My quest for FAITH...

[rmikulas]

This is a repost from another thread;

I am Catholic and do believe in the Wiccan religon. I believe that there is much good in most religons to help a person on their quest to find their faith. Is it worng to believe that you should not shed blood or inflict arm on another person? The Wiccan religon says just that. They are very friendly and easy going people (most of them). One thing I really like is how they do not “RECRUIT” people. That is something I see in alot of other religons. I even see it in the Catholic faith. I hear about people praying to bring their friends over to the Catholic faith from the Wiccan religon or some other religon. To me it’s just as bad to pray for someone to change their religon as it is to pray for a winning lottery ticket. Why not lay some knowledge on them and let them make their own descision? Why put it on GOD to change them? Isn’t that selfish? I’m not saying all Catholics “RECRUIT” people but I am seeing it more and more. To me, a persons religon is a very special thing. A thing you are not born into but must find on your own within yourself. Couldn’t it be that all “GOD LOVING” religons are just a little off abit? There are very similar things in most religons that tie together. The love of a god or gods (male & female, Jesus & Mary, etc.), the belief in some kind of after life, the worship of a cross or other item, etc. What if that the Catholic religon and Wiccan religon and all other religons are all based someway on the same thing? I mean can you honestly rule out other possibilities?

I do believe there is a higher power, i do not agree with bits and pieces of certain religons but make my own assumtion through my own quest for my faith. What if the BIBLE and CROSS are not something to worship but are actually a teaching aid to help us find GOD or that higher power within ones self? You pray from home don’t you? Not just at church. What if church is just the gateway to help you see the power of prayer, prayer that can be done anywhere. I don’t need to ask my cross if i’m doing the right thing, I know if i’m doing the right thing butmy cross helped me get to that point. I don’t need to worship the bible, I have read it and it has TAUGHT me what I need. Don’t forget, the bible is WRITTEN, so doesn’t that mean that when it was written, it was written from someones point of view? Not everyones point of view but one persons.

 

[rmikulas]

I think we all agree that god is always with you, inside you, so why do we put the burdden on him to show us whats right? We all have the power to do that ourself. For me, I do not need the help of the church but look to the church for guidence when I am stuck. Personally I have never met a priest that has PUSHED me or tried to RECRUIT me into the Catholic faith. They re-assure me that I am right on my way to finding GOD. The PUSHING and RECRUITING doesn’t come from the Catholic church or priests, but from those who are on their own quest.

This is just my “Point Of View”, you don’t have to agree with it, and I will not ever push any religon on you. I do like critisizm however. But before some of you kiddies (some adults act like it) go and knock down a religon like Wicca or any other religon, please go to the library, talk to your priest or whatever to get real knowledge. Don’t go by what you see in the Movies or other Websites because alot of what you see in the movies or websites is just trash and not the real information.

 

[Poisson]

I have never met a person who worships the Bible.
In any event, if you believed that a person was on a road to eternal damnation would it not be the right thing for you to “recruit” them? I’m not saying that every non-Catholic is on the road to damnation but as Catholics we believe that the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth and feel that out of love for our brothers and sisters on this planet we have the obligation to share that truth with them. Other religions may have bits and pieces of truth but not the fullness that we believe the Catholic Church to have.

 

[bonica]

rmikulas:

You said “I am Catholic and do believe in the Wiccan religon”

How can this be? They are 2 different things. If you believe in the Wiccan religion then you are not Catholic. If you are Catholic then you do not believe in the Wiccan religion (or any other for that matter).

Another thing that bothered me about your post was when you said “The love of a god or gods (male & female, Jesus & Mary, etc.)…” which inferred that Jesus and Mary are gods…Mary is NOT a god.

If you see a person heading for danger out of love you have to warn them…that is what a Catholic should do when they see someone heading for danger (hell). Out of love we need to warn them.

 

[rmikulas]

I’m not saying don’t tell them about the Catholic religon or put some knowledge about it on them. Sure if they are just WAY OFF path and need some help, give it to them. But don’t pray for them to convert. It’s not gods burden to convert everyone from their religon to the Catholic religon.

I don’t know how to explain what I mean. It’s like someone going to you and trying to convert you to another religon. Wouldn’t you feel forced??? When I say “RECRUIT” I don’t mean discourage other from converting, I mean don’t PUSH so hard that they feel uncomfortable or forced. They need to find the way to the religon they choose (catholic perhaps) with help from others but you don’t want to cross the line where they feel like they are being forced. I have seen people feel this way and instead of doing good for the catholic religon, they shy away from it. The catholic religon shouldn’t feel like a Club or Membership that recruits people but more like a “Right” or “Way Of Life” that you helped them see.

 

[ktm]

rmikulas:

I am Catholic and do believe in the Wiccan religon.

A person cannot be a member of two religions at once.

rmikulas:

I believe that there is much good in most religons to help a person on their quest to find their faith. Is it worng to believe that you should not shed blood or inflict arm on another person?

   [portions cut to reduce length]

To me, a persons religon is a very special thing. A thing you are not born into but must find on your own within yourself. Couldn’t it be that all “GOD LOVING” religons are just a little off abit?

This part was addressed by others. I do not believe you have a very good understanding of the Catholic faith.

rmikulas:

There are very similar things in most religons that tie together. The love of a god or gods (male & female, Jesus & Mary, etc.), the belief in some kind of after life, the worship of a cross or other item, etc.

Catholics do not worship the Blessed Virgin Mary or consider her to be some kind of goddess. Again, you don’t display a strong understanding of the Catholic faith, of which you claim to be an adherent. We worship God, period. We don’t worship crosses, which are made from wood.

rmikulas:

What if that the Catholic religon and Wiccan religon and all other religons are all based someway on the same thing? I mean can you honestly rule out other possibilities?

Yes, I can rule out worshipping the earth as the path to the truth.

rmikulas:

I don’t need to worship the bible, I have read it and it has TAUGHT me what I need. Don’t forget, the bible is WRITTEN, so doesn’t that mean that when it was written, it was written from someones point of view? Not everyones point of view but one persons.

Bibles are made of paper, crosses of wood. Catholics don’t worship either. We don’t talk to crosses, we talk to God. Crosses are symbols, period.

Having gone through your post I can’t really see how you can call yourself a Catholic since you don’t even believe the most basic tenet of our fath, that there is only one God.

 

[ktm]

rmikulas:

I don’t know how to explain what I mean. It’s like someone going to you and trying to convert you to another religon. Wouldn’t you feel forced???

Look at it this way. As Catholics we believe we have found the truth, God’s truth. If you saw someone you loved believing something false (say, 2+2=5), wouldn’t you want to correct them? If they persisted in their belief that 2+2=5 and wouldn’t change their opinion, you would give up eventually. This is basically how it is with discussing the faith with someone. If they refuse to believe, you move on to the next person. You can’t force a person to convert to a faith, only show them the way and pray that the Holy Spirit will move the individual’s heart, mind and soul into becoming Catholic.

 

[rmikulas]

When I said “Jesus & Mary” I was referring to a “Higher Power”. Unless you think you are just as good or better than Jesus or Mary, I would consider them a higher power.

Also, I am Catholic BUT agree wiht parts of the Wiccan religon is wht I meant. So wouldn’t I tie in to both, just because I follow the values & agree with one religon, why can’t I value the things in another if they are closely related. So then, if I see good things in both, why do I have to choose one? Isn’t that selfish? Becuase I think I am being to vague for everyone, I will go a little deeper. I TOTALLY do not think that Wicca and the Catholic faith are similar in alot of ways, but the Wiccan religon values to “Savor All Life” & “Shed No Blood”, so are you telling me that the Catholic religon doesn’t? No way, so those things would relate. Think of it as a friend. If you see good in one person, but more in another, would you choose only one to be your friend, again, no way. So if I am catholic, but agree with some of the values of the Wiccan religon that do good and are moral, why should I shy away from them.

 

[ktm]

rmikulas:

Also, I am Catholic BUT agree wiht parts of the Wiccan religon is wht I meant. So wouldn’t I tie in to both, just because I follow the values & agree with one religon, why can’t I value the things in another if they are closely related. So then, if I see good things in both, why do I have to choose one? Isn’t that selfish? Becuase I think I am being to vague for everyone, I will go a little deeper. I TOTALLY do not think that Wicca and the Catholic faith are similar in alot of ways, but the Wiccan religon values to “Savor All Life” & “Shed No Blood”, so are you telling me that the Catholic religon doesn’t? No way, so those things would relate. Think of it as a friend. If you see good in one person, but more in another, would you choose only one to be your friend, again, no way. So if I am catholic, but agree with some of the values of the Wiccan religon that do good and are moral, why should I shy away from them.

The Church teaches that there are partial truths to be found in all (or, at least most) religions, so some of what you say is right. If I understand you right, wicca teaches to respect all life. This is true of the Catholic faith as well, but this doesn’t mean that Catholics are partially wiccans or something. All it means is that wicca contains one truth that the Church also recognizes.

Maybe this discussion would be a little clearer if you could describe a few of the beliefs you hold from wicca that the Church does not hold. I’ll get you started. Do you believe in one God or many gods?

 

[rmikulas]

Isn’t it enough that a person strongly believes in god? That a person believes in doing good and helping others. That believes in guidence from the church? That a person has FAITH that god will show them the way? It might not be the same way as everyone else, but it still gets you to the same place? I have been studing religon on my own for YEARS now and most of the catholics I have spoken to, do not agree with one or more parts of either the church or the catholic faith. Does this mean they are bad people? Bad Catholics? No way.

I do apologize if I have offended anyone with this. Not my intestion. To me, all people are good people in some way or another and this is just my opinion. Without opinions this world would be pretty boring. So if you agree with me some or not at all, PUT A SMILE ON because by you posting a reply to my messages here, you are helping me with the power of knowledge and contructive critisizm. So you helped someone for today.

 

[bonica]

It is not enough that a person strongly believes in God…the devil believes and shudders.
If a person does not believe in the Church, then they are not being a good Catholic. Sorry if you don’t like it but it’s true. If you say you believe something then believe all of it otherwise what’s the point.

 

[rmikulas]

I encourage ALL OF YOU reading this to try and do your best to pursuade me in any way you can. I will not feel pushed or forced, and I actually appreciate it as no harm could come from it.

Now back to the question;

I believe in a WHOLE so to speak, GOD yes, he could be that WHOLE. I find myself asking for his guidence all the time. Other religons have that WHOLE, it may be one god, a few, but some kind of WHOLE.

Sorry, off the track I go again, to answer your question directly, YES i believe in ONE GOD but do not rule out anything.

 

[bonica]

rmikulas:

I encourage ALL OF YOU reading this to try and do your best to pursuade me in any way you can. I will not feel pushed or forced, and I actually appreciate it as no harm could come from it.

Now back to the question;

I believe in a WHOLE so to speak, GOD yes, he could be that WHOLE. I find myself asking for his guidence all the time. Other religons have that WHOLE, it may be one god, a few, but some kind of WHOLE.

Sorry, off the track I go again, to answer your question directly, YES i believe in ONE GOD but do not rule out anything.

Sounds kind of new age-ish to me.

 

[ralphinal]

I have no desire to push anyone. I do have a question or two. First, would it be fair to say if you respect Wicca because of the shed no blood then you have more respect for a Janist who will not even harm an insect? Is janism, then, more representative of the truth? Second, and feel free to ignore this part if you wish, becuase I am afraid some might not be too charitable, do you ever practice any wiccan rituals? If so, how do you reconcile that with your catholic faith?

 

[bonica]

ralphinal:

I have no desire to push anyone. I do have a question or two. First, would it be fair to say if you respect Wicca because of the shed no blood then you have more respect for a Janist who will not even harm an insect? Is janism, then, more representative of the truth? Second, and feel free to ignore this part if you wish, becuase I am afraid some might not be too charitable, do you ever practice any wiccan rituals? If so, how do you reconcile that with your catholic faith?

No…I don’t respect it for the “shed no blood” because sometimes you have no choice but to shed blood. What about in war? What about in self-defense? And a Janist who won’t harm an insect is just silly. So you’re supposed to let a mosquito which could carry diseases just suck your blood and fly away? Or let a tick give you lime disease? I could go on…And no, I do not practice wiccan rituals…

 

[ktm]

rmikulas:

Isn’t it enough that a person strongly believes in god? That a person believes in doing good and helping others. That believes in guidence from the church? That a person has FAITH that god will show them the way? It might not be the same way as everyone else, but it still gets you to the same place? I have been studing religon on my own for YEARS now and most of the catholics I have spoken to, do not agree with one or more parts of either the church or the catholic faith. Does this mean they are bad people? Bad Catholics? No way.

It means that they are not properly educated in the faith. So you are right, they are probably not “bad” Catholics, just misinformed.

rmikulas:

I do apologize if I have offended anyone with this. Not my intestion. To me, all people are good people in some way or another and this is just my opinion. Without opinions this world would be pretty boring. So if you agree with me some or not at all, PUT A SMILE ON because by you posting a reply to my messages here, you are helping me with the power of knowledge and contructive critisizm. So you helped someone for today.

No need to apologize for something you haven’t done!

I think you are on the right path actually, since you are seeking God and posting on a Catholic website. These two things lead me to believe that you are seriously considering the Catholic faith.

Your description in the top of the quoted portion is quite interesting because you are starting to define what a Catholic is. Assuredly, you are missing some important points, but a Catholic indeed is one who believes in God, who tries to perform good and holy works, who follows the teaching of the Church, and so forth. But this is not enough because the Bible does not merely say “be nice to each other.” Rather, God tells us what is expected of us, and it’s not always easy to follow His commandments, but we have faith God knows what He’s doing.

 

[bonica]

Let me ask you the same question…do you ever practice any wiccan rituals and if so how do you reconcile it with your catholic faith?

 

[rmikulas]

Good questions. I do not practice rituals but I do believe in healing with herbs, not like spells and that stuff of the religon. But I will take natural remedies over PILLS unless absolutly 100% needed. When it comes to insects, I never gave it thought until just a few weeks ago and have come to the conclusion that I will not harm them when possible (if I hit one while driving, whoops.). I mean, would I want to be stepped on or swatted?

KTM: Now those are educated responces. Thank you.

Sorry, being vague again: When I say I will not harm an insect, I mean I will do my best to protect myself from them without harming them. We have west nile virus here with mosquitos so I wear bug spray but if I see a mosquito on me, he is going to be swatted. I do not purposly go out and find bugs to kill. If a spider is on the sidewalk I am not going to step on him but allow him to go on his way. If I catch a bug in my apartment, I set him outside rather than smash him.

 

[bonica]

rmikulas:

Good questions. I do not practice rituals but I do believe in healing with herbs, not like spells and that stuff of the religon. But I will take natural remedies over PILLS unless absolutly 100% needed. When it comes to insects, I never gave it thought until just a few weeks ago and have come to the conclusion that I will not harm them when possible (if I hit one while driving, whoops.). I mean, would I want to be stepped on or swatted?

KTM: Now those are educated responces. Thank you.

You may not want to be stepped on or swatted but you are created in God’s image unlike the insect…

 

[ktm]

rmikulas:

Good questions. I do not practice rituals but I do believe in healing with herbs, not like spells and that stuff of the religon. But I will take natural remedies over PILLS unless absolutly 100% needed.

I’m the same way. I take vitamin supplements and only take a pill when necessary. This doesn’t make me a witch. It makes me someone who doesn’t like to take medicine.

rmikulas:

When it comes to insects, I never gave it thought until just a few weeks ago and have come to the conclusion that I will not harm them when possible (if I hit one while driving, whoops.). I mean, would I want to be stepped on or swatted?

Well, an insect is an animal, right? And killing an animal for the sake of killing it is not advisable. So I have no compunctions about eating a chicken because it was killed for a good purpose – to provide food. In a similar way, I have no compunction about killing a mosquito that is biting me because I am killing it for good reason - I don’t want to catch some disease. Like you, I don’t go around stomping insects, except maybe a spider in my bedroom.