Suggestions?

[plinko]

Raised Catholic. All my family members are Catholic.

The problem is, I don’t think I am anymore.

I’ve been becoming more and more assured that atheism makes the most sense to me personally, but that’s a pretty scary concept since I’ve grown up with the stereotypical Catholic guilt phenomenon. Of course, I could never admit it to my family, but I would feel horribly guilty getting married in a Catholic church down the line. My mother has already told me that the family would be very disappointed if there was no big church wedding when I mentioned that I loathe ceremonies and would rather go to a courthouse.

I digress. At this point in my life, my faith is completely illusory. I ask that you please don’t judge; what I’d like is some references to either books or websites for people with doubts like mine. When I say doubts, I mean serious ones, e.g. the flying spaghetti monster and the Catholic God are on equal playing field in my mind. I’ve used my own judgment to come to this conclusion, so I need resources that are prepared to counter my objections.

I really don’t want to give up my religion, but honestly at this point, it would be a facade for the sake of my family. So any suggestions on resources?

(I hope I put this in the right forum. Sorry if I didn’t)

 

[phoooiee]

Different people have different doubts for different reasons. What are yours?

 

[ChadS]

Raised Catholic. All my family members are Catholic.

The problem is, I don’t think I am anymore.

I’ve been becoming more and more assured that atheism makes the most sense to me personally, but that’s a pretty scary concept since I’ve grown up with the stereotypical Catholic guilt phenomenon. Of course, I could never admit it to my family, but I would feel horribly guilty getting married in a Catholic church down the line. My mother has already told me that the family would be very disappointed if there was no big church wedding when I mentioned that I loathe ceremonies and would rather go to a courthouse.

I digress. At this point in my life, my faith is completely illusory. I ask that you please don’t judge; what I’d like is some references to either books or websites for people with doubts like mine. When I say doubts, I mean serious ones, e.g. the flying spaghetti monster and the Catholic God are on equal playing field in my mind. I’ve used my own judgment to come to this conclusion, so I need resources that are prepared to counter my objections.

I really don’t want to give up my religion, but honestly at this point, it would be a facade for the sake of my family. So any suggestions on resources?

(I hope I put this in the right forum. Sorry if I didn’t)

The first thing I’d suggest is not to give up your religion or its practice. If you do that and just surround yourself with people who aren’t believers or atheists then it will confirm you in those beliefs and it will slowly, but surely push Catholicism out of your life.

I’d also suggest to sit down and look at why you don’t believe in God or what the problems are you are having. Then see what Catholicism has to say about it all. You’re not the first one in this boat and many have come before you and have returned to the Church or stayed Catholic because they examined the claims of the atheists.

I wish I had some books or article to recommend, but at this time I don’t.

As for the guilt, Catholicism is too beautiful and rich and rewarding to practice out of mere guilt. Maybe finding a way to release yourself from this idea of Catholic guilt can help overcome the questions on God’s existence.

ChadS

 

[Paul_Matthias]

I was kind of in your shoes not too long ago - I had left the Church and embraced all sorts of New Age teachings. I was convinced that belief in the Judeo-Christian God and Jesus Christ was for simple minded people or people that had a blind faith.

My sister (a devout catholic) gave me a few books by a former confirmed atheist. He is an investigative reporter who went on a search for all the evidence against a Creator, Faith, and Jesus Christ. He used all of his experience as an award-winning journalist for the Chicago Tribune.

The evidence he found was shocking - it overwhelmingly supported a Creator, Faith, and Jesus Christ.

The author’s name is Lee Strobel. You can find his books on Amazon and at most bookstores. Some of the titles are:

“The Case for Christ”

“The Case for a Creator”

“The Case for Faith”

—May the Holy Spirit Guide and Keep You—

 

[puzzleannie]

Raised Catholic. All my family members are Catholic.

The problem is, I don’t think I am anymore.

I’ve been becoming more and more assured that atheism makes the most sense to me personally, )

for Catholic and atheism as personal choices of belief, not abstract truths, substitute “particle physics”, “the process of cell division” or any concept difficult or impossible for non-scientists to observe, explain or understand. Would you say it is logical or sane to insist that your own personal beliefs or interpretation are enough to override a scientific fact or truth, even one established by generations of minds wiser and more observant than you. That is, would you say my grandmother’s personal opinion that “men never landed on the moon, it was a hoax propagated by TV”, is equally valid and true compared with the consensus of NASA on that topic?

For the scientist to be able to observe and report the truth it is necessary to have humility to study the work of others who have come before him, and he cannot even publish the results of his own research without peer review. Apply this standard now to religion. Is it not wise to at least allow for the possibility that “clouds of witnesses” of people wiser, more receptive, and more interested in hearing the revelation of Truth, and more experienced in testing and acting on those beliefs, might be more reliable than unaided personal opinion?

 

[Irishmom2]

.

I’ve grown up with the stereotypical Catholic guilt phenomenon.

Enough of this.

If you have doubts, please don’t try to explain it away by mentioning this. I don’t buy that Catholicism is what makes anyone feel guilty. It is often used as a catch-all phrase by people that want to bash Catholicism or excuse themselves of their failings. First, you need to really identify what your doubts are. And then, if you truly are interested in believing in more than the spaghetti god, you will do some reading as suggested by another poster and come to a logical decision.

 

[fhansen]

Raised Catholic. All my family members are Catholic.

The problem is, I don’t think I am anymore.

I’ve been becoming more and more assured that atheism makes the most sense to me personally, but that’s a pretty scary concept since I’ve grown up with the stereotypical Catholic guilt phenomenon. Of course, I could never admit it to my family, but I would feel horribly guilty getting married in a Catholic church down the line. My mother has already told me that the family would be very disappointed if there was no big church wedding when I mentioned that I loathe ceremonies and would rather go to a courthouse.

I digress. At this point in my life, my faith is completely illusory. I ask that you please don’t judge; what I’d like is some references to either books or websites for people with doubts like mine. When I say doubts, I mean serious ones, e.g. the flying spaghetti monster and the Catholic God are on equal playing field in my mind. I’ve used my own judgment to come to this conclusion, so I need resources that are prepared to counter my objections.

I really don’t want to give up my religion, but honestly at this point, it would be a facade for the sake of my family. So any suggestions on resources?

(I hope I put this in the right forum. Sorry if I didn’t)

The FSM and other atheist arguments can appear to be big intimidating challenges to faith at first glance but they’re generally quite shallow. The concept of God reasonably posits, among other things, the need for a first cause and a mind behind the design of the universe and the things it contains.

You have the right to object to cultural trappings of our faith such as big Church weddings-these have nothing to do with the essence of our faith. I would, to the extent possible, distance myself from the cultural aspects of Catholicism and everything you’ve been taught and at least give the Nazarene carpenter a fair shake to explain His teachings by reading Scripture beginning with the NT, if you haven’t already. His purpose is to answer questions that science can’t, if you’ve begun asking them. And to give the grace to believe those answers, if we’re at all willing. But it takes this grace along with a little courage of our own to stand up to FSMs and such things. It’s meant to be a personal journey; regardless of our religious educational background, we don’t find until we begin asking, seeking, knocking- on our own.

 

[slywakka250]

I would suggest trying to keep the parts of Catholicism you like, if any, in order to give God (if he exists) some room teach you, and allow you to discover him.

the Christian way of life, even if all the theological things about God are wrong, is still a pretty good way to live one’s life, provided you can avoid the guilt, which I agree is a challenge.

 

[Scoobyshme]

Raised Catholic. All my family members are Catholic.

The problem is, I don’t think I am anymore.

I’ve been becoming more and more assured that atheism makes the most sense to me personally, but that’s a pretty scary concept since I’ve grown up with the stereotypical Catholic guilt phenomenon. Of course, I could never admit it to my family, but I would feel horribly guilty getting married in a Catholic church down the line. My mother has already told me that the family would be very disappointed if there was no big church wedding when I mentioned that I loathe ceremonies and would rather go to a courthouse.

I digress. At this point in my life, my faith is completely illusory. I ask that you please don’t judge; what I’d like is some references to either books or websites for people with doubts like mine. When I say doubts, I mean serious ones, e.g. the flying spaghetti monster and the Catholic God are on equal playing field in my mind. I’ve used my own judgment to come to this conclusion, so I need resources that are prepared to counter my objections.

I really don’t want to give up my religion, but honestly at this point, it would be a facade for the sake of my family. So any suggestions on resources?

(I hope I put this in the right forum. Sorry if I didn’t)

Life is all about choices…and consequences. Eternal consequences. Once we die, we no longer have any choices. Our will is set in stone. One day, forever, you and I will be in heaven or hell. Period. It is what it is.

There has been an effort going on for some time now, to create a society without God. It began in France about 300 years ago and is behind the advent of Marxism/Communism, and many other bad things. The really unfortunate thing is that they have gained control over most of the schools, especially the colleges. So, they are teaching their anti-God doctrine throughout the school systems, in very subtle, but effective ways. Add to that the very poor catechesis in our society, where most Catholics really don’t have more than a 1st or 2nd grade education in their Catholic faith, and you see the disaster with which we’re faced. You may very well be the victim of this process.

 

[Betterave]

I really don’t want to give up my religion, but honestly at this point, it would be a facade for the sake of my family. So any suggestions on resources?

(I hope I put this in the right forum. Sorry if I didn’t)

First of all, your honesty is commendable. Second, if you find “flying spaghetti monster” arguments compelling, there have to be some very basic shortcomings in your reasoning process - with due respect, you have to be very confused/ignorant to find such arguments compelling. Go ahead and present your case for the flying spaghetti monster though - we can examine it together and see how sound it is.

A good book, non-technical, great for refreshing one’s perspective in a largely post-Christian society: Chesterton, Orthodoxy.
I also recommend Peter Kreeft’s book on Pascal, Christianity for Modern Pagans.
Pope Benedict’s writings are also excellent, e.g., The Ratzinger Report or the new one (I forget the name), or one of his encyclicals, Deus Caritas Est or Spe Salvi (or the third one, which I haven’t read yet myself).

 

[mdrummer5]

I was kind of in your shoes not too long ago - I had left the Church and embraced all sorts of New Age teachings. I was convinced that belief in the Judeo-Christian God and Jesus Christ was for simple minded people or people that had a blind faith.

My sister (a devout catholic) gave me a few books by a former confirmed atheist. He is an investigative reporter who went on a search for all the evidence against a Creator, Faith, and Jesus Christ. He used all of his experience as an award-winning journalist for the Chicago Tribune.

The evidence he found was shocking - it overwhelmingly supported a Creator, Faith, and Jesus Christ.

The author’s name is Lee Strobel. You can find his books on Amazon and at most bookstores. Some of the titles are:

"The Case for Christ"

“The Case for a Creator”

"The Case for Faith"

—May the Holy Spirit Guide and Keep You—

The two I bolded were also made into documentaries that are currently available on netflix’s instant play list. I’ve watched and enjoyed the first and started to watch the second before I decided it was past my bedtime last night. I’m sure like any hollywood type movie it’s only hitting the main points from the book (I’ve not read it) but I would imagine it would give you at the very least a general idea. Plus it’s just over an hour as opposed to however many hours it may take you to read the book

 

[ChadS]

Second, if you find “flying spaghetti monster” arguments compelling, there have to be some very basic shortcomings in your reasoning process - with due respect, you have to be very confused/ignorant to find such arguments compelling. Go ahead and present your case for the flying spaghetti monster though - we can examine it together and see how sound it is.

I don’t think it’s that the OP finds a “flying spaghetti monster” argument compelling, it’s that they don’t find the various proofs for God compelling anymore. They are saying they believe that the existence of God sounds about as likely as the existence of a flying spaghetti monster.

ChadS

 

[freethinker83]

I really don’t want to give up my religion, but honestly at this point, it would be a facade for the sake of my family. So any suggestions on resources?

(I hope I put this in the right forum. Sorry if I didn’t)

I would recommend reading “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins as well as The Holy Bible. I myself am getting married soon, and not in a church. My mother is not happy with that decision.

 

[limabeanerson]

I’d suggest you keep “going through the motions” while you search for Truth more. I’d imagine nearly everyone has at least gone through moments of their lives where they struggle with their faith, some more than others. Going through the motions will give yourself the opportunity to hopefully find your faith again a bit easier.

As others have suggested, please list your reasons for abandoning your faith? Are they purely the “logical” / “scientific” reasons against believing in a generic god or is there something specific about the Catholic Church you don’t believe in or what?

I’ll pray for you!

 

[Betterave]

I don’t think it’s that the OP finds a “flying spaghetti monster” argument compelling, it’s that they don’t find the various proofs for God compelling anymore. They are saying they believe that the existence of God sounds about as likely as the existence of a flying spaghetti monster.

ChadS

“They are saying they believe that the existence of God sounds about as likely as the existence of a flying spaghetti monster” - that is the flying spaghetti monster argument. It’s not an argument that the flying spaghetti monster exists.

 

[Betterave]

I would recommend reading “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins as well as The Holy Bible. I myself am getting married soon, and not in a church. My mother is not happy with that decision.

What would be the point of reading “The God Delusion”?

 

[freethinker83]

What would be the point of reading “The God Delusion”?

It seems the OP feels lost; I think looking at a variety of viewpoints is healthy. Do you have any reason to fear a book such as this?

 

[ChadS]

“They are saying they believe that the existence of God sounds about as likely as the existence of a flying spaghetti monster” - that is the flying spaghetti monster argument. It’s not an argument that the flying spaghetti monster exists.

Since I’m not the OP I don’t know exactly what they do and don’t believe and what arguments they find compelling. I just know that this person feels lost and doesn’t believe in God anymore. More than any advice we can give they need our prayers.

ChadS

 

[Betterave]

It seems the OP feels lost; I think looking at a variety of viewpoints is healthy. Do you have any reason to fear a book such as this?

Not personally, but yes, I fear that for a person who already probably lacks an adequate foundation in terms of knowledge and critical thinking skills, such an aggressively polemical - and, from what I have heard, poorly reasoned - book would only deepen his confusion. Do you have any reason to think there is nothing to fear from such a book?

 

[Betterave]

Since I’m not the OP I don’t know exactly what they do and don’t believe and what arguments they find compelling. I just know that this person feels lost and doesn’t believe in God anymore. More than any advice we can give they need our prayers.

ChadS

And yet, since he or she has asked for advice…