Pessimism towards the Catholic God

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This is a question I wrestle with. When I observe certain people - they possess all the ideal traits. It makes me wonder what good does professing a belief in Christ do anyways or any God? If there is a God, why didn’t He make us have good traits? This is someone in particular - emotionally stable, even-tempered, logical, rational, honest, reasonable, healthy, self-determined, focused, hard-working yet flexible, easygoing, peaceful, content, realistic, practical, well-balanced and responsible. This person can accept things, people and situations for what they are. This person does not need validation from others. This person can easily forgive others. Things do not seem to penetrate or worry this person too much. They seem to guiding by on life. Some people cannot accept difficult circumstances. Some people by nature get stuck and addicted to particular sins. Others can easily wade them off. Some people who have temperaments are prone to depression, angry, and arrogance while some temperaments are just more easygoing and lovable. God will not love you any more if contemplating about his existence, praying daily and attending mass. A person can repent sincerely on his dying breath and earn the same heaven that those who faced persecution in His name. Salvation is not determined by works. Not all of us will reach the same understanding about God. Some people have a higher, deeper understanding about God, while others have a more shallow understanding. Once again, our understanding about God does not determine our worth. I feel like only the weak in need God. Those who cannot find the power within themselves. Those who are not physically, emotionally or financially stable need Christ.There are others who lack all of these traits. I wonder why is it wrong to love one child more than the other, if one is almost perfect and other is not? I wonder how are we all sinners? Some people “sins” never backfire. Supposedly this is will all happen in the next life. The next life is not determined. All I know that life I am living is real. I am very familiar with saints, why does God give the largest crosses to those who love him the most? Some crosses are dealing with alcohol, abusive husband, incurable illnesses, persecution. Who would want them for someone who loves them? Often people pray and their prayers are never answered. Supposedly God answers them in his own time and way, He knows what is best for us. Really? What is so evil about premarital sex? Most Catholics do it and will continue to do, till the point they altogether forget it is a sin. God does nothing about it. Ultimately all this fight against personal, public or societal sin is relentless. It will never end.
Yet despite all my pessimism and doubts towards God - I cannot stop attending mass, wondering about Him or praying. I am not leaving the Catholic Church anytime soon.
 
My goodness, what an outpouring of thoughts. It seems to boil down to something like this:

Does religion really make us better people? I know non-religious persons who surpass many religious persons in perfection. We’d be happier, anyway, without all the rules and restrictions the Church imposes, and people get away with breaking them anyway. And what’s up with God giving his friends crosses to bear?

Is that an accurate paraphrase of your key thoughts?
 
CRATUS said:
This is a question I wrestle with. When I observe certain people - they possess all the ideal traits. It makes me wonder what good does professing a belief in Christ do anyways or any God? If there is a God, why didn’t He make us have good traits? This is someone in particular - emotionally stable, even-tempered, logical, rational, honest, reasonable, healthy, self-determined, focused, hard-working yet flexible, easygoing, peaceful, content, realistic, practical, well-balanced and responsible. This person can accept things, people and situations for what they are. This person does not need validation from others. This person can easily forgive others. Things do not seem to penetrate or worry this person too much. They seem to guiding by on life. Some people cannot accept difficult circumstances. Some people by nature get stuck and addicted to particular sins. Others can easily wade them off. Some people who have temperaments are prone to depression, angry, and arrogance while some temperaments are just more easygoing and lovable. God will not love you any more if contemplating about his existence, praying daily and attending mass. A person can repent sincerely on his dying breath and earn the same heaven that those who faced persecution in His name. Salvation is not determined by works. Not all of us will reach the same understanding about God. Some people have a higher, deeper understanding about God, while others have a more shallow understanding. Once again, our understanding about God does not determine our worth. I feel like only the weak in need God. Those who cannot find the power within themselves. Those who are not physically, emotionally or financially stable need Christ.There are others who lack all of these traits. I wonder why is it wrong to love one child more than the other, if one is almost perfect and other is not? I wonder how are we all sinners? Some people “sins” never backfire. Supposedly this is will all happen in the next life. The next life is not determined. All I know that life I am living is real. I am very familiar with saints, why does God give the largest crosses to those who love him the most? Some crosses are dealing with alcohol, abusive husband, incurable illnesses, persecution. Who would want them for someone who loves them? Often people pray and their prayers are never answered. Supposedly God answers them in his own time and way, He knows what is best for us. Really? What is so evil about premarital sex? Most Catholics do it and will continue to do, till the point they altogether forget it is a sin. God does nothing about it. Ultimately all this fight against personal, public or societal sin is relentless. It will never end.
Yet despite all my pessimism and doubts towards God - I cannot stop attending mass, wondering about Him or praying. I am not leaving the Catholic Church anytime soon.
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Dude… :confused:
 
All people, not just the weak, need God constantly. Whether they know it or not, they are relying on Him for their very existence since God sustains all that He has created. He is the source of all of their strength and goods. They also need Him to receive sanctifying grace to get to heaven.

Someone that dies for the Faith will be more glorified in heaven and will spend no time in purgatory compared to someone that converts on their death bed who will be less glorified and will remain in purgatory until the general judgement (without prayers). They all get to heaven, but there are differences. Consider yourself fortunate that God is that merciful.

Those who sin in this world are punished eternally in hell should they die unrepentant, and they suffer in this life with discontent hearts and sometimes the just wrath of God. Those who commit sins of impurity often suffer bodily ills & unhappiness. The saints of God suffer much for Him because it is beneficial to their pursuit in holiness and benefits the whole Church while glorifying God. The saints offer their pains in union with Christ’s Sacrifice to almighty God to gain for themselves countless merits, convert sinners, help the souls of purgatory, &c.

Does that help you at all? You wrote on many points and it is difficult, to say the least, to try to read the block of text. 🙂
 
Imagine if one put the same amount of effort into doing God’s will and pleasing God!
How blessed we all would be.

And yeah.
Paragraphs.
Boiled down to one thought.
 
I have heard that someday, probably soon, God will purify the world, and when He does, everyone will be aware of His truth…I heard the economy will crash, there will be terrible storms, wars, problems of all sorts, and the Purification will last more than 10 years. I don’t know if this is true or not. In 10 years, I would like to know…but being unable to know if I will be alive by then, well, …

Also I have heard that the devil is in the mixture. He is busy and having a good time. He infests, possesses,obsesses, and more or less shows his bad temper. I am thinking I hope I have my mortgage paid off by then. Meanwhile, I’m going out for a beer.
 
Arizona_Fat_Gir said:
I have heard that someday, probably soon, God will purify the world, and when He does, everyone will be aware of His truth…I heard the economy will crash, there will be terrible storms, wars, problems of all sorts, and the Purification will last more than 10 years. I don’t know if this is true or not. In 10 years, I would like to know…but being unable to know if I will be alive by then, well, …

Also I have heard that the devil is in the mixture. He is busy and having a good time. He infests, possesses,obsesses, and more or less shows his bad temper. I am thinking I hope I have my mortgage paid off by then. Meanwhile, I’m going out for a beer.
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Where did you hear all of the that? You should consider the source.
 
They might be private opinions, but I would be inclined to consider the possibility. According to what some of these opinions say, God is very angry at the world for some of the things that are happening. Especially, abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage. If that is true, what will we do if it happens? Some of these people are prophetic in their ideas. If they are wrong, great. I hope they are.

But thinking of all the things that have happened over the years, including abortion, which never was legal in the US before 1973, it would seem that certain boundaries are being crossed.
 
Sounds like you are struggling. Perhaps a sitting down with a priest would help? Maybe there is a way to get some spiritual guidance at your parish?

Maybe you can meditate on various scriptures or pray the Rosary. Maybe that will help also.
 
Arizona_Fat_Gir said:
I have heard that someday, probably soon, God will purify the world, and when He does, everyone will be aware of His truth…I heard the economy will crash, there will be terrible storms, wars, problems of all sorts, and the Purification will last more than 10 years. I don’t know if this is true or not. In 10 years, I would like to know…but being unable to know if I will be alive by then, well, …

Also I have heard that the devil is in the mixture. He is busy and having a good time. He infests, possesses,obsesses, and more or less shows his bad temper. I am thinking I hope I have my mortgage paid off by then. Meanwhile, I’m going out for a beer.
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Well, it would be nice to know the future, but I don’t believe a word of it. Sounds more like apocalyptic mythology than Catholic to me.
 
Arizona_Fat_Gir said:
They might be private opinions, but I would be inclined to consider the possibility. According to what some of these opinions say, God is very angry at the world for some of the things that are happening. Especially, abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage. If that is true, what will we do if it happens? Some of these people are prophetic in their ideas. If they are wrong, great. I hope they are.

But thinking of all the things that have happened over the years, including abortion, which never was legal in the US before 1973, it would seem that certain boundaries are being crossed.
Click to expand...
If God still loves America, then He will discipline us. It is better than the outpouring of His wrath of which the Bible warns.

In the time of.Jeremiah, God sent 9 harbingers or warnings to Israel before they were taken captive. God has sent the exact same harbingers to America exactly as described in the Bible. Not simular, but exactly. This is because He cares about us.

So, I guess we should just ignore it and do our own thing as.usual.

God Bless America!
 
eazyduzit,
What are the nine harbingers that God has sent America that mirror the ones in Jeremiah? Where do you find that information? Seriously, I would like to know. Thank you.
 
What is a Catholic God? The “Catholic” God is a belief system of the Christian God which is also the same God of Judaism and Islam. The difference is how we interpret that God.
 
I have long been puzzled as to why God made us. The usual answer, that God loves us, did not seem sensible to me because I could so easily imagine better more deserving people than myself.

Recently, I heard (and I don’t remember the exact video) the late exorcist Father Malachi Martin say that the activity that God most loves is practicing redemption. More than anything, God loves redeeming us. That is ultimately why we exist, so that God can redeem us.

This made the more sense to me than anything else that anybody has ever said about God. This is the most revealing aspect of God’s love, that He both loves us, and He loves forgiving and redeeming us. That is His nature, and that is what makes us precious to Him, much more so than people who might be much smarter, stronger, and able than we are.
 
3_Dog_Night said:
eazyduzit,
What are the nine harbingers that God has sent America that mirror the ones in Jeremiah? Where do you find that information? Seriously, I would like to know. Thank you.
Click to expand...
I’m genuinely interested too!
 
Pat_Albertson said:
Recently, I heard (and I don’t remember the exact video) the late exorcist Father Malachi Martin say that the activity that God most loves is practicing redemption. More than anything, God loves redeeming us. That is ultimately why we exist, so that God can redeem us.

This made the more sense to me than anything else that anybody has ever said about God. This is the most revealing aspect of God’s love, that He both loves us, and He loves forgiving and redeeming us. That is His nature, and that is what makes us precious to Him, much more so than people who might be much smarter, stronger, and able than we are.
Click to expand...
I found it. Rather than the word redemption, Father Martin used the word repentance. You can hear his statement beginning at about 8:12 in this video:
Malachi Martin 1of9: The nature of evil / Exorcism, possessionGod loves exercising His mercy.
 
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