Response to first Paragraph:
You obviously do not live where I live. Christian teaching is an everyday thing, people discuss it day in and day out. I’ve been debating and talking with people about my faith since I was 8. It’s that common. Its how I learn about my faith. By hearing what other Churches say about the Catholic faith, it makes me look into Catholic teaching to understand why the Church teaches as it does. I would go as far as to say that was it not for these debates, I would have either lost my faith because I was coddled into my faith, or just simply not cared (as some of my Catholic friends). This is how I view life, coddling is not the best idea. If you want to know your faith better, and to defend it you must LEARN. How am I ever going to LEARN if I am told everything like I was 6? Protestants will not care if you are Confirmed or not. I cannot just say " I’m not confirmed, don’t ask me." No, they expect an answer, the best way to do this is to have one waiting for them.
Response to 1st paragraph part 2.
You also said that because I asked a question for someone to confirm, you say I should not go to these services to learn. So, using your logic, if someone disagrees with the Catholic Church on immigration, they should not attend Mass, or get confirmed. I knew that I was not to receive their “communion”, the whole point of this topic was to gloss over things that I had missed, so I know to avoid them. The things I posted were what I already knew.
Response to paragraph 2:
I have already said that I will fulfill my Sunday obligation. I do not intend to fall away because of this. However, read response 1. By doing this, I will be conflicted for answers hopefully. This will challenge me to learn about my faith. Its reverse psycology.
Response to paragraph 3:
It does not mean you “confirm” your parents’ choice to baptize you Catholic, after weighing all the alternatives. It means the bishop confirms your baptism, anoints you with the Holy Spirit who comes upon you in power, as Christ promised and strengthens you by his seven fold gifts to remain strong and grow in knowledge and wisdom.
This line confuses me. Confirm means to give approval. Why would one wait till you are 16, call the Sacrament
Confirmation if it did not matter whether the recipient agreed or not. We talk so often about how women are not given enough information before seeking an abortion, but now you say that we shouldn’t get information from another source? One that will allow oneself to better understand his faith? What hypocrite.
Confirmation does give you the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I have already said this. However, it does not give you INSTANT knowledge of everything your friends are going to ask. You must study those, a lot of the questions my friends have debated me on I already have. The only way you can be ready is to already know the questions, and find answers ahead of time. As I stated previously, this is how I learn, by debating. Believe it or not, I will grow in faith from this. Not destroy my faith.
Response to paragraph 4
Number 1, my parents are supportive of this. They know the way I learn. I myself have taught them things such as the best verses to give a Protestant who does not believe in the Eucharist (1 Cor 2:14, John 6:53-58, 66-67, and 1 Corinthians 11:27. Which by the way I learned about AFTER going to a Baptist Church and being challenged on it.
Where did you get the idea I would deny Confirmation? As I have stated previously, this is the most effective way I can grow in my faith. Reading a book is all fine and good, but if I want to understand where the other religions are coming from, and be ready with a response, a book is not going to give me the exact answer I need. (except maybe line of “Prove It!” books).
Response to paragraph 5:
I will fill my mind with Church teachings. After I learn what I should fill my head about, so as to better refute Protestants.
You cannot offer to others what you do not possess yourself. Until you are firm in your knowledge and fervent in your practice of the Catholic Faith, you are not in a position to share your faith much less debate with others, especially youth of your acquaintance who are fervent and knowledgeable about their own beliefs. Finish your Confirmation preparation which the parish and diocese offer as a gift to you and come forward when your Bishop calls you and receive the Holy Spirit and be strengthened and nourished by his anointing. Then will be enough time to explore what unites all Christians.
I am not there to teach them. I am there to learn about what I should learn about to defend my faith. In kind of the way a spy works (horrible analogy, but it gets the point across). For the record, I am fervent in my faith. I’ve taught apologetics at my youth group on numerous occasions. I will receive confirmation. I want to, and can hardly wait to. However, I don’t think that just because I am not confirmed, I shouldn’t be allowed to do this.
Like I said, this is how I learn. I don’t believe teaching or coddling is good unless you can live it, and explain it. By getting questions about my faith that I do not understand, I can learn more about my faith by searching for answers. Based on puzzleannie’s logic, I guess a non confirmed Catholic shouldn’t go to youtube either. There are plenty of things there questioning the Catholic faith. Or even the whole entire internet for that matter. I would rather have my faith forged by fire, than change the way I learn and be supported by a crutch via coddling me to learn only the very basics of my faith.
