This thought knocking at my brain

[roseproject]

Lately, this though has been looming on the back burner: what if the way I see reality is fundamentally flawed because I see everything through a Catholic/religious lens?

It sounds absurd in writing, but it is what it is.

I mean, we embrace the sciences, culture, art, all that is good in this world. The Church contains the fullness of truth. I mean, what would I be “loosing out on” if I wasn’t practicing my faith? Loosing out on seeing through differing viewpoints?..Which may or not be inherently flawed? Like, what if I saw the world through the lens that there is no God? Would I gain a different perspective which I’d be loosing out on while viewing the world through my current lens?

Has anyone else had these thoughts before? Doubts that believing in the Church will offer you the full perspective of life?

Again, it looks awful in writing but, even though I can logic my way around it for the most part, it is still prodding me. This thought is disturbing me and making prayer more difficult right now. There is an “absent” feeling. Perhaps this is an episode of desolation? Idk

I read in the appendix of ‘Consoling the Heart of Jesus’ that during times of desolation, I should not change my prayer routine or make any radical changes to my life. So, I will do that.

Another good word of advice is to “not talk to the snake”. Take the problem to God, and don’t talk to the snake like Eve did when she was tempted.

Any thoughts on this?

Pax Christi

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Like, what if I saw the world through the lens that there is no God? Would I gain a different perspective which I’d be loosing out on while viewing the world through my current lens?

Well, first off there is definitely a God and taking this perspective would be like going around taking the false perspective that the world is flat or that the moon is made of green cheese.

But setting that aside, it’s perfectly possible for a person who believes in God to try to stand in the shoes of someone who doesn’t believe in him and attempt to see the world from their perspective. We all usually meet enough atheists and agnostics that one gets a sense of how they think. If one doesn’t meet such people in real life, then one can meet them online or at least read their posts, essays etc.

While I can easily gain some understanding of their viewpoint by trying to stand in their shoes and imagine how they would feel/ react, I have no inclination to adopt that viewpoint as my own because it’s not what I believe. There are lots of viewpoints in the world I can imagine and try to understand without adopting them as my own beliefs, such as the political viewpoints of communists or white supremacists, or the philosophical viewpoints of existentialists or nihilists.

I don’t feel like I’m losing out by believing in God. Rather, the opposite. Life with God is much better than life without God. I also sinned enough when I was younger to discover that sin may be momentarily fun but is ultimately unfulfilling, empty, miserable, and doesn’t end well, so it’s not a case of “if there was no God I could just go commit sins X, Y and Z and have a great time.”

 

[JosephDColeman]

Has anyone else had these thoughts before? Doubts that believing in the Church will offer you the full perspective of life?

Yes, I definitely have those thoughts from time to time. I’ll give you an example; my girlfriend comes over and she leaves because the situation is bordering on temptation. As she drives away my thoughts go to, “what if I’m wrong about my faith and this is all life is? What if I’m losing out on a seductive evening I may never get the chance to have again?” You know what that is? That’s Satan trying to tell me, “did God really say you can’t eat of any tree in the garden?”

I have gone the wrong way before and looked at the world through the sensual lens. I have indulged in that fruit and every single time I come away realizing it was a deceptive pleasure posing to offer more than it could give. Once I have looked at the world without Christ I realized it was empty. I sought pleasure in drugs, alcohol, sex, money, food, travel… nothing compares to waking up knowing I’m in God’s grace. I can’t even describe why…

Here’s a fun thought experiment. Imagine you are standing in the middle of a field and it’s cold out… snow everywhere. On one end is a fire, on the other is an icy lake. Now all your friends, naturally run to the fire…but something tells you to JUMP in the lake. So you jump in the lake and discover this strange fact…you were made for the lake! You’re an ice fish, and you didn’t even know it!

What if the fall distorted our perception of reality? What if it blurred our vision of God? Sure, we hear He’s love and good…but sometimes we just can’t see it. Maybe that’s what happened at the fall?

Idk, but I can tell you one thing; something is off in our perception. I pray that you aren’t tempted away from God because I can tell you this: God is the true source of happiness.

 

[Dan_Defender]

‘whatever be the affair, enter with Moses into the tabernacle to ask advice of the Lord, you will sometimes hear the divine answer and return instructed in many things present and to come. For Moses always had recourse to the tabernacle for the solution of doubts and questions, and fled to prayer for support in dangers and the evil deeds of men. So you also should take refuge in the secret chamber of your heart, begging earnestly for divine aid.’ - The Imitation of Christ

 

[goout]

Lately, this though has been looming on the back burner: what if the way I see reality is fundamentally flawed because I see everything through a Catholic/religious lens?

It sounds absurd in writing, but it is what it is.

I mean, we embrace the sciences, culture, art, all that is good in this world. The Church contains the fullness of truth. I mean, what would I be “loosing out on” if I wasn’t practicing my faith? Loosing out on seeing through differing viewpoints?..Which may or not be inherently flawed? Like, what if I saw the world through the lens that there is no God? Would I gain a different perspective which I’d be loosing out on while viewing the world through my current lens?

Has anyone else had these thoughts before? Doubts that believing in the Church will offer you the full perspective of life?

Again, it looks awful in writing but, even though I can logic my way around it for the most part, it is still prodding me. This thought is disturbing me and making prayer more difficult right now. There is an “absent” feeling. Perhaps this is an episode of desolation? Idk

I read in the appendix of ‘Consoling the Heart of Jesus’ that during times of desolation, I should not change my prayer routine or make any radical changes to my life. So, I will do that.

Another good word of advice is to “not talk to the snake”. Take the problem to God, and don’t talk to the snake like Eve did when she was tempted.

Any thoughts on this?

Pax Christi

I also have Consoling the Heart on my bookshelf currently. I read it once and am going back occasionally to review.
I am also plagued by skepticism as a kind of cross. I like to figure things out analytically, taking account of all the possibilities. For me, chasing the alternate possibilities becomes a dead end and it leads to frustration and distraction.
Christ is the only thing. After all the possibilities there is nowhere else to go but Christ. So while atheism or dissipation seems like the life of freedom, that is a mirage. And the heart of Christ is where I find meaning, true strength, true freedom, peace, joy, the grace to love. (Consoling the Heart was a good read along these lines.)

It’s good to reflect on the difference between studiosity and curiosity (in the classical sense). Curiosity can become a vice.

 

[roseproject]

As she drives away my thoughts go to, “what if I’m wrong about my faith and this is all life is? What if I’m losing out on a seductive evening I may never get the chance to have again?” You know what that is? That’s Satan trying to tell me, “did God really say you can’t eat of any tree in the garden?”

Amen to that

 

[catholic03]

Remember, the Church’s teachings are not opinions, but facts.

I myself am reading Homer’s Odyssey for school and I have to be very careful.

The Church is True, all her teachings are True, there is 0% chance that they are not True.

 

[StudentMI]

I myself am reading Homer’s Odyssey for school and I have to be very careful.

I don’t think we have to be careful with mythological writings. I like Norse mythology but it’s just that. Of course some people are different and such things can bring about doubts.

 

[catholic03]

I don’t think we have to be careful with mythological writings. I like Norse mythology but it’s just that. Of course some people are different and such things can bring about doubts.

I worry about doubt when reading such things, so I keep my wits about me.

 

[roseproject]

I am quite analytical myself and, though it is a strength, and has even enforced my beliefs at times, it can surely be used against me too.

One thing that came up in my mind while I was in Adoration today was the line, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

I think what this comes down to is the devil trying to get me to question if Christ really is what He claims to be.

I need to keep my eye on Christ’s gaze and remember that, by staying by His side, I have life in the fullest way possible and have the capacity to see the truth FULLY…because God isn’t made up of any half-truths…

 

[roseproject]

I think I can understand where catholic03 is coming from…Like, that feeling when you read something that contradicts what you believe (for me it might be scientific articles that cause me to question certain beliefs/traditions of the Church),…Then, when you feel the doubts and questions come about, you mentally drown out said thoughts with reminders of what you really believe to calm your mind because you aren’t in a place to calmly be able to differentiate between the falsities and the truth.

I think its just a sign of a place where knowledge and faith needs strengthening. Thus, it often results in a feeling of being threatened/vulnerable in said situations, like reading myths (that some people once believed to be true), or certain scientific-oriented reads in my case.

 

[JosephDColeman]

I came to the Church on the basis of the strange idea that even if it wasn’t true, it’s better to assume it is.

 

[po18guy]

How can one be lead astray when viewing the world through the lenses of truth?

Rather: Question viewing the world through lenses which allow for rending asunder the human life which God has joined in the womb; cloning humans who are more desireable than those produced naturally; claiming that same sex couples - who, by their biology, cannot reproduce are a “marriage”; who pass laws allowing the composting of the dead; re-classifying old age as an incurable disease so as to justify euthanasia?

Question a world viewed through those lenses.