Protestantism and some questions

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samuraivader

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How do I know that I’m not kind of self-deceived as a catholic? I mean, how do I know that I’m actually being a good catholic instead of just ‘feeling christian’?

I think for example of the protestantes. They read the Bible a lot and pray a lot but they are still following a human-made church. Why this happens?
 
I think it is a trick of the devil to make us feel that we are just “following along with the motions” when we attend church or when we pray or read the Bible. For myself, I am 20YO and growing up in a deeply practicing Catholic family I felt some pressure to “be a good Catholic” so I was always the best student in every religious ed class and always was the top of my game knowing all the “answers.”

But I never really took my faith as something tangible outside of Sunday mass and nightly prayers until this past year at college where I’m really committing to Daily Mass, daily Rosary, daily Divine Mercy Chaplet, frequent reading of the Bible (just read through all 4 Gospels!), adoration… and you know what all these things have showed me, they have showed me who God really is and who I am called to be. Each of these you could say is like “following along with the motions” but overtime you grow in faith and I think understanding to a certain level because of the graces we receive from God.

So my advice for you is, while you may feel as you call “self-deceived” or as I call “following along with the motions” in terms of what just “feeling christian” means, the more you actively and deeply cultivate a spirit of holiness in your life, you will see so many great blessings come to you and the gift of knowledge will be given to you little by little!

Please watch this nine minute video on YouTube from Fr. Mike Schmitz on exactly this topic, when you feel like you are just following along with the motions! He is very funny but also very wise in his advice. His videos help me a ton and I hope they help you as well!


Come Holy Spirit, kindle the hearts of your faithful and you will renew the face of the Earth.
  • Matt
 
samuraivader said:
I think for example of the protestantes. They read the Bible a lot and pray a lot but they are still following a human-made church. Why this happens?
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I presume it is because the Holy Spirit who dwells within them prompts them to do so .
 
Thanks bro, is just that I’m quite of confused about the faith and about my life. What I mean is that I don’t want to be ‘self-deceived’ in the sense that I have a strange confusion if that I’m not ‘feeling saint’ when actualy being in mortal sin or things like that. I want to ‘be sure’ that I’m doing the things OK and not just ‘feeling that I’m doing OK’. Have ever happened to you something similar? Do you know an answer for this?

(maybe bad english, sorry)
 
I think everyone wants to feel we are 100% doing what we should all the time but you don’t want that to get into being too scrupulous either.

Here is a Bible verse that may help you:

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus knows none of us will be perfect, He came to the world to help sinners. If we were all perfect He wouldn’t of came!

I also think you should read through Luke 4:1-13. It is Jesus being tempted by the devil. we all have temptations and we all want to feel perfect. Nobody is perfect we will all sin. What matters is that we try. If you feel you are in mortal sin, I would suggest you go to confession as soon as possible and then try again! And if you fall back to sin, go back to confession! God’s mercies are endless.

Hopefully that helped at least somewhat
 
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samuraivader said:
How do I know that I’m not kind of self-deceived as a catholic? I mean, how do I know that I’m actually being a good catholic instead of just ‘feeling christian’?
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It is a good question. It is very important not to use feelings as a basis. Feelings can help you (especially the feeling of guilt if you do wrong. But it is best to use objective criteria, for example:

“5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter

One can also see if they are manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. In addition toa good examination of conscience, one can measure oneself by the standard of God’s love.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” I Cor. 13: 4-8

A wise pastor once encouraged me to use it this way:

“samuraivader is patient, samuraivader is kind. samuraivader does not envy, samuraivader does not boast, samuraivader is not proud. samuraivader does not dishonor others, samuraivader is not self-seeking, samuraivader is not easily angered, samuraivader keeps no record of wrongs. samuraivader does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. samuraivader always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. samuraivader never fails.”
 
samuraivader said:
I want to ‘be sure’ that I’m doing the things OK and not just ‘feeling that I’m doing OK’.
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It is noble to desire the good, but we cannot depend upon our human evaluation. We should study our faith, pray, and develop maturity in faith, but we need to trust God to keep us on the right track. You are the sheep, and He is the shepherd. Your job is to keep your eyes on Him and it is His job to go after you if you wander away. All you need is willingness. Trust the Holy Spirit to let you know if you stray from the steep and narrow path.

Isaiah 30:21 "And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
 
You know you are not self-deceived because the Church can trace back its origins to Jesus and the Apostles. Protestants cannot reasonably claim that.
 
I am a former Protestant and let me tell you , God put his hand on us all. For me, God led me further to the RCC. Some are still on the journey and may not reach it in this time on earth but if you were born into it I can see how it’s easy to doubt as opposed to being ‘born again’ later in life. Think about the prodigal son parable - you are the obedient son and we converts are the prodigals xxx loved the same by the same Father though
 
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