Lost in the Catholic Church

[lentang2]

I was Baptised in a Chapel in County Derry,N.Ireland and have attented Mass regulary and recieved Holy Comunion for near 30 years. I am not a Protestant and i never will be as they have just as much to answer for as the Catholic Church does. The Religions of this Earth are man-made and there-fore suit their own political agenda.Pleasing Governments all along the way. You ask “why is this post doing here?” Because i found Jesus and i want to let others who feel lost in their Church, regardless of Religion or creed that there is a light. Jesus Christ. He saved my life.

I understand your pain. The Catholic Church is the One True Church; God will reveal this to you if you forgive all in the Church who have hurt you, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you this true answer.

You are sliding out of the Faith exactly as Martin Luther did…he was simply ANGRY and HURT. But we in the church are always going to be only human, damaged by original (and our personal) sin.

Our sinfulness, and all the hurt we cause, does NOT detract or disprove any teachings of the church - these are two unrelated issues. Regarding the concept of “Sola Scriptura”, essentially what you now subscribe to: you MIGHT be saved by reading the bible “alone”, without the benefit of Catholic Tradition or the Magisterium - you will simply have to explain to God after death why you did not fully pursue the truth. He will then judge you on the basis of how invincible your “ignorance” is: Did we all pursue the Truth to our fullest ability?

You are not really “lost” in the church. This is Satan, the Father of Lies, trying to misleading you by leading you out of Christ’s Church. Also, you are talking about a “feeling” (i.e. “I feel lost”) – feelings have nothing to do with the effectiveness of the Sacraments. You must NOT confuse “feelings” with the Truth. The Truth may never “feel” real to you, so do not make that a criteria for truth verification.

Remember: believing in the Christ’s Catholic Church is NOT A FEELING, it is a DECISION OF THE WILL…just like loving someone is. So try to look at your faith from this perspective, it will help you, friend.

I will pray for your healing and offer tomorrow’s mass up for your return fully to the True Church instituted by Christ Himself.

:irish3:

 

[Methodi]

These were the 6 questions he asked:

1. 
   *] Why do i feel this way?
   *] Do i even believe in God!?
   *] How DO i get to Heaven?
   *] Did Jesus charge for this service?
   *] So to you i ask the question,what is more important the Catholic Church or Jesus Christ?
   *] i know who i choose,do you?
   
   The first three he asked himself.
   
   The fourth he answered himself.
   
   The sixth was rhetorical.
   
   The fifth was the only actual question he asked us.
   
   What do YOU think of the fifth question? Does it not show a complete misunderstanding of the Church (Catholic)? Is he really interested in an answer to his question?

1. 
   There are many people who struggle with their faith at times even some being in doubt, some of the consecrated religious are in doubt at times also.
   Jesus is more important than the church

 

[CatsAndDogs]

There are many people who struggle with their faith at times even some being in doubt, some of the consecrated religious are in doubt at times also.

Jesus is more important than the church

Is your blood more important than your non-blood (or let’s say even the subset of that being your bones)? If either were removed, en toto, what would be the result?

It is utterly true to say “Jesus is more important than the church” in every instance where the “church” in question is not THE CHURCH (Catholic), and utterly nonsensical a thing to say if the “church” is the Church (Catholic).

 

[jmcrae]

There are many people who struggle with their faith at times even some being in doubt, some of the consecrated religious are in doubt at times also.
Jesus is more important than the church

When St. Paul was persecuting the Church, Jesus appeared to him and asked him, “Why are you persecuting Me?”

You can’t have Jesus without the Church, nor the Church without Jesus; they are inseparable, and it is not possible to say that one is “more important” than the other, as if you had a choice and you could only pick one.

 

[Methodi]

When St. Paul was persecuting the Church, Jesus appeared to him and asked him, “Why are you persecuting Me?”

You can’t have Jesus without the Church, nor the Church without Jesus; they are inseparable, and it is not possible to say that one is “more important” than the other, as if you had a choice and you could only pick one.

I thought that myself, I just didnt set it down right on my quote, so I agree with you

 

[Writer]

…Over the past few years i have looked at my faith in the Church and i found that i was completly lost. i asked myself, “Why do i feel this way?”
All my life i have had the Catholic “Religion” forced upon me by my mother,my priests and school teachers all of whom (as im older and more educated now, i realise) have mis-led me in so many ways via rituals and sacriligous worship,alot of which actually comes from paganism
I questioned my faith, asking myself " Do i even believe in God!?
I now know that God DOES exist and Jesus is my Saviour but for a long time i was very lost and now i know why.
The basic fundamentals of the Catholic Church revolve around money as do the vast majority of Churches.Every Sunday i went to mass but i wasnt learning anything about God and how he loves me.i was learning nothing and getting more confused within myself.
My head master in school was a priest and a very evil man like alot of priests (im not saying that all are like this but alot are). He constantly mentally,physically and sexually abused pupils and all the while everyone knew about him but were afraid to speak out as he was “a pillar of society” and any questions asked upon him were shot down by Bishops and “the other pillars within the Church” I,like many young people was blinded by these “pillars”
I am now glad to say that i have left the Catholic Church and since i have,i have now found God through Jesus Christ and everyday is a blessing. I read the bible with joy as im learning and gaining knowledge that the Catholic Church would not have given me.
Many of you reading this may not like what you read but what i learned is that “i dont need a priest/bishop or the pope to get to Heaven. Praying at statues wont get me to Heaven.Saying a million Hail Mary’s and rosarys wont get me into Heaven.I could do good works for all my life and i would not get to Heaven. So i asked myself “How DO i get to Heaven?”.
The answer is by reading and studying the words of Christ Himself and asking Him to come into my life and into my soul to fill the emptyness that the Catholic Church left in me.
Jesus said” The only way to Heaven and God the Father is through me and only me".
Those are the words of Christ Himself and no priest/pastor/or pope can disagree with that.The Catholic Church is the most wealthy organisation on Earth and thats a fact and at every mass/funeral/wedding/baptism they get a little more richer.They have the wealth to wipe out the third-world hunger but every Sunday priests across the world make us feel guilty so we will pay more into the basket for the starving children,but in reality the vast majority of the money taken in each week goes to fund evil doings and sheer greed.Let me say that the Catholic Church isnt alone on this subject as 95% of all Churches do just the same.
Jesus’s love is free. He did not preach in huge marble and gold laden Churches or from altars made from the most finest materials known to man.He did not wear the finest silk garments or jewels. He preached the Word of God in fields,on hills,in humble homes. Did Jesus charge for this service? no he didnt,God’s Love is Free.Jesus asked us to accept Him as the Saviour of Man-kind and pray to Him for forgiveness,and use the Ten Commandments as a guide to living a wholesome life,occasionally we will sin and fall but Jesus will Forgive us if we are true in our hearts to Him and eventually we will sin less.
So to you i ask the question,what is more important the Catholic Church or Jesus Christ? i know who i choose,do you?

Here are some suggestions, if you want to be taken seriously. First, use paragraphs and spaces when presenting a great deal of information. Otherwise, you come across as a kind of a stream of consciousness rambler. Make your point and move on.

Second, use spell checker from time to time. Your post is riddled with grammatical and spelling errors which only add to the difficulty in deciphering its contents. “A lot” is two words, for instance.

Third, when making blanket statements and broad assertions about the Church or people cite some evidence to support your claims. You claim your headmaster sexually abused children. What did you do to bring this to the attention of the authorities? Where is this picked-up in the media?

Fourth, when citing verses, make some attempt at actually posting the correct quote and verse reference.

Jesus said" The only way to Heaven and God the Father is through me and only me.

I think you’re making a reference to John 14:6.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If we’re going to look to this verse, it’s good to look a few verses on to verse 18-20.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

God did not leave us, because He founded the Catholic Church–giving the keys to bind and loose to Saint Peter, the first pope. You can’t also have religion without the community of believers–ie. church. Christianity is the religion founded by Christ. If you deny “religion,” you deny Christ, as the mystical body of Christ is the Church.

We are more than willing to talk these issues over with you, but it will be easier for everyone if you can articulate your thoughts with a bit more clarity and attention to facts and specifics.

PS. Assuming that there are not yet in priestesses in the church, your mother is not a Eucharistic Minister, but a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. This is an easy mistake to make, but the distinction is important nonetheless.

 

[Writer]

Here are some suggestions, if you want to be taken seriously. First, use paragraphs and spaces when presenting a great deal of information. Otherwise, you come across as a kind of a stream of consciousness rambler. Make your point and move on.

Second, use spell checker from time to time. Your post is riddled with grammatical and spelling errors which only add to the difficulty in deciphering its contents. “A lot” is two words, for instance.

Third, when making blanket statements and broad assertions about the Church or people cite some evidence to support your claims. You claim your headmaster sexually abused children. What did you do to bring this to the attention of the authorities? Where is this picked-up in the media?

Fourth, when citing verses, make some attempt at actually posting the correct quote and verse reference.

Jesus said" The only way to Heaven and God the Father is through me and only me.

I think you’re making a reference to John 14:6.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If we’re going to look to this verse, it’s good to look a few verses on to verse 18-20.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

God did not leave us, because, in addition to the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit, He founded the Catholic Church–giving the keys to bind and loose to Saint Peter, the first pope. You can’t a faith in Christ without “religion” and the Church-- the community of believers. Christianity is the religion founded by Christ. If you deny this “religion,” you deny Christ, as the mystical body of Christ is the Church.

We are more than willing to talk these issues over with you, but it will be easier for everyone if you can articulate your thoughts with a bit more clarity and attention to facts and specifics.

PS. Assuming that there are not yet in priestesses in the church, your mother is not a Eucharistic Minister, but a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. This is an easy mistake to make, but the distinction is important nonetheless.

 

[Writer]

I want to make a few corrections to the end of my post.

God did not leave us, because, in addition to the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit, He founded the Catholic Church–giving the keys to bind and loose to Saint Peter, the first pope. You can’t a faith in Christ without “religion” and the Church-- the community of believers. Christianity is the religion founded by and upon Christ. If you deny this “religion,” you deny Christ, as the mystical body of Christ is His Church. The two are inseparably tied.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Why do i get the distinct feeling that this poster is not and never was a Catholic?

It sounds like the usual regurgitated Protestant polemics. What is it even doing here?

i agree. this is another protestant coming here to defame the roman catholic church. he is so obvious. shameful.

 

[brigid12]

in Christ and i know what he has done for me

I hope and pray that when He leads you back to the Church He founded on earth, even tho’ human beings, who are sinners, are the part that you can see, that you will allow His Will for you to be done.

Blessings and Praise Him for your ability to recognize Him! Now begins the journey whereby you realize Him in more and more that you see.

 

[7_Sorrows]

You’re a 29 year old male from N. Ireland (not the least educated part of the world) who is “on the internet”, who insists on using the lower-case “i” for the first-person pronoun, SOMETIMES,…

…and we’re supposed to give you ANY credibility!?

My prayers, and many others here as well, I’m sure, are with you in your furthering education, Bob.

i type in lower case all of the time. does that make me less credible? i just find it faster because i don’t have a lot of spare time to spend on the internet and i need to reply to e-mails as quickly as i can. i try to use the correct grammar and punctuation, and i try to proofread for any spelling errors before i submit, but i don’t think using lower case detracts from the point i am trying to make. maybe i am mistaken.

 

[kungfubob]

I would like to take this chance again to say that this thread is closed due to an overwhelming amount of hate mail that im recieving everyday in vast amounts.

I would like this to stop as ive never personally attacked anyone here and it seems my email address has been made public through a source on this site which i am very angry about.
Quite a few of you felt the need to send me these emails which are horrible in content and very sick and disturbing. (and you call yourselves Christians???)

I ask you to stop this campaign of hatred against me as it is against the law and the IP addresses of those behind this have been recorded and sent on to the appropiate independant authority.

I now ask you people to leave me alone and respect me as a human being or legal action will be swiftly taken against those responsible and against the website itself.

 

[CradleCath]

Originally Posted by kungfubob
…Over the past few years i have looked at my faith in the Church and i found that i was completly lost. i asked myself, “Why do i feel this way?”
All my life i have had the Catholic “Religion” forced upon me by my mother,my priests and school teachers all of whom (as im older and more educated now, i realise) have mis-led me in so many ways via rituals and sacriligous worship,alot of which actually comes from paganism.

Get down on your knees & thank God for sending these parents & teachers into your life. If you really want to see “lost”, look at the people whose parents said, “I’ll let him decide whether or not he believes in God…how to worship Him, etc.” when he grows up. The grown children of this type of parent are the ones who are truly “lost”.

I questioned my faith, asking myself " Do i even believe in God!?
I now know that God DOES exist and Jesus is my Saviour but for a long time i was very lost and now i know why.
The basic fundamentals of the Catholic Church revolve around money as do the vast majority of Churches.

You are REALLY naive. The whole world is concerned about money. Without it, you don’t eat, you don’t work, you don’t fulfill God’s mission for you & neither does any Church.

Every Sunday i went to mass but i wasnt learning anything about God and** how he loves me**.i was learning nothing and getting more confused within myself.

Hmmm…29 yrs. old?? Well, you’re in your “I know more than anyone else on earth…I reject the teachings of those who love me” years… quite a bit later than most of us did. (age 20 for me, 17 for my husband & 21 for my brother…however, some do mature faster than others.

One good thing about our rebellious years is that we used our brains…even when they were in direct contradiction to our emotions…& didn’t leave the Church.
Don’t worry…you’ll outgrow it.

One question. Why are you so concerned about God’s love for YOU. It’s your love for Him that matters.

 

[Methodi]

Get down on your knees & thank God for sending these parents & teachers into your life. If you really want to see “lost”, look at the people whose parents said, “I’ll let him decide whether or not he believes in God…how to worship Him, etc.” when he grows up. The grown children of this type of parent are the ones who are truly “lost”.

You are REALLY naive. The whole world is concerned about money. Without it, you don’t eat, you don’t work, you don’t fulfill God’s mission for you & neither does any Church.

Hmmm…29 yrs. old?? Well, you’re in your “I know more than anyone else on earth…I reject the teachings of those who love me” years… quite a bit later than most of us did. (age 20 for me, 17 for my husband & 21 for my brother…however, some do mature faster than others.

One good thing about our rebellious years is that we used our brains…even when they were in direct contradiction to our emotions…& didn’t leave the Church.
Don’t worry…you’ll outgrow it.

One question. Why are you so concerned about God’s love for YOU. It’s your love for Him that matters.

God has no need of us, we need God. God is sufficient unto himself.We need to know that God loves usIf he has a dry time in his faith he has to work it out, faith is a gift, it sometimes dont come easy

 

[CatsAndDogs]

No Catholic from Derry would become Protestant. It just wouldn’t happen.

They would never turn their back on their community and join the other side.

Northern Ireland is extremely sectarian; they even have their own bus stops and doctors. There is still a massive divide in N. Ireland.

Even if he did become Protestant, I doubt the other side would accept him because of where he comes from. In Ireland, religion is just as much about politics as faith.

I know N. Irish from both sides of the divide. I have met Orangemen and people with IRA relatives and they would never convert from their respective faiths. To do so would result in them being ostracised from their whole communites.

Something about the OP just doesn’t add up…

'Sea, mhuise! (Dia’s Muire dhuit.)

 

[CatsAndDogs]

i type in lower case all of the time. does that make me less credible? i just find it faster because i don’t have a lot of spare time to spend on the internet and i need to reply to e-mails as quickly as i can. i try to use the correct grammar and punctuation, and i try to proofread for any spelling errors before i submit, but i don’t think using lower case detracts from the point i am trying to make. maybe i am mistaken.

Yes. You are mistaken.

If you have time for periods and spaces between words, the “shift-key” is no hindrance to typing speed.

Not using caps when called for is a sign of “youthful disrespect” toward the language and to other people who use it correctly.

It is simple rebelliousness. Not atypical for youngin’s.

But this is utterly off topic.

My point was that it’s difficult to take someone seriously who is as obviously rebellious (grammatically AND content-wise) as our OP, and that he was not seeking information or understanding at all, but only an opportunity to rant.

Of course, as many have pointed out, his “cry for help” is also rather obvious, and his pain shows through his writing quite well.

But, he should understand that his use of the language detracts from the effect he wishes to have on us “evil Catholics”.

I’m merely trying to help him be more effective, by cleaning up his “linguistic act”.

 

[7_Sorrows]

well, all i can say is that considering i have a B.A and am 56 years old, i find it strange that you would think i am a youngin’ and rebellious. oh, and i also am a grandmother.

perhaps you should learn to not to be so critical of others. i consider myself a humble person and not using a shift key is something i will not be losing sleep over.

 

[CradleCath]

God has no need of us, we need God. God is sufficient unto himself.We need to know that God loves usIf he has a dry time in his faith he has to work it out, faith is a gift, it sometimes dont come easy

I consider the word “love” a verb. Love is not a feeling, it’s a committment…total giving of oneself whether one “feels” like it or not. Emotions are too volatile & changeable to rely on. The very weather can affect how we “feel”.

God proves His love for us by creating us, dying for us as well as sustaining us within this world. If it’s true that “love” is action & I believe it is… what is this young man . who has let a crisis of faith chase him out of the Catholic Church…DOING to love God.

 

[jmcrae]

well, all i can say is that considering i have a B.A and am 56 years old, i find it strange that you would think i am a youngin’ and rebellious. oh, and i also am a grandmother.

Why “strange”? You type like a child - and since your typing is all we know of you, we assume that you are a child.

perhaps you should learn to not to be so critical of others.

Not “critical” - she was just responding appropriately to the portrayal of yourself that you have given to us.

If you are a grandmother, typing classes were mandatory when you were a girl growing up. You know where the shift key is, and at the speeds we were required to type when we were kids (in our generation of women, we normally type faster than we can speak), it probably takes less effort to use it than not to use it.

 

[Methodi]

well, all i can say is that considering i have a B.A and am 56 years old, i find it strange that you would think i am a youngin’ and rebellious. oh, and i also am a grandmother.

perhaps you should learn to not to be so critical of others. i consider myself a humble person and not using a shift key is something i will not be losing sleep over.

You told him! Good!Maybe we dont like his loftiness