Orientation for wavering faith

[Ivy24]

Ok…i have a niece that is 16 and went on a retreat . She was really impressed and she said she found God during the experience, As days went by I guess her friends and other people from other religions as she told about her experience fell the need to tell her that if she is not from a certain religion (their own religion) she wouldn’t be saved…this is her question to me:

Keep in mind, she is only 16 and was not very much into religion before, attended church but sermons didnt really sink in until this retreat; that by the way was a Baptist retreat.

"I am very very confused about religion. I want to believe in THE truth. The one and only truth. I keep hearing so many different sides, stories, religions, Its getting me worried and very very confused. I want to talk to a catholic priest about it, but I dont want him to encourage me into his religion, I just want to hear the answers to my questions, but accurate answers. Not answers he wants me to hear. I want someone to just tell me the truth and what religion is entirely and fully accurate. "

“I dont want to be a bad person, I just want to believe in the real thing. And the youth group Ive been attending has been pushing a bit with their religion.”

====================

I dont know what to tell her to dissipate her doubts and she was so enthusiastic when she came back from the retreat is really a shame that people put doubts in her head.

Can u tell me more or less how to answer to that email?

Thanks

Ivy

 

[StrawberryJam]

Ask her to pray?

 

[Orchanian]

How do we know where the fullness of the truth lies, that is the question - and it’s a great one! All of us should ask that question. I have found the answer in the Catholic Church because of my study of the Bible and of church history. If she likes to read history, she can read the early church fathers, especially Justin Martyr. He wrote a letter around 100AD to the Romans describing the Christian religious practices. It sounds incredibly like the Mass. It sounds nothing like a protestant service. If she has questions about God and different religions, she should ask them of someone who knows the answers. And if she wants a complete and correct answer about the Catholic church, she must ask a knowledgeable Catholic. I have heard our faith criticized for things we don’t actually teach or believe.

A Bible Study would be great. She can do free Bible Study at salvationhistory.com.

Some great resources are Patrick Madrid’s tapes on apologetics and books about conversion stories (Madrid, Hahn, Moss, etc.). When you read the conversion stories, you see others who had the same questions and learn how they found the answers.

Through it all, encourage her in her seeking. The Bible says, Seek and ye shall find. She had an experience of the Holy Spirit, who touches Catholics and non-Catholics alike. That was a great gift to her.

This may be a nudge from God to you to learn more about how to explain the Catholic faith. Consider looking for Catholic teen retreats that she can attend.

Last and greatest - pray for her to continue to seek the truth and not be deterred by those who don’t live or speak as Christians (although they call themselves such).

 

[AJTheMan]

I find that skepticism can only lead to good things. I think it’s great that she is being presented the full picture at such an age so she has time to be skeptical. I find that with skepticism only two things can happen:

A) The person realizes that their faith was right all along and can return to their faith being stronger and more devout than ever before.

or

B) The person realizes that her faith was not exactly correct or wasn’t the one for them so they switch and find what they’ve wanted.

It’s almost a win-win. Too many people are Baptized in the church and simply leave because they are “Cradle Catholics” who see the whole thing as boring. I think those who actually go through periods of intense doubt and skepticism and return to their faith often have a much stronger faith in the end…and it really benefits. So just answer her questions as any good Catholic would. In the end, it’s up to her if she wants to remain Catholic or not.

 

[MariaG]

Ok…i have a niece that is 16 and went on a retreat . She was really impressed and she said she found God during the experience, As days went by I guess her friends and other people from other religions as she told about her experience fell the need to tell her that if she is not from a certain religion (their own religion) she wouldn’t be saved…this is her question to me:

Keep in mind, she is only 16 and was not very much into religion before, attended church but sermons didnt really sink in until this retreat; that by the way was a Baptist retreat.

"I am very very confused about religion. I want to believe in THE truth. The one and only truth. I keep hearing so many different sides, stories, religions, Its getting me worried and very very confused. I want to talk to a catholic priest about it, but I dont want him to encourage me into his religion, I just want to hear the answers to my questions, but accurate answers. Not answers he wants me to hear. I want someone to just tell me the truth and what religion is entirely and fully accurate. "

“I dont want to be a bad person, I just want to believe in the real thing. And the youth group Ive been attending has been pushing a bit with their religion.”

====================

I dont know what to tell her to dissipate her doubts and she was so enthusiastic when she came back from the retreat is really a shame that people put doubts in her head.

Can u tell me more or less how to answer to that email?

Thanks

Ivy

First, I would ask her if she would share some of the “different” sides she is talking about. Is is the different sides as presented by those at the Baptist Church? People that in my experience, frequently do not understand Catholic teachings at all? Who might be saying things like, “Catholics worship Mary and we can see here in the Bible that we are to only worship the One True God.”?

That is where I would start before I went any farther. It is my bet that she has been told a great deal of “what Catholics believe” that is just not true. You need to first show her that what she has been told about the Catholic Church from her baptist friends is wrong before you move forward into what is the truth. (And once you show her that they lied or were just mistaken about the teachings of the Catholic Church, it can go a long way in helping her decide who to trust is telling her the truth.)

God Bless,
Maria