What’s the point in being a Catholic?

[OurGodIsWithUs]

God Bless you all for helping me understand! I’m immensely grateful to you all for helping me see a better picture.

I’m Catholic. Born and raised. But lately, I’ve been wondering. What’s my incentive to be Catholic?

I see non Catholics live FANTASTIC lives. If God loves everyone equal, then if a non catholic does good, but refuses to believe, even HE goes to heaven.

What’s my reward for following Christ on earth? Do I get a golden chair in heaven? A tiara or crown? Anything special at all? Or am I “just” another one? Do I mean anything?

I think some people are missing my point regarding the almsgiving example. I talking about life from a Hedonistic point of view. I believe that we are all Hedonists to a certain extent. For example, I am not a Satanic Worshipper or a Satanist, because I don’t want to go to hell. But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with concept of goin to Hell per se. It is the SUFFERING, the TORTURE, and everything that takes happiness away from me, that makes me despise Hell. Going to Heaven makes me happy, because there, I will be loved by other people and God. I would feel like I belong.
What do you think?

 

[goout]

I’m Catholic. Born and raised. But lately, Ive been wondering. What’s my incentive to be Catholic?

I see non Catholics live FANTASTIC lives. If God loves everyone equal, then if a non catholic does good, but refuses to believe, even HE goes to heaven.

What’s my reward for following Christ on earth? Do I get a golden chair in heaven? A tiara or crown? Anything special at all? Or am I “just” another one? Do I mean anything?

I believe every act is selfish to some degree. Even when I give alms, I do so because I’m selfish. I want to be happy knowing I brightened someone’s day. It’s for my selfish happiness. That’s how humans work. So by following all the rules, what’s in it for me?

What do you think?

What’s in it for us is to love and be loved without time to constrain us. That transcends any of the worldly or selfish goods you mention. And the fullness of that vision is in unity with the Body of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church

 

[LittleFlower378]

Change your intention in your acts to be out of love for God and love for neighbor. Life isn’t about us.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

if a non catholic does good, but refuses to believe, even HE goes to heaven.

That’s a really big assumption you’ve made right there.

This is a mistake people make nowadays, just assuming that anyone will be able to make it to Heaven. Remember, even Jesus said “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will be saved”. (“Depart from me you accursed into the lake of fire…”)

God founded the Church, and it is through the Church that He desires all people to come to salvation. You are Catholic because that is what God wants you to be. It is also the only place you can get all the sacraments, including the most important sacraments of the Eucharist and Confession. Without those two things, salvation is incredibly difficult.

 

[PBWY]

As Catholics, we must live with gratitude for Christ’s merits, not our own. If we have merits, it’s because they came from Him. It is by His merit that we are forgiven for our sins. It is by His merit that we, in a state of grace, get to receive his body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist - which non-Catholics don’t get.

I didn’t become Catholic because I am seeking favor with the Lord and think I will be specifically rewarded for my conversion. I became Catholic because it is the fullness of Christianity. It’s the whole story.

And also important, which you might be missing out on, it comes with a consistent and loud message to seek humility, be charitable to our neighbors, and to die to ourselves. It’s not about us. It’s about Him.

 

[Genesis315]

It is necessary for salvation.

We must be baptized (John 3:3) into the one Body in the one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), partake of the one bread as one Body (1 Cor. 10:17), and profess the One Lord, one faith, one Baptism (Eph 4:4-5). Like Noah’s ark, you have to be on board to be saved–like Noah’s ark in the flood, outside of which none were saved, Baptism now saves (1 Peter 3:20-21), and since we are baptized into the one Body it has the same significance as the ark.

In addition, to have fellowship or communion with Christ in His Body, you must have fellowship with those who have fellowship with Him (1 John 1:3). We are forbidden, therefore, from schisms and dissensions and must be united in belief (1 Cor. 1:10). Heresy and schism, therefore, also exclude from salvation (Gal 5:20-21; Titus 3:10-11).

Furthermore, while Christ is the head of the Church, He has also willed that the Church be led by men (Acts 20:28). He put St. Peter in charge of His one and only flock (John 21:15-17)–therefore, to be a member of Christ’s flock is to be a member of the flock tended by those who continue to exercise Peter’s ministry.

Our sins are to be forgiven through the ministry of the Church (John 20:21-22) and the faith is to be taught by those with succession from the Apostles–those who have been sent (Rom 10:15). Going out without being sent, on the other hand, is harmful to souls (Acts 15:24).

So to sum up, we should not be members of those communities that went out without being sent from the Church Christ founded, do not have their sins forgiven through the Apostolic ministers, do not partake of the one Bread, are not of one belief with the Church they left, do not acknowledge their authorized shepherds, etc., etc…

Of course, persevering in faith and charity, but being mistaken in good faith, is not a sin and such a person would still be joined to the Church. As St. Augustine says:

But though the doctrine which men hold be false and perverse, if they do not maintain it with passionate obstinacy, especially when they have not devised it by the rashness of their own presumption, but have accepted it from parents who had been misguided and had fallen into error, and if they are with anxiety seeking the truth, and are prepared to be set right when they have found it, such men are not to be counted heretics.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102043.htm

 

[Sbee0]

I see non Catholics live FANTASTIC lives. If God loves everyone equal, then if a non catholic does good, but refuses to believe, even HE goes to heaven.

You sure about that? I wouldn’t want to make an eternal bet on it.

 

[TMC]

I’m Catholic. Born and raised. But lately, Ive been wondering. What’s my incentive to be Catholic?

I see non Catholics live FANTASTIC lives. If God loves everyone equal, then if a non catholic does good, but refuses to believe, even HE goes to heaven.

What’s my reward for following Christ on earth? Do I get a golden chair in heaven? A tiara or crown? Anything special at all? Or am I “just” another one? Do I mean anything?

I believe every act is selfish to some degree. Even when I give alms, I do so because I’m selfish. I want to be happy knowing I brightened someone’s day. It’s for my selfish happiness. That’s how humans work. So by following all the rules, what’s in it for me?

What do you think?

Faith is not a retirement plan. You are not “investing” by doing things you don’t want to do today so that you get more tomorrow. In my view, there is no moral merit to such an approach to faith - it reduces religion to a transaction.

We should all be doing what we believe is right in this life, not doing what we think provides the greatest return.

 

[TheLittleLady]

If I found there were no afterlife, I would still be Catholic and live by the morals that guide me today.

 

[Pug]

Even when I give alms, I do so because I’m selfish. I want to be happy knowing I brightened someone’s day. It’s for my selfish happiness. That’s how humans work.

When we are baptized we receive faith, hope, and love. True love, the kind like Christ sacrificing himself for us kind of love, self-giving kind of love. We receive it. So we can perform acts of charity (love) through grace. Though it is true, sometimes we don’t have the best motives, we strive to be like Christ, to be perfect. And we pray a lot for help with that.

 

[Bushum]

If I found there were no afterlife, I would still be Catholic and live by the morals that guide me today.

Exactly!

Scenario one: person A lives a purposeful life of sin and treats people terribly. He refuses to believe no matter what and never will. Person B lives a righteous Catholic, moral life as best they can.

It turns out there is no God and all of this is made up. What did the righteous person lose? Both people just end and there is nothing else.

Scenario two: the two people lives exactly the same ways.

It turns out there is a God and everything Jesus taught us is true. Person A ends up in eternal hell fire and torment. Person B has everlasting life in the glory of God’s presence.

Is that a risk you are willing to take? I’m certainly not! I know this isn’t why we believe and aren’t hedging our bets but this is a way to reason with people who have no faith.

 

[Jimbo]

“So by following all the rules, what’s in it for me?”

Well… I’m not sure you have the point of being Catholic. I’m curious about our catechesis.

I can only explain it as I understand it. And I ask that you give me a bit of grace as I will do this imperfectly.

If you are Catholic, and you believe the Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity; God made man on earth, then you should believe in His Church, and in His teachings.

Part of his teachings are that we are, through baptism, part of his mystical body on earth. We are called to be saints. We are called to be perfect like him.

Why do we ‘follow the rules’? Because we love Him. Why should we love him? We owe him love, worship, and obedience. We owe Him these things because He became man and sacrificed himself that we might be saved, and be with Him forever. And He tells us the best way to love him is to ‘keep his commandments’.

This isn’t a business arrangement. It’s a love affair.

Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, loves you Individually more than you can ever imagine. And you are doing the right thing by returning the love as much as you are able. Not for gain. Not for rewards in heaven. But because the One who loves you enough to do it all over again, just for you, loves you.

 

[PennyinCanada]

I grew up in a non believing family. There was alcoholism, addictions, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness. Darkness. Hopelessness.
When I found out God was REAL, it changed everything. It was like being taken out of a dark damp basement and put into sunlight. I had to re-evaluate everything. It was indeed Good News.

Even if I did not have the hope of heaven, God is so lovable I would still wake up in the morning and grab onto his hand and say ‘What are we doing today?’ This is what I wish for you.

Edited to add: Sometimes I think that people who grow up in a Catholic family don’t understand that dark damp basement because they’ve been in sunshine their whole life.

 

[OurGodIsWithUs]

Misunderstood a little. I’m talking about generous and benevolent non-Catholics.

 

[EZweber]

Even though it’s possible for a non Catholic to reach heaven, it is much harder. If you look at the non Catholic religions who have people that are regarded as especially holy and compare them to the saints, the contrast is almost pathetic. Also, not being Catholic has consequences. The most severe is that if you are convinced that the Catholic faith is true, but you are still not Catholic, then you cannot reach heaven. If you are not guilty for your ignorance, there will still be consequences. For example, if I do not consider getting drunk a problem, and I proceed to get drunk, I will still have health issues and an unhealthy attraction to alcohol.

 

[awesomecatholic]

A non-Catholic who does good will not necessarily go to heaven. You don’t get some kind of trophy or huge award just because you follow Christ, you will receive God’s love and have eternal life. Just because your not getting your trophy does not mean you are not special. Each one of us is special and our love is unique to God.

 

[EZweber]

If a non Catholic follows the good as best they can, they are able to reach heaven.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

This caveat doesn’t change the fact that those people are not guaranteed Heaven. Being benevolent and generous are both positive, holy attributes, but are not salvific in and of themselves. Neither of those things impart the same grace as the Eucharist, and neither of them forgive sins like confession.

No matter what, without those two things, it gets a lot harder to achieve salvation.

You’re still looking at it wrong though. We aren’t Catholic explicitly because we benefit from it. We are Catholic because God wants us to be.

 

[Bushum]

If they repent and accept God in the end then they could. If not they are damned.

 

[OurGodIsWithUs]

But that’s what I’m getting at.
Thanks for answering, if everyone gets a chance to go to heaven no matter what, then why should I care to be Catholic and follow these extra rules?