Obsessive Faith?

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the_Hatter

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Over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve been developing a little problem that has really been making life difficult for me. The best way to put it, I suppose, is to say I’m getting obsessive with my faith and how I practice it.
Example: Every time I even suspect I may have sinned in some way, I apologize to God (try to, anyway). In itself that’s not the problem, but almost every time I pray (and I feel like I have to for a lot of things), I’ve developed this little ritual that I feel like I MUST go through or else I’m letting God down by being lazy. It goes something like this: I make the Sign of the Cross, say my prayer, make the Sign of the Cross again, and I “mime”, I guess you could say, kissing the crucifix with my fingertips. I mime like that every time I finish a seperate request or statement in my prayer, and before and after both Signs of the Cross. While that may not sound so bad, it becomes a long, ponderous thing to have to go through almost every five minutes, because I have to reeeeaaaally CONCENTRATE on what I’m doing, and if I don’t feel like I’ve concentrated on it perfectly, I end up doing it all over again.
Gaaah. I’ve always suspected I’m a bit obsessive-compulsive, here’s evidence!
Also, I’m getting that classic obsession with sin. Part of my problem is that I have this skewed idea that if I haven’t seen or heard that a thing isn’t a mortal sin, there’s always the possibility that it is, and therefore, I always feel like I’m possibly in a state of mortal sin (when I haven’t done anything that I know or even seriously suspect is a mortal sin). Consequently, I feel slightly guilty when I recieve Communion. I’m always feeling guilty, second-guessing myself, and generally being an intolerable worry-wart.
Any advice from someone who’s been in this position? I’m sure something that feels as bad as this does can’t be from God, as my mom told me, so how can I get rid of it?
Thanks a million!
 
Hatter,

I would strongly recommend you talk to your priest about this. I believe it’s called srupulosity when you start worrying about everything being sin, but I may have the term wrong. Regardless, you are correct that this is not a healthy thing and you will drive yourself nuts.

If you find, or suspect that you are obsessive compulsive in other things also, the priest might be able to recommend a counselor to help you deal with that. Unchecked that can become a serious issue.

While your faith won’t make you immune to trial by any means, it should be a source of comfort in knowing that God loves you even when you fail.
 
Talk to your priest and most importantly talk to your physician. There are medications out there that can help a lot with obsessive-compulsive disorders. So many people suffer with this condition, be it having your problem (about faith), or they wash their hands constantly, they have to have to same routine everyday, etc. Its more common than you think. From what I’ve heard (a good friend of mine is a psychiatrist) its supposedly caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Meds like Paxil and Zoloft supposedly help tremendously with it.

Good luck to you.
 
Sounds like the same kind of problem Luther had…scrupulosity.

Definitely talk to your priest about it!
 
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Lorrie:
Talk to your priest and most importantly talk to your physician. There are medications out there that can help a lot with obsessive-compulsive disorders. So many people suffer with this condition, be it having your problem (about faith), or they wash their hands constantly, they have to have to same routine everyday, etc. Its more common than you think. From what I’ve heard (a good friend of mine is a psychiatrist) its supposedly caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Meds like Paxil and Zoloft supposedly help tremendously with it.

Good luck to you.
Click to expand...
While medicines do have a legitimate use, It’s not good to consider them the most common solution to emotional problems- like obscessions- sometime all a person may need is some counseling. Talk to a clinical or counseling Psychologist, and take things from there.
 
“I have this skewed idea that if I haven’t seen or heard that a thing isn’t a mortal sin, there’s always the possibility that it is, and therefore, I always feel like I’m possibly in a state of mortal sin (when I haven’t done anything that I know or even seriously suspect is a mortal sin).”

You’re right, Hatter, that** is** skewed! 😃

There are three elements to a motral sin, and ALL THREE must be present for it to be a mortal sin.
  1. The sin must be a grave matter.
  2. You must have full knowledge that it is grave.
  3. You must fully consent to the sin.
Therefore, if you “haven’t seen or heard that a thing isn’t a mortal sin,” it’s not one. (Assuming you’re talking about something you’ve already done.)
 
Although i completely disagree with the entire concept of “mortal sins”, i think the above post should put your conscience at ease.

Otherwise, i have a question. What does God have to say about this “obsession”? I know, Protestants are constantly trying to push the idea of a “personal relationship with Christ”, but it seems here that you are more concerned with the ritual than the God.
]]]Disclaimer: i don’t know you, and in order to try and give you advice, i’m having to make a HUGE assumption based on very little facts. If i’ve misread you, i’m terribly sorry.]]]
Try something different. Drop the rituals completely. I know it is Catholic custom to make the sign of the Cross, but i don’t believe it’s neccesary. So don’t. It seems like this is weighing you down, so make a commitment to sit down and pray with God and don’t make any signs. In fact, don’t worry about running down a grocery list of sins either. Certainly, you should take time to bring your transgressions before God, but take a seperate time to just talk to God. I know, it may seem like i think i’m giving advice to a six year old on how to pray, but you’d be amazed at how often the basics are what we need.
So, tell God what’s on your mind. Ask him to help you clear out the other things going on around you, be they from satan, the world, or even from your own mind. Remember, that christian meditation is unlike the meditation of the Eastern world. Their meditation seeks to simply empty the mind, while we seek to empty our mind to fill it with christ.
I will pray for you.
 
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m134e5:
While medicines do have a legitimate use, It’s not good to consider them the most common solution to emotional problems- like obscessions- sometime all a person may need is some counseling. Talk to a clinical or counseling Psychologist, and take things from there.
Click to expand...
Counseling is always good, it never hurts to talk to someone, I’m just not sure how talking can fix a chemical imbalance.
 
Thanks for all the help, people.
Those Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous have already helped me, because they outline several of the problems I have to a T (or whatever that expression is).
Over the past couple of days, I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, and I’m starting to get better. Your advice here is very helpful, too.
Thanks much! 😃
 
I suffer from the same affliction. It has robbed me of joy for over 1 year or more. Your question and the responses really helped me. Thank you.
 
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Egg4christ:
Although i completely disagree with the entire concept of “mortal sins”, i think the above post should put your conscience at ease.

Otherwise, i have a question. What does God have to say about this “obsession”? I know, Protestants are constantly trying to push the idea of a “personal relationship with Christ”, but it seems here that you are more concerned with the ritual than the God.
]]]Disclaimer: i don’t know you, and in order to try and give you advice, i’m having to make a HUGE assumption based on very little facts. If i’ve misread you, i’m terribly sorry.]]]
Try something different. Drop the rituals completely. I know it is Catholic custom to make the sign of the Cross, but i don’t believe it’s neccesary. So don’t. It seems like this is weighing you down, so make a commitment to sit down and pray with God and don’t make any signs. In fact, don’t worry about running down a grocery list of sins either. Certainly, you should take time to bring your transgressions before God, but take a seperate time to just talk to God. I know, it may seem like i think i’m giving advice to a six year old on how to pray, but you’d be amazed at how often the basics are what we need.
So, tell God what’s on your mind. Ask him to help you clear out the other things going on around you, be they from satan, the world, or even from your own mind. Remember, that christian meditation is unlike the meditation of the Eastern world. Their meditation seeks to simply empty the mind, while we seek to empty our mind to fill it with christ.
I will pray for you.
Click to expand...
The sign of the cross is important as it is instituted in God’s full-fledged Church. However, it is not supposed to be a superstitious tool. It is supposed to invoke God’s blessing, that is, if God wills it. The protestant approach is not applicable nor compatible with the Catholic one as it does not distinguish between logical differences in the same action. The protestants are quick to say, “Do away with it…it’s all ritual” while us Catholics say, “Use it for what it was intended and not for what you intend to do with it…”

Second of all, a mortal sin, to Catholics, is very important, and as is mentioned below: you have to be conscious of it. And if you confess regularly, hopefully confessing the same sin once a week will come down to once a month, and hopefully, with faith, you won’t commit that sin anymore. Venial sins can be confessed at the beginning of mass, or to God, OR to your confessor.

Laziness is to stop thinking about sin because it is too stressful, and to say “This is all ritual, it’s too much.” Laziness is not copping to God’s institution of the Church and its sacraments, one of which is Penance. But you are lazy to control yourself (as suggested by Paul) if you fall prey to superstition.

Jesus is the Head Doctor, right? That’s in reference to the medication. I know, maybe I’m too hardlined, but where’s faith in all this medicine suggestion?

This is not obsessive faith…it is more a slight lack of faith that invokes dangerous superstitions.

God bless, and keep praying.
Aaron
 
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