your path,
Patrick

 

[vincentleo]

(1) Evolution. It does not follow that if evolution is true, therefore there is no need for God. Even if evolution by natural selection was true, it would still have to have been created.

But when talking “evolution” we must distinguish between “simple evolution” (higher creatures coming from lower creatures) and “evolution by natural selection” (higher creatures form by random mutations that give greater strength and so only these survive). The former (simple evolution) is compatible with Christian theology; the latter (evolution by natural selection) is not.

It is compatible with Christian theology for God to have taken some animal (some ancestor of the ape, say) and used it to create Adam. But it is incompatible with Christian theology for Adam to have randomly formed as a result of chance mutation (instead of by the direct action of God).

(2) When did the soul appear? If we suppose evolution is true, then when God took the animal which He used to fashion into the man, it would be at that point that God would have created the first man’s soul and “breathed it” into him. This is compatible with Christian theology. It is not compatible with Christian theology to suppose that multiple people appeared in this way. It is necessary that Adam was the first man, created by God, and that Adam and Eve were real people, were actual individuals (not a collection of people), and are the parents of all human beings. This is necessary because otherwise the doctrine of Original Sin becomes empty of meaning, and we undermine the solidarity of the human race (against things such as racism).

(3) Bible. The Gospels are to be understood historically, and this includes Jesus’ resurrection. That is, the Gospels are actual historical accounts and their contents, including miracles, should be believed as such. Pope Benedict XVI talked about this.

(4) Resurrection. The resurrection account does not require that the resurrected Jesus be exactly the same as he was before. It does require that the physical body of Jesus was in fact alive and present.

(5) Other religions. Historicity of the Bible.

(6) Miracles. Historicity of the Bible.

(7) First cause. Everything that was created has a first cause because nothing is in motion without being put in motion by something prior to it. Therefore, anything which exists must have been put into existence by something prior to it. This cannot go on forever because otherwise we are supposing that at some point something is coming into existence by its own power - which is impossible. Therefore, there must be a first cause of all things, which itself was never created but is eternal, and this is God.

 

[nkelly]

Hello Lucas3, have you by any chance read up on Intelligent Design? Despite what materialists claim, ID is in fact a scientific endeavour but instead of working on the assumption that nothing but matter/energy exists, it allows for the existence of immaterial minds.

By following where the evidence leads, ID proponents have come to the conclusion that life has been intelligently designed.

https://www.discovery.org/id/

God bless,
Noel.

 

[Hope2]

Here is what did it for me years ago when I was in your shoes exactly: Peter Kreeft, my professor at B.C. told me to read “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis.

That was it for me. I go back to it all the time.

Blessings.

 

[guanophore]

If evolution is true

I just started reading your thread and found myself astonished at the very first point. IF???

How could anyone make a decision about their relationship with their Creator based on a theory that may or may not be true? Beyond that, your conclusion that evolution contradicts a creator is just wrong. The odds of the “random” convergences necessary to create human life are literally astronomical.

Were all ‘homo’ species provided with a soul, or only Homo sapiens?

These are fascinating questions, and I have them too. But again, making a faith decision based on scientific questions we have no way to currently answer seems specious.

I’m told the Bible stories

It sounds like it is high time for you to start reading the Bible for yourself, and studying some literary criticism. The Bible documents God’s relationship with humanity, and is not a history book. Children naturally understand Bible stories as historical facts, but there comes a time to give up childish thinking and come to adult thinking. We are each responsible to be formed in our faith, to study and learn.

Jesus’ post-resurrection did things that are impossible for a normal human

Does this mean you are doubting that the Creator of the Universe can act outside of the physical laws He created? I think that means you reject miracles…

standing against other religions becomes much more difficult

I am not sure how you get from this premise to this conclusion?

Miracles. Medicine is littered with stories of the power of the mind, and the placebo effect.

Medicine also give credence to miracles, which have been repeatedly documented. The power of the mind and the placebo effect do not preclude miracles either.

I’m being influenced by dying thinking.

No doubt! One has to wonder what you have done to foster/grow your faith. In the midst of an anti-Christian culture, it is even more difficult to protect and preserve our faith.

 

[Mary888]

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?

Who said that? A priest or just some friend? Jesus Christ said himself that “one day I will no longer speak to you in metaphors” and this is why we are always reminded of the metaphorical meaning in the Bible for the obvious reasons: so we do not try apply certain actions described in the Bible literally. But the events themselves happened, I have never heard a Christian priest saying that they may not have happened.
The Resurrection is one of the important things to believe in so the answer to your question I’m pretty sure it’s yes.

Maybe read less challenging material for a while. You can not have great faith 100% of the time and some books really require this in order for you to read them and not be in doubt. Even Jesus Christ was tempted and faced doubt so… why is faith diminished a need for desperation?
Fly higher and above different waters if all these questions keep tormenting you.

 

[Lucas3]

It may be that your gifting doesn’t lie with ministering to those who are struggling!

 

[Lucas3]

I read Mere Christianity many years ago. a lovely book! Maybe time to get it out again!

 

[stupidisasstupiddoes]

It may be that your gifting doesn’t lie with ministering to those who are struggling!

Sorry but too many people come on these forums sprouting strong opinions that they clearly haven’t researched. Here’s a life hack for you: gather the evidence, then form the opinion. Evidence first, opinion second. If you just ask a neutral question like “does evolution contradict Catholicism?” then i can give you a neutral answer. But when you frame it like that then you get rebuked. You’re repeating a lie you’ve been told, use the forums to fact-check these things before you believe them.

 

[misstherese]

Yes, definitely read about St. Padre Pio. St. Gemma Galgani’s diary is also wonderful. Spiritual reading is a nourishment to the soul. Both saints have helped me with my faith.

 

[Hope2]

I really think you should. I was certainly headed towards a very sad
agnosticism before I read it. Some people tell me it is too deep to
understand. I really don’t get that. As long as you don’t try to read it on
Friday night with a Netflix movie on in the background.

These days, I take it with me to our Adoration Chapel and try to just “Be
still, and know that I am God.” I also am fond of remembering the Old
Testament observation …“but God was not in the wind nor the fire, but in
the still, small voice.” I have come to trust that.

Sometimes I just trust God to guide me to open the book to the page I need,
I do the same with the Bible. It helps me pray better, I think.

Lewis was a “hard-nosed” Christian. When asked, by his dear, Catholic
friend H.R.R.Tolkein why he never converted to Catholicism, he replied,
“You didn’t grow up in Belfast.” I love his humor. “Screwtape Letters” is
also excellent.

Blessings.