"Paul" by A.N. Wilson

[fhansen]

And you had a very specific goal and were knowledgeable enough to evaluate methodology, reasoning, and resulting beliefs

It is actually *truly shocking *how many people are unable to evaluate things in this way. Even college-educated people are unable to, say, consider an argument in light of what themselves have experienced and know to be true, (Or maybe college-educated people are worse… in which case I shouldn’t be surprised.) much less evaulate a methodology or even check logic.

I have taken people through an argument, point-by-point, and they have agreed with each point but in the end, they refuse to believe what I am saying and can’t even give an argument for that.

So, given my own personal experience, I am very cautious about what I say to people about their reading

So, just out of curiousity, do you consider yourself as someone who believes in Catholicism?

I mean, I consider myself a person who believes because underlying everything else, I believe in the authority of the Catholic Church–and I didn’t always–so whenever something goes against Church teaching, my assumption is that it is wrong.

If I can’t explain why it is wrong, I consider that to be a deficiency in myself and assume that someone else would be able to. I don’t necessarily delve into each and every question to prove them all in order to maintain my belief.

Or maybe my question is how are you open to changing your mind while believing that the truth is found in the Church?

I’m completely Catholic. I, too, give the Church the benefit of the doubt; I’ve come to believe she speaks for God-I’ve basically come to agree with her-the sensus fidelium and all-to my own surprise earlier on. I’ve come to agree in so many places and for so many reasons to the point that, where I still might not fully understand some particular doctrine, I assume she’s got it right. But I don’t do so out of fear. I would never have come to believe as I do if not for facing the challenges. We cannot fake belief; and God knows our hearts anyway so why bother? Again, Christianity is about Truth first of all. So this idea about sheltering or protecting ourselves from falsehood is bogus after all. If we have to protect it, we probably don’t really have it to begin with.

But at the same time I acknowledge that I’m only human; I can be wrong about my beliefs; I can change my opinion. If I’ve left everything behind to pursue the treasure I’ve found in the Catholic Church, in our faith, I’d still leave it behind if I found the truth articulated more fully elsewhere. But if you understand what I’m saying, that attitude is the very reason that I’m Catholic. To pursue truth is to eventually become Catholic.