Searching for the Truth

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FreeSmith

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Greetings to you, Catholics and others.

I have been on a spiritual journey as of late, and I have learned much.

I was an atheist just a year ago or so. Today, I’m a Deist with no particular beliefs about God.

Recently, however, I have found myself considering the claims of the Catholic Church. I believe if there is any truth to the claims of Jesus, then his truth is best represented in the Catholic Church.

Right now, I seem to have hit a roadblock. I don’t know whether I’m a Christian or a Deist. I just can’t get any further.

I ask, are there any others out there who have/had the same problem? Do you have any experiences with “spiritual writer’s block”?

I apologize for any mistakes in my post as I am not a native English-speaker. 🙂
 
FreeSmith;

Welcome to the circle of Truth Seekers. There are many of us that have taken quite a long spiritual journey and just because we have come home to the Catholic Church does not mean an end to the journey, but a new beginning.

I have just read a book on Swedish church history from the time of Gustav Vaasa to Queen Kristine’s abdication and move to Rome, both physically and Spiritually. I read the book in Finnish, but the original title in Swedish is: Förlorarnas historia. Katolskt liv i Sverige från Gustav Vasa till drottning Kristina by Magnus Nyman.

I hope that you are not looking for “scientific proof” for the faith because that is not possible. Faith is a gift of God and the Holy Spirit has already been at work in your life.

Everybody on a Spiritual journey of discovery goes through “Dry spells”. Some of the greatest saints in history testify as to their difficult times and several have written books about it.
 
FreeSmith said:
Greetings to you, Catholics and others.

I have been on a spiritual journey as of late, and I have learned much.

I was an atheist just a year ago or so. Today, I’m a Deist with no particular beliefs about God.

Recently, however, I have found myself considering the claims of the Catholic Church. I believe if there is any truth to the claims of Jesus, then his truth is best represented in the Catholic Church.

Right now, I seem to have hit a roadblock. I don’t know whether I’m a Christian or a Deist. I just can’t get any further.

I ask, are there any others out there who have/had the same problem? Do you have any experiences with “spiritual writer’s block”?

I apologize for any mistakes in my post as I am not a native English-speaker. 🙂
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A very warm welcome to our forum! Your English is better than that of a lot of native English-speakers!

One question you can ponder is whether it is likely that the Creator of the universe would leave us completely in the dark. Another - which is related - is whether the teaching of Jesus has ever been superseded, without even considering His life, death and resurrection…
 
Harri_Laaksonen said:
FreeSmith;

Welcome to the circle of Truth Seekers. There are many of us that have taken quite a long spiritual journey and just because we have come home to the Catholic Church does not mean an end to the journey, but a new beginning.

I have just read a book on Swedish church history from the time of Gustav Vaasa to Queen Kristine’s abdication and move to Rome, both physically and Spiritually. I read the book in Finnish, but the original title in Swedish is: Förlorarnas historia. Katolskt liv i Sverige från Gustav Vasa till drottning Kristina by Magnus Nyman.

I hope that you are not looking for “scientific proof” for the faith because that is not possible. Faith is a gift of God and the Holy Spirit has already been at work in your life.

Everybody on a Spiritual journey of discovery goes through “Dry spells”. Some of the greatest saints in history testify as to their difficult times and several have written books about it.
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I thank you for your reply.

I’m not looking for “scientific proof” as that would be like asking for a car at a bakery. Science is inherently naturalistic and I accept that.

You mentioned some books about my situation. Can you recommend any? Thank you.
 
FreeSmith said:
I thank you for your reply.

I’m not looking for “scientific proof” as that would be like asking for a car at a bakery. Science is inherently naturalistic and I accept that.

You mentioned some books about my situation. Can you recommend any? Thank you.
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Hei,

You speak like a person who has given some thought to the kinds of methods used to reach various kinds of truth. That is a good start.

Among the classics of Christian thought and experience are the Confessions of St. Augustine, The Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of The Cross, The Interior Castle and the biography of St. Theresa of Avila. These are all books I have read over the years. There are biographies and writings of more recent saints that don’t immediately come to mind.

I would recommend St. Augustine first as it covers the life of a young man with a good education and his journey from hedonism to Christianity. John of the Cross is very deep as is Theresa but both well worth the read.

Blessings,
 
“May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what
is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his
inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness
of his power for us who believe…” Ephesians 1:18-19

Hi Freesmith and welcome. You mentioned some books,so i have recommended some below but right here at CAF click on the shop banner and Faith and se what is readily available here for you.Good luck hope this helps.

Dr. Scott Hahn is an exceptionally popular speaker and teacher, Dr. Hahn has delivered numerous talks nationally and internationally on a wide variety of topics related to Scripture and the Catholic faith. His talks have been effective in helping thousands of Protestants and fallen away Catholics to (re)embrace the Catholic faith.
He is currently a Professor of Theology and Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990, and is the founder and director of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology. In 2005, he was appointed as the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Hahn is also the bestselling author of numerous books including The Lamb’s Supper, Reasons to Believe, and Rome Sweet Home (co-authored with his wife, Kimberly). The Catholic Bible Dictionary, Covenant and Communion, Kinship By Covenant, Signs of Life, and Spirit and Life are his newst books.

Karl Keating’s has written several books .Karl is the founder and president of
Catholic Answers here.

Reason To Believe by Richard Purtill is not a work of revealed theology or religious devotion; it is a highly readable book on the philosophy of religion, aimed at the reader who wants to think seriously about religion but who doesn’t know all the philosophers and theologians jargon and who may or may not be a committed believer.
CLICK on the SHOP banner at top of page to buy or see about any books here at CAF
 
I would like to thank you all, my dear believers.

I have another request: As I find myself in a secular culture (I live in Sweden and work in Denmark) with an atheistic family and atheistic friends, I do not have anybody to discuss the Faith with. Would any of you, dearest believers, show mercy upon a struggling soul like myself and discuss your most dear Faith?
 
FreeSmith said:
I would like to thank you all, my dear believers.

I have another request: As I find myself in a secular culture (I live in Sweden and work in Denmark) with an atheistic family and atheistic friends, I do not have anybody to discuss the Faith with. Would any of you, dearest believers, show mercy upon a struggling soul like myself and discuss your most dear Faith?
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The “spiritual” forum is probably more appropriate for such. We just argue a lot on this forum. 😉
 
FreeSmith said:
… Right now, I seem to have hit a roadblock. I don’t know whether I’m a Christian or a Deist. I just can’t get any further. …
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Hi Smith,
i couldn’t help but smile when reading that sentence. In truth, if you were baptised, you are a Christian. And actually a Catholic Christian, as all those baptised in the name of the persons of the Holy Trinity has essentially entered into the Catholic Church.

And talk all you like, perhaps in any thread in Catholic Answers. All here are most welcome to discuss the faith. Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question. Praise God!

Its truly a joy that you are receiving the grace of faith. I was lead into an atheistic lifestyle which eventuated in atheistic beliefs, though returned to the faith, some of my friends sadly have not. So indeed it is a joy. You are very blessed. Praise God!
 
FreeSmith said:
I ask, are there any others out there who have/had the same problem? Do you have any experiences with “spiritual writer’s block”?
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I have been there, and I know most Catholics have been there, especially those at the very brink and edges of the faith as you may or may not find yourself to be.
From my own life, I was raised a Catholic, but lived more like a lukewarm Catholic in my early youth. During late years of High School, I became a Theist, then eventually an Agnostic, then that lead to Athiest, then back and forth from Atheism to Theism. The biggest stumbling block was going from Theism back to Christianity, namely and only, the Catholic Church.
To be quite frank, it seemed like a leap of faith, but when I look back, not really. The reason why is because I was able to rediscover in the Catholic Faith certain truths and evidences that really didn’t need faith necessarily in order to validate my being there - however faith and grace absolutely took part. For example, within the Catholic Church there were unexplainable, extraordinary miracles that still are unexplained this day. Such as the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, Portugal in which 70,000 people saw the sun dance, change colors, grow and fall in size, then plummet to the earth, etc. There is also the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano, Italy in which the Bread and Wine actually did change to the Body and Blood of Christ, then there are the Incorruptible bodies of numerous Saints. Then you have the historical record of the Church and her line goes back to Christ Himself. The historical writings of the Church and the like. There’s so much more in the Church that God has given to his faithful as a sign of proof to the disbelieving and doubting. Our God is a good God remember.
But more so, there was an internal confession that this was the right place. That I left by my own fault. That Heaven was real, and that was what we were made for. That the devil was real, and exorcism video/audio tapes should convince anyone of this. That God was love, and He loved me, like no one else could. It really came to a point where I became tempted or more attracted to the Church than to the pleasures of the world.
What also helped, alongside earnest prayer and frequenting the sacraments, was talking to good holy Catholics for directions, and reading good holy Catholic books, as they really do give you an insight to the mind of the Church.

Above all, if you have a humble heart, full of love, God will surely speed-track you to all your answers. And you will be transformed before you know how or why.
God bless and God keep you!
 
FreeSmith said:
Greetings to you, Catholics and others.

I have been on a spiritual journey as of late, and I have learned much.

I was an atheist just a year ago or so. Today, I’m a Deist with no particular beliefs about God.

Recently, however, I have found myself considering the claims of the Catholic Church. I believe if there is any truth to the claims of Jesus, then his truth is best represented in the Catholic Church.

Right now, I seem to have hit a roadblock. I don’t know whether I’m a Christian or a Deist. I just can’t get any further.

I ask, are there any others out there who have/had the same problem? Do you have any experiences with “spiritual writer’s block”?

I apologize for any mistakes in my post as I am not a native English-speaker. 🙂
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❤️❤️❤️

i made the journey from Saul to Paul myself. there are people much more faithful and spiritual than me here. but maybe i can help.

when i realized that i could no longer hold atheism as a rational position. i still didnt know who G-d was. only that there must be a G-d.🙂 i didnt have a rational reason for the leap. but i have one now.

Messianic Prophecy makes Christs Divinity clear in a mathematical sense.

you may google the subject, or the mathematician peter stoner, or a more recent expostion by josh mcdowell called “evidence that demands a verdict” or “odds of messianic prophecy”

here is a hokey looking little site that you might find enlightening, there are a great many others, i just like this one.

godonthe.net/jewish/odds.html
 
Anthony88 said:
In truth, if you were baptised, you are a Christian.
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Poppycock. Particularly if you were baptised before you were old enough to make up your own mind what you believed.

I was christened as an infant. I’m not a Christian. I’m an atheist.
 
wanstronian said:
Poppycock. Particularly if you were baptised before you were old enough to make up your own mind what you believed.

I was christened as an infant. I’m not a Christian. I’m an atheist.
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Hi Wanstronian,
If one is a “practising or believing Christian” then they would readily recognise that baptism is an objective mark left on a soul, whether or not that soul chooses in later life to embrace the Christian faith or not. It’s irreversible, as one literally becomes the adopted child of God in sanctifying grace, and there is no man on earth that can nullify ‘God’s’ adoption papers, so to speak. If Heaven ordains, man cannot abstain.

BUT, if your an atheist, of course you would reject this notion, as you have already rejected the belief in God.
 
You can’t go wrong with Augustine’s Confessions. He was a wayfairer too – as all of us are.
 
Hi

Im an agnostic and want to belive in God but I am finding it hard doing so.

Can somone please help me. .

Joe
 
Thanks guys

Well there is evidence for his existance, all you need to do is look at the world and how complex and brilliant it is. For example thehuman body and how the smartest scientists can not work out how the brian works but yet the human brain is a million times more complexed than any computer. That is evidence that he can design and create but what i find hard is evidence for his as an entity. . i cant see, hear or touch him. . .

Thanks for offering to help

Joe
 
Looking to satisfy your intellectual/academic self of God’s existence? This may be a difficult one to start out with, but none better than Pascal’s “Pensees.” As for Christ and all He claimed to be, try Lee Stroebel’s “A Case for Christ.” I would also highly recommend almost anything written by C.S. Lewis. Obviously, there are countless other sources to consider, but these references may prove to be a good starting point. Stay blessed on your journey.
 
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