What can I do to know the truth?

[agnosticzorro]

Dear Catholic Answers,

Like many youths of today, I have fallen into the dreaded agnostic worldview. Doubt lingers in my mind day and night, never ceasing to torment me. I have such a strong emotional thirst and hunger for a god, but intellectually, I cannot bring myself to believe in such a being.

I am open to the possibiliy of god’s existence, but proving such a thing does not alone suffice to convince me of Christianity’s authenticity. Whose concept of god is correct, and why? Jesus’ historical existence does not itself validate the claims of Christianity, does it? No.

Who knows? Is my quandary self-imposed or divinely-imposed? I do want to know the Truth, if it exists. What can I do to find it? Where do I begin?

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear A,

Your difficulty sounds at least as emotional as intellectual. Twenty centuries of Catholicism is nothing to sneeze at. Such intellectual giants as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas were not easily duped—not to mention the thousands who died rather than deny the teachings of the Church.

The one dimension you have not considered is that of faith. It is a gift that one cannot give to oneself. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I know you find it scary to take a leap of faith. Frankly, I find it a lot more frightening to not believe. You will know the truth by speaking to Him. Yes, I suggest that you begin to pray. Address Jesus Christ and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Do this every day. I will be praying for you. Write again and let us know how you are doing.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.