Weak Faith, Help

Niji · Apr 23, 2011

Hey guys new here and have a few questions that i cant seem to cease thinking about!

I believe in god and I want to go to heaven but there’s a part of me that wont fully accept him for whatever reason. I tell myself to believe but then there’s a small part of me that cant and wouldn’t mind if he didn’t exist, that i could just accept it. Slipping into nothingness wouldn’t be all that bad, but i truely hate myself for even thinking these thoughts. I use to be able to believe in god so easily when i was younger. I use to dream and fantasize about heaven and what things id do there but now im more experienced with the world and for some reason my mind cant handle worshiping someone that could have a possibility of not existing.

So Ive been searching the internet for proof, something to hold on to for the existence of god but whenever i think I found something it makes me really happy but later that feeling fades away and I keep searching for more proof.

I dont see a reason not to believe in god because if i believe ill be saved right? saying he does exist but if he doesnt then I wouldnt even know because id cease to exist. For some reason though i just cant.

Thinking about things like how the universe got its start, I cant fathom how anyone could think nothingness could create all this but then its hard to believe of a being existing before that nothingness.

Which leads me to my second question. Why’d god choose that point in time to create the universe? What was he waiting for?

So in conclusion I just really want to believe. I want to know without a doubt that there is a god but would believing in god while also having these feelings of doubt keep me from going to heaven when i eventually die?

_L · Apr 23, 2011

Niji said:
Hey guys new here and have a few questions that i cant seem to cease thinking about!

I believe in god and I want to go to heaven but there’s a part of me that wont fully accept him for whatever reason. I tell myself to believe but then there’s a small part of me that cant and wouldn’t mind if he didn’t exist, that i could just accept it. Slipping into nothingness wouldn’t be all that bad, but i truely hate myself for even thinking these thoughts. I use to be able to believe in god so easily when i was younger. I use to dream and fantasize about heaven and what things id do there but now im more experienced with the world and for some reason my mind cant handle worshiping someone that could have a possibility of not existing.

So Ive been searching the internet for proof, something to hold on to for the existence of god but whenever i think I found something it makes me really happy but later that feeling fades away and I keep searching for more proof.

I dont see a reason not to believe in god because if i believe ill be saved right? saying he does exist but if he doesnt then I wouldnt even know because id cease to exist. For some reason though i just cant.

Thinking about things like how the universe got its start, I cant fathom how anyone could think nothingness could create all this but then its hard to believe of a being existing before that nothingness.

Which leads me to my second question. Why’d god choose that point in time to create the universe? What was he waiting for?

So in conclusion I just really want to believe. I want to know without a doubt that there is a god but would believing in god while also having these feelings of doubt keep me from going to heaven when i eventually die?

Hey there Niji welcome to CAF by the way!

You know, I think about this question a lot; doubt in regards to faith, and I think it important to remember that some of the holiest people ever have had tremendous doubts, but persevered And i am sure you have heard the saying that *"Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” *and I think similarly, faith isn’t merely the absence of doubt, but rather that in spite of doubts and reasons not to believe, we believe anyway and take that leap of faith. Because faith always involves some sort risk, the risk that perhaps you are wrong and all the implications with it, but we are called to have faith and take that leap and trust God, when common sense seems to tell us otherwise. If God had made his existence abundantly clear to everyone, then do we really have faith or are we just acknowledging facts? And if we are just acknowledging facts, then where is the room for faith?

Lucky10279 · Apr 23, 2011

You will not go to hell for UNITENTIONALY doubting. You do not know how often I doubt. I want to believe but it seems I can’t seem to help not beleive things the church teaches. To go to hell you have die in mortal sin. For something to be a mortal sin you must have full consent of will. It does not sound like you have much (if any) consent of will. Don’t worry about going to hell. Just pray to God for faith. Ask Mary to intercede for you. If you are really are trying your hardest to believe then you are not sinning. Just pray, try your hardest to believe, and TRUST God.
Mikayla

Carolus_Martell · Apr 23, 2011

Perhaps Niji if you looked and read the write up the Hubble ‘deep space image’ hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/1996/01

That could lock down any doubts you have of God. For surely after observing creation of that magnitude there must have been a God at the controls.

As to the 2nd part of your question …we will NEVER have any idea about what God thinks about anything or why God does what God does. Jesus told Saint Maria Faustina as much, furthermore Jesus said …’ even Angels can’t understand the mind of God…’ or words the that effect.

The great thinkers of the Catholic church have given their stamp of approval to her diary so that’s the is the way it is for us.

I hope you can do whatever it takes accept God because imo speaking as a sinner, it’s a lot harder to accept Jesus Christ living and breathing in the Eucharist, than for the lukewarm to accept the existence of God.

Keeping if mind we’ve all read stories of early savages that worshiped the Sun as a God because even in their ignorance…they knew there was something grand beyond their comprehension calling the shots.

Good luck and have a glorious Easter.

PattiDay · Apr 23, 2011

Niji said:
Hey guys new here and have a few questions that i cant seem to cease thinking about!

I believe in god and I want to go to heaven but there’s a part of me that wont fully accept him for whatever reason. I tell myself to believe but then there’s a small part of me that cant and wouldn’t mind if he didn’t exist, that i could just accept it. Slipping into nothingness wouldn’t be all that bad, but i truely hate myself for even thinking these thoughts. I use to be able to believe in god so easily when i was younger. I use to dream and fantasize about heaven and what things id do there but now im more experienced with the world and for some reason my mind cant handle worshiping someone that could have a possibility of not existing.

So Ive been searching the internet for proof, something to hold on to for the existence of god but whenever i think I found something it makes me really happy but later that feeling fades away and I keep searching for more proof.

I dont see a reason not to believe in god because if i believe ill be saved right? saying he does exist but if he doesnt then I wouldnt even know because id cease to exist. For some reason though i just cant.

Thinking about things like how the universe got its start, I cant fathom how anyone could think nothingness could create all this but then its hard to believe of a being existing before that nothingness.

Which leads me to my second question. Why’d god choose that point in time to create the universe? What was he waiting for?

So in conclusion I just really want to believe. I want to know without a doubt that there is a god but would believing in god while also having these feelings of doubt keep me from going to heaven when i eventually die?

Welcome Niji.

Once you come to know God, you will care very much about His existence, because He has a plan for your short life here on earth, and life for all eternity beyond. It is actually easier to believe in God as one becomes more mature, because there is so much to learn that can bring you closer, and you already can’t stop thinking about Him. You are restless because you don’t fully know Him. You have been awakened.

If we just slipped into nothingness at death maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, as you say, but what if there is an unimaginably splendid life after death, something far beyond what you have conidered previously, and you are left standing outside looking in for all eternity. Seventy or eighty years here on earth ignoring the possibility of God, and billions upon billions of years standing on the outside. That sounds much worse than nothingness.

I don’t know where on the internet you are searching, but it sounds like your search may be somewhat random, so it limits the probability of your finding what you’re looking for, especially if you don’t know what it is you’re looking for. The search to know God is life long. Each time you find some snippet that gives you hope, there is so much more to discover. Knowledge that builds upon knowledge.

God was, is now, and will be forever. He didn’t come from nothingness. We came from Him. He made us. Impossible for us to comprehend, but the more we learn, the more we come to believe in our small, imperfect way. We are intelligent creatures, but we didn’t create this ourselves. Someone did. That Someone is God.

Why did God chose the particular time in eternity to create the universe, our galaxy, our earth, nature, ourselves, and the creatures around us? Many highly intelligent people have looked their whole lives and haven’t found the edges of the universe. They believe in the existence of God in spite of doubt because they can find nothing else that could explain all of this.

Your eyes are open. Don’t stop searching. You are Catholic. Make an appointment to speak with the pastor (or youth director or deacon) of your church. Ask him to give you a Bible with commentary so you can understand scripture. Ask him to suggest some books you can start with to answer some of your basic questions. The search for God is fantastically rich and amzing. Each day you learn something you will want to go farther. I am very excited for you. God bless.

WesleyF · Apr 24, 2011

marica_mandic · Apr 24, 2011

Niji said:
Hey guys new here and have a few questions that i cant seem to cease thinking about!

I believe in god and I want to go to heaven but there’s a part of me that wont fully accept him for whatever reason. I tell myself to believe but then there’s a small part of me that cant and wouldn’t mind if he didn’t exist, that i could just accept it. Slipping into nothingness wouldn’t be all that bad, but i truely hate myself for even thinking these thoughts. I use to be able to believe in god so easily when i was younger. I use to dream and fantasize about heaven and what things id do there but now im more experienced with the world and for some reason my mind cant handle worshiping someone that could have a possibility of not existing.

So Ive been searching the internet for proof, something to hold on to for the existence of god but whenever i think I found something it makes me really happy but later that feeling fades away and I keep searching for more proof.

I dont see a reason not to believe in god because if i believe ill be saved right? saying he does exist but if he doesnt then I wouldnt even know because id cease to exist. For some reason though i just cant.

Thinking about things like how the universe got its start, I cant fathom how anyone could think nothingness could create all this but then its hard to believe of a being existing before that nothingness.

Which leads me to my second question. Why’d god choose that point in time to create the universe? What was he waiting for?

So in conclusion I just really want to believe. I want to know without a doubt that there is a god but would believing in god while also having these feelings of doubt keep me from going to heaven when i eventually die?

When I rule by God rules, I am in good condition.
That is the proof that God exist.
My purpose on Earth is to play by God,s law.

Pat_Payne · Apr 24, 2011

Niji said:
Hey guys new here and have a few questions that i cant seem to cease thinking about!

I believe in god and I want to go to heaven but there’s a part of me that wont fully accept him for whatever reason. I tell myself to believe but then there’s a small part of me that cant and wouldn’t mind if he didn’t exist, that i could just accept it. Slipping into nothingness wouldn’t be all that bad, but i truely hate myself for even thinking these thoughts. I use to be able to believe in god so easily when i was younger. I use to dream and fantasize about heaven and what things id do there but now im more experienced with the world and for some reason my mind cant handle worshiping someone that could have a possibility of not existing.

So Ive been searching the internet for proof, something to hold on to for the existence of god but whenever i think I found something it makes me really happy but later that feeling fades away and I keep searching for more proof.

I dont see a reason not to believe in god because if i believe ill be saved right? saying he does exist but if he doesnt then I wouldnt even know because id cease to exist. For some reason though i just cant.

(…quote snipped…)

So in conclusion I just really want to believe. I want to know without a doubt that there is a god but would believing in god while also having these feelings of doubt keep me from going to heaven when i eventually die?

Have you heard of Pascal’s Wager? Blaise Pascal once posited a theoretical wager between two people, a Catholic and an atheist as to whether or not God existed. Basically, Pascal had a “bet” placed on belief or unbelief. If God exists, and you believe, you gain (if not in a state of mortal sin, of course) Heaven, and if you don’t believe, you gain Hell (of course, the theological nuances are shaved off here, but whatchagonnado?). If God doesn’t exist, then betting either way gains you the same thing – an eternity of nothingness after death. So, Pascal shows a benefit to belief – if you believe and God exists, then you are saved (again, barring mortal sin). Whereas unbelief with God, or belief or unbelief without God basically nets you the same result, that being zilcho.

Pascal goes on to state his path to faith:

Endeavour then to convince yourself, not by increase of proofs of God, but by the abatement of your passions. You would like to attain faith, and do not know the way; you would like to cure yourself of unbelief, and ask the remedy for it. Learn of those who have been bound like you, and who now stake all their possessions. These are people who know the way which you would follow, and who are cured of an ill of which you would be cured. Follow the way by which they began; by acting as if they believed, taking the holy water, having masses said, etc. Even this will naturally make you believe, and deaden your acuteness.—“But this is what I am afraid of.”—And why? What have you to lose?

Now, what harm will befall you in taking this side? You will be faithful, honest, humble, grateful, generous, a sincere friend, truthful. Certainly you will not have those poisonous pleasures, glory and luxury; but will you not have others? I will tell you that you will thereby gain in this life, and that, at each step you take on this road, you will see so great certainty of gain, so much nothingness in what you risk, that you will at last recognize that you have wagered for something certain and infinite, for which you have given nothing.

Shamelessly copied from Wikipedia.

It all boils down to the thought that brought me, a former agnostic, to the church: “I will never know definitively whether there is a God until I am either standing before Him or wrapped in the abyss of nothingness, but I want to believe, as the alternative makes life meaningless.”

Because we can’t know for certain. That’s not how God works. He talks in whispers, not shouting from the rooftops. And even when he does send more concrete evidence, we humans close our ears and our eyes. He sent His son to preach to us personally, but the scribes, Pharisees, high priests and Romans of Christ’s day merely believed him to be just another in the long, long line of wannabe ersatz Messiahs that populated the Roman Province of Judea at the turn of the millennium. They thought that when they were mocking, beating, flogging, torturing and ultimately crucifying him, they were doing these things to some random rabble-rouser.

However, faith tells us that he wasn’t, and that on this day he rose again. Nobody witnessed the actual Resurrection, though his disciples and others saw the risen Christ afterward. But that event sparked a religious renaissance that built a church of over a billion and a half souls today, stretching to all seven continents of the Earth, over two thousand years later. None of the other so-called “Messiahs” of his day – or their followers – built anything even remotely approaching the size, longevity, durability or stability of the Catholic Church. That in itself, has to be, if not direct proof, at least indirect proof that Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, was the real deal.

Monica4316 · Apr 24, 2011

Niji said:
Hey guys new here and have a few questions that i cant seem to cease thinking about!

I believe in god and I want to go to heaven but there’s a part of me that wont fully accept him for whatever reason. I tell myself to believe but then there’s a small part of me that cant and wouldn’t mind if he didn’t exist, that i could just accept it. Slipping into nothingness wouldn’t be all that bad, but i truely hate myself for even thinking these thoughts. I use to be able to believe in god so easily when i was younger. I use to dream and fantasize about heaven and what things id do there but now im more experienced with the world and for some reason my mind cant handle worshiping someone that could have a possibility of not existing.

So Ive been searching the internet for proof, something to hold on to for the existence of god but whenever i think I found something it makes me really happy but later that feeling fades away and I keep searching for more proof.

I dont see a reason not to believe in god because if i believe ill be saved right? saying he does exist but if he doesnt then I wouldnt even know because id cease to exist. For some reason though i just cant.

Thinking about things like how the universe got its start, I cant fathom how anyone could think nothingness could create all this but then its hard to believe of a being existing before that nothingness.

Which leads me to my second question. Why’d god choose that point in time to create the universe? What was he waiting for?

So in conclusion I just really want to believe. I want to know without a doubt that there is a god but would believing in god while also having these feelings of doubt keep me from going to heaven when i eventually die?

May I ask , why much do you pray? and do you pray with trust? It’s often hard for us to accept graces from God (such as the grace of faith) if we do not pray to Him with at least a desire to trust.

As for your question about Creation, - God is outside of time. He is eternal… there wasn’t a particular point in “time” that He decided to create the universe. He MADE time

I also recommend reading something by CS Lewis… like “Mere Christianity”

it is very important to believe… we need to have faith, in order to truly accept the grace we need for salvation. The only exception perhaps, is if a person is ignorant through no fault of their own.

God bless!

Weak Faith, Help

Niji

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_L

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Lucky10279

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Carolus_Martell

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PattiDay

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WesleyF

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marica_mandic

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Pat_Payne

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Monica4316

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