Starting to possibly doubt my faith

[PeteZaHut]

I am beginning my second semester of college. Unfortunately, I think it has kind of made me, if not doubt, question my faith. I think that being in such a diverse place with so many people with so many different faiths, I just wonder how do I know that I have the right one?

Don’t get me wrong. I would still consider myself a devout Catholic right now. I just don’t want to get off the right path. Any suggestions?

 

[Ella]

I have been in your shoes. Still struggle sometimes.
If I could change what I did back then, what I would do is I would participate more in volunteer work through my church, because serving others drives home, for me, the whole reason we are here in the first place, all of us in this same environment, passengers on a leaky boat, breathing the same air, feeling pain, and hurtling through space on the same planet. All the philosophy I pondered never helped anyone else much, but doing something for others did help a little. And does.
Which I think is the point of life. Wash some feet and you’ll worry less and help more.

 

[Angels_Unaware]

There’s a difference between having your faith invalidated by new information and having your faith re-oriented as your worldview and your perspective broaden.

Your faith does not have to be lost if you work to re-frame it in light of everything you are learning. If you allow your faith to mature, it will survive. At least, if your faith was genuine to begin with, it will mature and survive.

 

[Chrisy58]

I am beginning my second semester of college. Unfortunately, I think it has kind of made me, if not doubt, question my faith. I think that being in such a diverse place with so many people with so many different faiths, I just wonder how do I know that I have the right one?

Don’t get me wrong. I would still consider myself a devout Catholic right now. I just don’t want to get off the right path. Any suggestions?

*Dear Pete,

I think all of us at one time in our lives find ourselves where you are. In the world today sometimes it gets confusing. God knows our confusion. I would encourage you to pray about it, and if you have a good priest who you feel comfortable with talk to him about your feelings. We all need a good spiritual advisor to help guide us in our faith.

I think it is very hard to keep our faith sometimes in a world where so many people make fun of our faith and our God. We don’t want to come on to strong but at the same time we want to be able to share our faith without people joking about God and our faith because it is popular in the world today to reject the teachings of the church and God.

I don’t know what your talents are but I would donate my time to the church. If you are good with kids, I am sure they would love your help with the CCD classes. If you sing and are good with music they would love you in the music ministry. I am sure that they could use your help and that might be a good way to meet other Catholics who would encourage you in your walk.

The most important thing is prayer. I love praying the rosary everyday and the chaplet of Divine Mercy. The rosary is one of the most beautiful forms of prayers and I know that Mother Mary would help you in your walk.

God Bless and Good Luck
Chrisy*

 

[foolishmortal]

The Holy Spirit works in different ways to those open to him and you seem to be. The fact it has not backed down on pro-life, no divorce and remarriage (not that the former even happens in God’s eyes and so the latter is unthinkable) and women not being priests, despite pressure that changed the minds of leaders of most other churches, convinced me when I had even doubted my Faith–in mixed company.
Then, of course, you have G.K. Chesterton, Hillaire Belloc, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and Malcolm Muggeridge, amongst the great educated thinkers of the Church. The professors have a lot of people thinking with idle minds, sex on the brains, grant money and just non-critical thinking questioning the thinking of religious people. We may have dropped the ball on Galileo’s case, but they have Piltdown Man, radical environmentalists and embryonic stem cell mad scientists and their Igors, despite science contradicting them–but it’s ok with most college people. It’s compassion in a box for busy students, most of whom do mean well and may actually believe we are dangers and haters. Many think the charitable and enlightened opposite of demonized and belittled religious conservatism is what is taught at these public schools and even some private ones, where they feel so ashamed of what they believe is the Church’s legacy (superstitious ignorance and hate, they see of it) that they already fell in the devil’s trap

There are some crazy religious people, but those are all you hear of–those fanatical crazy Inquisitors, witchhunters, McCarthyists and crusaders who attacked Jews in Jerusalem; nothing said of crazy Pol Pot, Lenin, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Castro and their communist followers who acted on the same empowered feeling of dominance over the weaker. In the religious peoples’ case, though losing control, at least they did try and persecute do-badders.

Nowadays, we got leaders who are dehumanizing the unborn and infirm that cost money to care for and educated people who promote it and dissenters get their graduation or career tried and burnt at the stake by these zealots–but it’s ok with these who criticize religions doing the same. Einstein lost faith in religion, but said science and religion were interdependent as he created something to be used for good, which was used for a demonic bomb. He knew what the irreligious are capable of as well as what the truly superstitious people of religion are capable of.

Don’t fall for the trap. It’s a turf war declared against our Faith by those influenced by “the World” and the high schools and universities don’t have “You shall not lie, kill or steal (calumnizing or otherwise, backbiting”) in their atheology. Read the great Catholic minds and you’ll likely see that they make sense and the others are far from enlightened. Read about the devout Christians who pioneered the fields of science. They make themselves fools, who say Christians don’t care about science, nor have the capacity for doing real science.

The Holy Spirit led me this far, despite my idiocy, thanks to others He enlightened, like G.K. Chesterton and even the late Cardinal Neuman (sp?) and other converts from other religions and faiths (who usually come level-headed and informed, as opposed to the wildfire in the minds of those who storm off, mistakingly feeling cheated by the Church or Christianity, in general, because of communist and/or utilitarian fellow-traveler-true-haters teaching many classes, who need prayers and true charity as they may be modern Scrooges) as to the truth of the Faith.

 

[PeteZaHut]

I guess my situations could be more accurately described this way. I firmly believe in a one, supreme God. I don’t think anyone could ever convince me otherwise. What I wonder is how am I lucky enough to be born into a family that raised me in what I think is the right faith. If I was born into a Muslim family, would I think that is the right faith?

 

[aksolitude]

I am beginning my second semester of college. Unfortunately, I think it has kind of made me, if not doubt, question my faith. I think that being in such a diverse place with so many people with so many different faiths, I just wonder how do I know that I have the right one?

Don’t get me wrong. I would still consider myself a devout Catholic right now. I just don’t want to get off the right path. Any suggestions?

Check out Scott Hahn’s book “Rome Sweet Home”, or google the “Scott Hahn Conversion Story”. It’ll make you feel more at ease about being Catholic. As for your faith, give it time. We all go through moments in our lives of struggle in this area. It’s actually necessary to our own deeper convesion to faith. Use this time to dig further. Dig as deeply as you need to.

 

[AveSantaMaria]

Questioning things is good! The early Jews, I believe if I am not mistaken, were commended for scrutizining what the apostles said with their Jewish prophecies. We have a vatican website www.vatican.va where papal documents can be read and many saints writings are available online. I particularly like True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin fisheaters.com/totalconsecrationmontfort.html for explaining devotion to Mary and The Love of Eternal Wisdom ewtn.com/library/Montfort/lew.htm for giving a saint (and even he isn’t perfect) perspective on Christ.

Anyways, please read Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. He was a former atheist, Chicago Tribune Legal Editor, Yale Law graduate who wanted to research the historical evidence in order to debunk Christianity and instead ended up converting and becoming a Protestant pastor.

I will pray for you, a Divine Mercy chaplet and a Most Holy Rosary, that Christ will reveal himself to you. I hope you will join me in this prayer.

In Kibeho, Rwanda prior to the genocide, the Mother of the Word appeared. She said a “river of blood” would happen if people did not convert, repent,pray the Rosary, the Chaplet of Seven Sorrows, and stop committing various moral sins, such as the girls sleeping with certain men. Did a river of blood happen? This New York Times Article on the Rwandan genocide documents the apparitions of Mary prior to the genocide. query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E4D81738F93BA35757C0A96F958260

Then we look at Fatima, Portugal. See some of the messages from Mary to the three little children: *The war [World War I was still raging] is going to end. But if people do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI… When you shall see a night illuminated by an unknown light [on January 25-26, 1938 from 9PM to 2AM there appeared over the Northern Hemisphere a very unusual light that scared many people. The New York Times devoted almost an entire page to the event. Scientists attributed it to an exceptional aurora borealis] “know that this is the great sign that God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its many crimes by means of war, hunger and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father” [Within two months of the sign, in March of 1938, Hitler invaded his first country, Austria.] * loveandmercy.org/loveandmercy/fatima.htm

New York Times article: January 26, 1938
Aurura Borealis Startles Europe; People Flee in Fear, Call Firemen; Britons Thought Windsor Castle Ablaze–Scots See Ill Omen-Snow-Clad Swiss Alps Glow–Short-Wave Radio Halts The most brilliant display of an aurora borealis in fifty years held Britons spellbound over a wide area of this country tonight. From 6:30 to 8:30 P.M. the people of London watched two magnificent arcs rising in the east and west, from which radiated pulsating beams like searchlights in dark red, greenish blue and purple. [End of First Paragraph] Buy This Article, Single Article $3.95 select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00817FB355A157A93C4AB178AD85F4C8385F9

Other articles
Los Angeles Times, Jan 26, 1938 Aurora Borealis Upsets Europeans pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/743927742.html?dids=743927742:743927742&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Jan+26%2C+1938&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Aurora+Borealis+Upsets+Europeans&pqatl=google

Chicago Daily Tribune, Jan 26, 1938Aurora Borealis Glows in Widest Area Since 1709Abstract (Document Summary) Radio and telegraphic communication was disrupted and persons in many parts of the world were awed tonight as the aurora borealis [northern lights] flamed brilliantly farther south than the phenomenon ever has been seen by this generation.
pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/441756312.html?dids=441756312:441756312&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Jan+26%2C+1938&author=&pub=Chicago+Daily+Tribune&desc=AURORA+BOREALIS+GLOWS+IN+WIDEST+AREA+SINCE+1709&pqatl=google

Can probably investigate this yourself on news.google.com

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world! For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world! For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee and who do not!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

 

[benedictgal]

Pete, when my mom died, I was very angry with God. The way I looked at it (at the time), she was supposed to have been cured because I prayed every day, went to daily Mass, said a plethora of Rosary Novenas and so forth. You name it, I did it. I was upset because “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find” didn’t seem to apply to me. Of course, one of my aunts (who left the Church) tried to start pooh-poohing the Church.

When she did that, I started remembering how my mom would fend her off and pretty much tell her how the cow ate the cabbage. As angry as I was with God, I never stopped going to Mass. I know it is probably a strange way of manifesting anger, but, something kept pulling me to continue going to Mass.

Do I still miss my mother? Yes. In fact, January 7th marked 14 years since she left. Do I like the fact that she is gone? Absolutelly not, but, somehow a deep and inetrior stubborness kept me going to Church.

Now, I, too, went to a huge univeristy, UT, in fact, that grand and glorious institution that produced Vince Young!

I was exposed to just about every creed imaginable, from Atheists to Zens. In fact, my two best friends from college were two Baptist gals from deep East Texas. We didn’t do much faith sharing, but, we were always there for each other. My staunchly Catholic parents were happy that I found two great (and, as it turned out) life-long friends. They are like sisters to me. Neither of us tried to convert the other. In fact, one of them went to Mass with me a couple of times and joked that she might come over just because the priest was cute.

As I see it, your faith immunity system is probably at a low. You might be at a point that you might be, without knowing it, allowing your little boat of faith to be swept up by the winds, blowing as they may. You certainly don’t want to be a victim of the dicatorship of relativism. Does that sound familiar? Those were the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s fighting words that he preached for the Mass to begin the Conclave that elected him Pope.

Let me close by giving you a piece of advice that the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus gave to me in an email and letter that I treasure (my one and only contact): We have the guarantee given to us by no less than Jesus Himself, that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church. Pete, I believe that this guarantee extends to the members of that Church as well. You are young. Don’t let yourself be carried off by relativism. Pray. Spend some significant amounts of time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I’ll be praying for you.

 

[xAlisonx]

P e t e Z a H u t.
being only sixteen, i’m afraid that i’m not able to give you any advice based on my own experience. still, i know how incredibly hard it can be to hold onto one’s faith when everyone around you mocks it, disagrees with it or simply doesn’t share it. i have gone through all of those difficult experiences, and i’m still learning how to deal with them effectively in a way that won’t drive them away from God, but will bring them closer to His Love and Truth.

i can only imagine how difficult it must be for you to hold on to your faith when you are surrounded by so many different negative influences. that’s part of the reason why i plan to go to a Catholic university, although it’s mostly because i want to be in an environment where i can truly grow and develop and deepen my faith. i wouldn’t worry too much about the fact that you are questioning your faith right now, unless you feel that you are being led astray into darkness. i feel that it is completely normal for all of us to question our faith at times, and in your situation, i’d be surprised if you didn’t ask those hard questions about your faith, when you’re surrounded by so many different ideas of what is truth. when you wonder how you know that you have the right faith, remember any personal experiences or encounters that you may have had with God (that’s what i do when i doubt His Love for me)—remember the sense of conviction and this is the truth that you’ve probably felt while reading Scripture, attending Mass or receiving the Eucharist—remember any feelings you may have had in Eucharistic Adoration, which for me has always been intensely personal and such an incredible experience. i don’t really doubt my faith, but i do question it at times, which, as i said, is something that i think is completely normal, especially in your difficult circumstances. whenever this happens, i remember all that i have experienced and felt that led me to the Truth in Jesus, and remind myself of the conviction i have deep within my spirit that when God brought me out of the darkness of my past, He brought me to the One True Faith that will bring me to Him forever. because i am more emotionally-oriented in my faith, this may not work for you. i would suggest that if your faith is less emotional and more rational than mine, you hold on to whatever gives you the feeling deep inside that Catholicism is the truth—whether it’s a strong sense of this makes sense or something else. just be careful not to use your head too much and completely ignore your heart. often our intuition can speak volumes when we are questioning our faith, i think.

i’m so glad beyond words that you still consider yourself a devout Catholic. it’s important to hold on to your identity as a Christian while you are caught up in all the different ideas of how truth is defined. if you think of yourself as a random person swept up in a mass of confusion, you will probably be more likely to be led astray. but if you hold on to your deep conviction that your identity is that of a Catholic Christian, you will be more likely to hold on to your faith—which is the truth—even during times of confusion and questioning. i suggest that if your college has any Catholic groups or clubs, etc., that you join them, or if there’s a way that you can find fellow Catholics at your college, use it to meet up with them. the more positive influences of the truth you have around you, the easier it will be to resist the temptations of this world and false religions. i would definitely recommend this, and that you speak with them about the doubts and questions you may still have.

your question of being lucky enough to be born into a family that raised you in the One True Catholic Faith is extremely valid, and i have wondered this many times myself as well. my only answer for you is that God chose to place you in a family that would teach you the Truth so that you can grow close to Him while sharing the Truth with others who have not been so fortunate. maybe it’s because of my past as a nondenominational Christian, but i take evangelizing very seriously, and am currently working on sharing the truths of my faith with my friends who don’t know Jesus. of course i don’t know the exact answer, but i would guess that it’s because God chose you to be one of His workers spreading the truth of the Catholic Faith with those who are lost, confused or questioning, just as you are. once you feel more secure in your faith, whenever God grants you an opportunity to share your faith, go along with it. of course, don’t beat people over the head with a Bible—but be Jesus to people, and eventually they will see the light that God has placed within you, and respond to it.

if you were born in a Muslim family, i do believe that you would think that Islam was the right faith, but i also believe with all my heart that out of His Love for you and desire to have you with Him forever in Heaven, God would call out to you in Truth in some way, even if late in your life, and bring you to Himself.

PeteZaHut, let me pray for you now:

 

[xAlisonx]

Loving Heavenly Father, i lift up PeteZaHut to You now in the deep hope and prayer that You would sustain him in the hope, truth, faith, trust and love of the One True Catholic Faith, and keep him from being led astray into darkness not only during his time in college, but during the remainder of his journey Home to You. i pray that You would calm his heart and convict him of the truth so that all of the questions he has are answered, and all of his doubts are relieved. i pray that You would strengthen his faith and trust in You, so that he remains a devout Christian and follows You, the only Truth, for the rest of his life, in love and devotion. i pray that You would protect him from all negative influences, and bring all those who are lost at his college and in the world to Yourself in Love. i pray that You would grant him the strength to resist all temptations and stay close to You, knowing You more, loving You more and trusting You more each day and in each experience of his life. i pray that You would pour out Your deep Love and abundant blessings upon him, and bring him close to Yourself in every way. i pray all this in the precious, mighty Name of Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Amen.

God bless you.

love,
in the peace and love of Christ,
alison

 

[PeteZaHut]

Wow. I really appreciate all the posts and prayers. The time where I really became serious about my faith was in high school. I had an incredible theology teacher for two years. The way he explained everything, Catholicism made perfect sense. There was a logical answer for everything. I remember the textbook we used, that started out explaining why it makes sense to believe in God (the uncaused cause theory, intelligent design, etc.) That part of the book is what I remember the most and is why I think my believe in monotheism will never waver. I think that the book continues to go on to explain why Catholicism is logically the right faith. I think I can buy the book for about $5 online, so that is my plan. Thank you all for everything.

-Tommy (my name isn’t actually Pete; I just like the whole PeteZaHut/Pizza Hut thing)

 

[sumergoest]

Firstly you must consider yourself blessed to be going through this stage of your faith: God wants us to enter into relationship with Him, wants us to share His life. He wants this union to be complete; a union of our whole selves; a union which unites our hearts our minds, our entire being.
God wants us to know Him and love HIM as much as possible. That degree of union invites us to know Him with ALL our faculties; our reason, our intelligence, our intellect as well as our hearts.
Imagine your own human sittuation for example; do you want to be loved “sentimentaly” just because you might have a cute smile or seem like a kind person? or would you rather be loved because someone really knows you and loves you for the who they know you are?
Your questioning of your faith is a sign of a strong faith: A sign that God is inviting you to get to know Him better, more fully; with your mind and your intellect as well as with your heart. It is important to remember that all these gifts which you have are gifts from the same God.
John Henry Newman writes of the need for our inherited faith to develop into intelligent faith. (This seems relevant to your consideration “suppose I had been born a Muslim for example”).
The faith we inherit is a gift we are given; as we grow that inherited faith needs to be developed as our reasoning and intellect develops:
One of the most common phrases used by children as they grow into teens is “but why mum, but why dad?”; that natural need to know why, to better understand is a gift which has been “designed” into us by our Creator.
St Paul speaks of this growth and development in the well know text: “When I was a child I thought like a child and acted like a child, but now I am man… and I think like a man…”.
This sense of “questioning” your faith is for sure an invitation from God inviting you to know Him better: Be sure to respond to Him(as I am sure you will).
An excellent resource is EWTN. COM and any books written by Scott Hann will help you greatly.
But in closing (I’m sorry I’ve gone on for too long!) REMEMBER that ultimately faith is a supernatural virtue. The completeness of our faith can come only through God’s gift of faith to us. Remember when Peter recognised Jesus as Christ, The Son of The Living God, NOT through earthly wisdom but, by Divine Revelation. So, we must pray constantly asking God to grants us the gift of a deeper faith.
May God Bless you and keep you forever His.

 

[DL82]

Wow. I really appreciate all the posts and prayers. The time where I really became serious about my faith was in high school. I had an incredible theology teacher for two years. The way he explained everything, Catholicism made perfect sense. There was a logical answer for everything. I remember the textbook we used, that started out explaining why it makes sense to believe in God (the uncaused cause theory, intelligent design, etc.) That part of the book is what I remember the most and is why I think my believe in monotheism will never waver. I think that the book continues to go on to explain why Catholicism is logically the right faith. I think I can buy the book for about $5 online, so that is my plan. Thank you all for everything.

-Tommy (my name isn’t actually Pete; I just like the whole PeteZaHut/Pizza Hut thing)

Hi Tommy,

Realising the logical coherence of the Catholic faith is a good step. I converted from an Evangelical Protestant tradition, very slowly, and recognising that there was nothing ‘wrong’ with Catholic doctrine was a really important first step.

All the same, the doctrinal aspect of the Church protects, but doesn’t contain, our faith. It’s important not to stray from what you know to be the Truth, but God’s truth is far greater than any form of words human beings use to express it. That has to be experienced. Try to make an act of faith every time you receive the Blessed Sacrament, and spend some time before Him in adoration. Don’t just settle for believing in the Real Presence in your head, ask Him to really reveal it to you. He did with me, and that was awesome. I’d say that was the point when I went from having Catholic sympathies to actually being Catholic.

Also, that faith, that love, expresses itself in love for others. It’s easy to talk about unconditional love when surrounded by good faithful Catholic folks in a supportive family and parish environment, it’s quite another when we actually have to give that love in the messed-up sinful real world. Maybe see about joining up with some kind of campus ministry, or a group like the Legion of Mary or St Vincent de Paul society, get involved in real outreach to hospitals, prisons, soup kitchens, or wherever your heart calls you to share the love that’s at the heart of faith.

In fact, Lent’s just coming up, I’ve just described prayer and almsgiving. Add to that some fasting (nothing extreme or weird, just something that you know doesn’t help you or anybody else, something you can cut out to spend more time with God, like maybe going to a chapel for 2 mins adoration instead of grabbing a coffee on the way to your first class in the morning), and you’ve got a pretty sound Lenten plan of life.

God bless.

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

I am beginning my second semester of college. Unfortunately, I think it has kind of made me, if not doubt, question my faith. I think that being in such a diverse place with so many people with so many different faiths, I just wonder how do I know that I have the right one?

Don’t get me wrong. I would still consider myself a devout Catholic right now. I just don’t want to get off the right path. Any suggestions?

Faith is a gift from God and we either use it or lose it. We get more faith by doing our good works such as mass, confession, prayers, sacrifices, offering our work, joys, sufferings etc. We need to do a little study and there’s a million books you can read. You may like the popes, early fathers, doctors, saints or the many orthodox authors out there. Get stuck in and build such a strong house that no storm can blow it down. God bless:thumbsup: