What am I?

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Metatron

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I have always thought that Reason and Faith must go hand in hand.

I could never, ever accept anything on the ground of “blind faith”, because then which faith to choose? When you’re blind, everything is equally black.

I believe in Reason, and I think that the Word/Reason (Logos) is with Christ, not with atheism.

I was raised a Catholic, I’m baptized as Catholic. - I’m from Europe in a country that’s almost exclusively Catholic (the rest being atheist). -

During the years of reading (mostly German theologians and philosophers on the matter) and thinking, contemplating, I created to my own vision of Christianity.

Now, “my own” isn’t a claim for authorship. It’s just a collage of things I read from various Christian philosophers. Also I dislike the tone of my own post: “MY interpretation” - as if I’m so incredibly intelligent as to be the one who decides about how Christianity is to be interpreted.

While I really want to be humble and I detest arrogance, I, at the same time, cannot do but to use the only God-given tool I have: Reason. It is for me the ultimate authority, because - what if the pope decides to deviate from the Word of God, what do you do then? (As it was the case during the 10th century for instance?) - There’s no other guarantee but Reason.

So, - my beliefs are as follows:
  • I believe in the Trinity: God/Son/Holy Ghost as one single Essence of a single Godhead.
  • I believe that Jesus Christ was both the Son of God and God (follows).
  • I believe that God himself died on the cross, not “his son” or “his avatar” - Christ to me isn’t some “half-god” figure separated from the Lord. He is Lord. Christ is my God, both are the same Essence. It follows, therefore, that God himself died.
  • “Why hast thou forsaken me” is the highest affirmation of the truth of Christ’s divinity. It completes it, because by absolute estrangement from his own Essence, God finally became human (even with our own doubts; as if for a second “God himself became an atheist”).
  • Christ, the LORD, died on the cross.
  • His death was real.
  • His death also means the beginning of something new. What survives isn’t Christ or God, but the Holy Spirit (which is the same Essence as God; it’s a matter of sequence, of Events of the same Being). I understand the Holy Spirit to mean Humanity, Love, the Community of Christians.
  • “Heaven and Hell” aren’t “places” like Europe or America or Venus or Mars.
  • I cannot subscribe to the “good people go to Heaven, bad people go to Hell” story.
  • If anyone does anything to be rewarded in the afterlife, that absolutely nullifies the ethical action in my opinion. You must do good because it’s good. No reason for doing it, no reward expected. Therefore, “good deeds” for “rewards” is absolutely unacceptable.
  • I cannot think of the communion other than symbolic. Nothing happens except a symbolic gesture. There’s nothing “holy” about anything material. Holy water is just water.
  • It’s a matter of indifference to me whether Mary was a Virgin or not.
  • I believe that the most important thing in the Bible is the Ethical Code of Jesus and the Passion of the Christ: the infinitely profound paradox that the Divine Being would share our own fate and die.
  • The profound paradox that the Divine Being, Lord of the Universe, is identical to a carpenter from Nazareth who was born in a stable. This fascinates me and I find the greatest inner truth in this fact.
  • I believe that Jesus is not merely a high ethical metaphor (like Antigone), but also historically true.
  • I do not read the Bible literally and I take many of it as allegory and metaphor, yet of course not all of it.
  • I believe Christianity and Science go hand in hand (Newton after all wrote more on theology than he did on physics! And Descartes?! Father of modern science, devout Christian!)
  • Praying doesn’t change the course of events of anything, ever. - Praying for your own benefits is also a sin, I believe. - Praying to me means “tuning your own Will to Divine Will”; therefore, tuning yourself to Providence. - And not asking God for favors!
  • In this sense “emptying” your own self is important; the less we are, the more God is. - “Kenosis” I think it’s called. We need to empty ourselves.
  • Philosophy is the way that can lead us to Faith. It’s able to lift us from common sense to higher religious truths.
  • …
Sorry for the long post and for my english (I do mistakes; it’s not my first language; not even my second…) - THANK YOU if you read it.

My question is: what am I? Am I still a Catholic? What’s your advice to me? Should I reconsider my positions or just define myself as something else? And what am I? Just general Christian? Does a different church describe me?

Thank you all in advance! Godspeed.
 
Alot of your positions are Catholic, except a few. Catholics believe the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus.
Also there are Marian dogmas that I would be interested to know if you believe. You should do some research on the Catholic faith and see how you feel about our dogmas and doctrines.
 
Welcome, I hope your presence here will be fruitful. All I can say is that since you believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, pray for guidance, be open to the Holy Spirit to lead you and I hope that in your spiritual journey you find a home. Peace.
 
Welcome Metatron to CAF,

What you are is confused. This is diagnosis is delivered with all charity.

You’ve read a lot of German philosophers–and I suspect Kant was a big part of the mix. Kant wrote some profound thoughts–and some serious errors.

We do not get the Christian faith by logic or philosphy–though both of those, honestly done, support Christianity. We get it from Revelation. The Incarnation is revelation, God poking Himself into creation and revealing Himself more clearly than had every done before. If God can do so physically, literally, as a man, He can certainly do so in the Eucharist.

Your understandings of scripture are from your interpretation. They radically (in some cases) depart from the earliest understandings of Scripture, by people who were far closer to the events, the culture, sharing the same languages, and a direct continuity of sucession.
 
Thanks for the fast replies!

I don’t know what you mean exactly by “Marian dogmas”, I focus almost exclusively on Jesus Christ. The part of Catholicism that stresses the importance of Mary was always very strange to me. I don’t want to be offensive to anyone, but I think Mary was just a woman, a good woman, but just a woman (not in the “sexist” sense of course! I mean, just a normal person…)

I believe there is support for my belief in the Gospel of Matthew.

He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” - I believe this to mean his actual family is irrelevant, and what matters is his spiritual family: the Christian Community, those who believe in Him and his Word.

Again, this is how I understand it, I don’t want to be offensive if you elevate Mary above this. I respect your different views.
 
Lion_of_Narnia said:
Welcome Metatron to CAF,

What you are is confused. This is diagnosis is delivered with all charity.

You’ve read a lot of German philosophers–and I suspect Kant was a big part of the mix. Kant wrote some profound thoughts–and some serious errors.

We do not get the Christian faith by logic or philosphy–though both of those, honestly done, support Christianity. We get it from Revelation. The Incarnation is revelation, God poking Himself into creation and revealing Himself more clearly than had every done before. If God can do so physically, literally, as a man, He can certainly do so in the Eucharist.

Your understandings of scripture are from your interpretation. They radically (in some cases) depart from the earliest understandings of Scripture, by people who were far closer to the events, the culture, sharing the same languages, and a direct continuity of sucession.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your feedback!

Kant, yes. - And others, some Fichte and Hegel, Rudolf Otto…

But I recently also read a Catholic thinkers, G.K. Chesterton and Jean-Luc Marion.

I liked your argument very much. If He could make Himself flesh and bones, He could certainly make Himself into the Eucharist. - I do think this is very valid. - Yet, I would insist it to be symbolic, in the sense that what is holy is the meaning of it? I’m not disagreeing, let’s say I’m trying to understand. What is holy is the meaning of it, of the ritual, not that matter, that piece of food. The same as, what is holy in Christ is his Word, his Message, his Deeds and his Mission, not his flesh, bones, or hair or nails.
 
Hello Metatron and welcome. Your English was great. Better than mine is probably going to be.

First if you confess Christ Lord you are a Christian.

There are churches where I am in the US which do allow greater freedom of conscience to study and pray in order to determine where God is leading us at any given point on our walks. Our walks afterall are lifelong journeys.

But if you were baptized Catholic and wish to be considered and call yourself a Catholic, then you are Catholic. The Church teaches you are in that case. Others may come and say no. But you are according to what the Church teaches.

So my advice is only to continue on your walk. Indeed God speed as we all journey together. Peace and God’s blessing on yours my friend.
 
Metatron said:
snip>
The same as, what is holy in Christ is his Word, his Message, his Deeds and his Mission, not his flesh, bones, or hair or nails.
Click to expand...
Remember the covenent was in His blood
His pshyical suffereing
All done with His flesh and bones.
Proved it was He :rough quote" see a spirit has not flesh and bones"
If Christ’s flesh were not holy how could it be innocent?
At any rate one could go as far as to say now that Christ is in heaven and indeed there in flesh and bone His flesh now is very much holy.🙂
 
What are you Metatron? You are a child of God. Catolhic, Protestant, Orthadox, it doesn’t matter, God loves you all the same.
For now, just stay close to Jesus and listen to God, he will guide you.
Also, don’t worry about what denonmination you have been or what you will be; think about now. As Jesus said “Do not worry for tommorow, let the day’s troubly be sufficient for that day.” So I wish you well friend.

Searchman40

Yesterday is history
Tommorow is a mystery
But Today is a Gift
That is why it is called the present
 
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