Protestants Focus on This Life, Catholics on the Next

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lilypadrees said:
As a cradle Catholic, I believe that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle in this life. We don’t suffer any more than non-Catholics.
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Now, granted, I’m a protestant, so if you must, take this reply with a grain of salt. 😉
It is not just cradle Catholics who believe that “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle in this life.” I hear that ALL the time in protestant circles. Unfortunately, I believe it is a terrible misinterpretation of Scripture. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That is not the same as “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” Often, it is suffering that we canNOT handle that brings us to a longing for healing (spiritual and physical), and when we are in Christ, he can then give us the strength. However if we are not IN him, we can’t handle it. The suffering of God giving us things we can’t handle is demonstrative of His love for us in that it causes us to run to Him, the healer and giver of strength and life.
 
My mother was raised a Protestant. I’m well aware of the Protestant view. Believe me, if God gave us more than we could handle, no one would be turning to Him because they would feel it wouldn’t do any good.

It is because He loves us and sustains us through everything that we know we are able to do all things through Him. He holds us up and keeps us going even when we feel we can’t continue.

Those who don’t know Him are helped through their trials by Him also even though they don’t realize it until they become Christians.
 
I was taught in catecism that we must live a good life so we can die well and go to Heaven.

Thus, catholics focus on both…
 
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JonNC said:
Let me rephrase: the Catholic Church is also on that continuum.
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Here’s how we started on this particular matter, from my earlier post:
"Yes, and that’s the point. One cannot use the term “Protestant” to refer to a unified group that holds consistent beliefs. And the inconsistency, BTW, is due mainly to the use of Scripture as ones “rule of faith”.
The CC is not “on that continuum”. She does, indeed, hold consistent beliefs as a unified group, whether or not individuals disagree. And she certainly does not hold to the disunifying doctrine of Sola Scriptura.
JonNC said:
I think it is far less known than you believe. Most western Christians not in communion with the Pope have little knowledge or interest in what Catholicism teaches.That said, your qualifiers “some” and “others” sufficiently narrows the statement.
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Ok, if you insist. The OP IMO was stating an often heard position. I can remember back some 50 plus years ago, even, when my friend’s Lutheran-raised father commented that Catholics shouldn’t fast on Fridays because there’s already too much suffering in the world.
JonNC said:
Again, a generalization that doesn’t reflect the reality of many.
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Ok, it also does reflect the reality of many, in large part because of various biblical passages. But it’s not as if the Catholic Church hasn’t been there as well, teaching a similar line at times. I think the great light that came into the world has been gradually having its effect though, increasing our overall knowledge of God during the course of the last two millennia as we’ve pondered and absorbed and been changed by that light so that as a Church we’ve come to know His nature and will better than ever these days.
 
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I’m a mutt. Lol. I’m currently attending a Baptist church, but have attended Wesleyan, non-denominational, Methodist, & Presbyterian.
 
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I’m what Catholics would deem a “Protestant”, but I’m not protesting anything.

Anyway to answer the OP, I’m not focusing on this life at all where things die and rot, my treasures are stored up in heaven.
 
lilypadrees said:
Believe me, if God gave us more than we could handle, no one would be turning to Him because they would feel it wouldn’t do any good.
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I respectfully disagree. I have heard many testimonies of people who weren’t even sure they believed God existed, and then they went through a very difficult trial they didn’t think they would make it through. That trial caused them to seek God & find they could make it, with His help.
I know I have experienced things I couldn’t handle in my own life. My dad moved to Heaven last year in January. I have never felt such intense pain and grief before. I felt like I was going to die for months. I mean I literally felt like I was going to physically die. My heart physically ached so much I thought I was going to have a heart attack. For 3 months I went to sleep seriously not expecting to wake up the next morning (which I was perfectly okay with), because I thought I was going to have cardiac arrest in the middle of the night. The 1 hope I had was Jesus & a promise that I would be moving with Dad someday. God spoke to my heart with comfort several months later in a worship song at church that says, “In Your kindness, You lead me home to the place where I belong.” I had a light bulb moment from God that it was His kindness to Dad that moved him home to Heaven, not what I felt was unkindness to me.
If I had not been a believer, what sort of hope would I have? I think I really may have died if I didn’t have any shred of hope, I think I would have died from broken heart syndrome (it’s a real thing).
As an aside- the Lord used Hebrews 12 to comfort me as well. I found myself talking to Dad & then feeling stupid & more angry because he couldn’t hear me, or so I thought. I hadn’t paid much attention to that passage before. But it’s pretty clear- witnesses can see & hear or they wouldn’t be witnessing anything. So I talk to him a lot now, particularly when looking for a parking space. He had some crazy aura that always allowed him to get the best spot. I ask him to clear the way for me, & he does. 😆
 
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very insulting and very untrue…have a ittle Christian Charity and find out about your Christian brothers and sisters…I love you as a Christian sibling…hope you can do the same for me
 
Save this post for the next time a Roman Catholic says there are 40,000+ Protestant groups. 🤣
 
birthjunkiemom said:
It is not just cradle Catholics who believe that “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle in this life.” I hear that ALL the time in protestant circles. Unfortunately, I believe it is a terrible misinterpretation of Scripture. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That is not the same as “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” Often, it is suffering that we canNOT handle that brings us to a longing for healing (spiritual and physical), and when we are in Christ, he can then give us the strength. However if we are not IN him, we can’t handle it. The suffering of God giving us things we can’t handle is demonstrative of His love for us in that it causes us to run to Him, the healer and giver of strength and life.
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I always thought that concept came out of this verse:

1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
 
birthjunkiemom said:
If I had not been a believer, what sort of hope would I have? I think I really may have died if I didn’t have any shred of hope, I think I would have died from broken heart syndrome (it’s a real thing).
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I asked a nonbeliever (who was raised Baptist) if he ever felt sad that he wouldn’t see his loved ones ever again when he/they died. His answer was that he didn’t care. He didn’t care if people went to heaven, hell or went poof. Then I looked at this person’s life and saw that he didn’t care about people in general, unless the person could give him something - mainly money.

So nonbelievers have no hope of a next life, nor do they care. This mentality bleeds into how they live their current life, whereby they don’t care.
 
I see what you’re saying about how some nonbelievers view life. I know that’s not the case with all of them, though. I have friends who are nonbelievers and grieve deeply when a loved one dies. They think they’ll never, ever see them again, that their loved one’s existence just disappears as if they never existed. It’s very sad, & if I believed that along with the devastating grief I suffered when Dad moved to Heaven… It would have been really ugly for me (still would be, if I were still here).
The person you spoke to sounds bitter & angry. Makes me wonder if he had some of the fundamentalist Baptist parents & equated Jesus with that experience.
 
guanophore said:
1 Corinthians 10:13

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
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Yes! This verse you mentioned is also misinterpreted. It is specific to temptation.
 
Grace is His gift to us. And gifts as we know are given for a reason-to use. How we used those gifts is what matters.
 
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