When is one too far gone?

[Siobahn]

When is one too far gone, too bad of a person to be able to go to Church, turn to God or pray? Can someone be inherently bad, wicked? I think I might be.

 

[mosher]

When is one too far gone, too bad of a person to be able to go to Church, turn to God or pray? Can someone be inherently bad, wicked? I think I might be.

Never. We believe in the intrinsic goodness of the human person. This means that at any time prior to death it is always possible for a human person to turn to God in repentance.

 

[LittleRose]

You are never to far gone for God to forgive you. He loves you, and he wants you to turn to him and let him help you to become a whole and healthy person.

 

[jmcrae]

When is one too far gone, too bad of a person to be able to go to Church, turn to God or pray? Can someone be inherently bad, wicked? I think I might be.

It’s not possible for you or anybody to be “inherently” bad or wicked, since God created you good. (Genesis 1:27)

You should also read Psalm 139, to find out that God created you purposefully, and cannot leave you, or ever stop loving you.

You probably need to make a good Confession, though - I’d recommend doing that as soon as humanly possible. I don’t know if it would make you “feel” better, but it would certainly get you back on the road to God’s kingdom.

 

[dulcissima]

Actually, you are in pretty good shape if you are recognizing your own wickedness and acknowledging that you need God. You are much better off than someone who is self-righteous and thinks they can do no wrong.

 

[LittleRose]

Actually, you are in pretty good shape if you are recognizing your own wickedness and acknowledging that you need God. You are much better off than someone who is self-righteous and thinks they can do no wrong.

Yes, this is very true.

 

[Melissa]

When is one too far gone, too bad of a person to be able to go to Church, turn to God or pray?

Answer: When one is dead.

At any other time, one is always capable of turning to God. Of course, that’s not to say that there aren’t some stubborn people who require being slapped off a horse and struck blind …

 

[PseudoHermit_22]

When is one too far gone, too bad of a person to be able to go to Church, turn to God or pray? Can someone be inherently bad, wicked? I think I might be.

Heh, I had fears of the same kind. I recently, finally got up the courage to join the catholic church after 35 years of spiritual wandering – and I wandered into some pretty dark places I must say.

It’s true what they say – the only time you are too far gone is if you refuse to repent and go to your grave rejecting God (I think this is what is the generally accepted meaning of the unforgiveable sin Christ refers to as the “sin against the Holy Spirit”)–but even at death this may not completely be the case if you read about Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy stuff. There may be one more oppotunity at death according to this. But I would definitely not wait any longer if I were you --one never knows when his/her last day will come.

Join up! I did and I feel great now! When I went through RCIA and had to do my first confession I was really really nervous and I guess scared and imgaine the priest was going to hit me and run away from me (I jest of course, but I was worried I would not be forgiven) But truly it was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life to get all those things out in the open that had been plaguing me for years.

 

[wcknight]

With God all things are possible a “wicked” person can be saved in a split second before they die. You could be crashing into a brick wall, and in the instant it takes for something to smash you into oblivion, you can repent and still be saved.

 

[VociMike]

When is one too far gone, too bad of a person to be able to go to Church, turn to God or pray? Can someone be inherently bad, wicked? I think I might be.

I think the thief on the cross is your best answer.

 

[BioCatholic]

I thought the only time when someone was “too far gone” was if they blasphemed the Holy Spirit?

Isn’t that what Jesus directly said?

Im curious as to what exactly that might consist of, considering a person can murder millions [Hitler], and still have the possibility of entering Heaven with repentence.

Additionally, doesn’t the church have the power to levy an anaethama [sp] on someone and keep them from heaven? Jesus directly said that too, right?

 

[Neo_Canaan]

I say get rid of those that were far too gone. They’re the biggest failures of the church.

 

[itsjustdave1988]

I thought the only time when someone was “too far gone” was if they blasphemed the Holy Spirit?

Isn’t that what Jesus directly said?

Im curious as to what exactly that might consist of…

See here.

Additionally, doesn’t the church have the power to levy an anaethama [sp] on someone and keep them from heaven?

Anathema sit is a formula used to excommunicate. It is used to describe the objective gravity of the offense. The Church makes no claim to be infallible as to the subjective elements of one’s particular grave sin. Consequently, the Church is not infallible in its excommunications, and as such, there is such a thing as unjust excommunication.

 

[LilyM]

See here.

Anathema sit is a formula used to excommunicate. It is used to describe the objective gravity of the offense. The Church makes no claim to be infallible as to the subjective elements of one’s particular grave sin. Consequently, the Church is not infallible in its excommunications, and as such, there is such a thing as unjust excommunication.

Not to mention that excommunications are reversible too - so no-one is ever beyond hope of redemption while they live, as long as they are contrite when they are aware of their wrongs, and genuinely trying to do right.

 

[LP4H]

This is something that has worried me until recently, and even still sometimes I worry. But, you’ve got to realize, you’re never too far gone. To say that there’s a point when Christ rejects you, no matter what you’ve done, is to say that His death on the cross was insufficient, and we all know that’s not true!

 

[paramedicgirl]

I say get rid of those that were far too gone. They’re the biggest failures of the church.

How do you propose to get rid of them? And how will you judge how far gone someone is? Are you beyond reproach?

 

[Syele]

If you are worried about it you are not too far gone.

You would have to utterly and completely reject the the Holy Spirit, you would have a complete disdain and revulsion to the things of God.

If you really felt that strong of a disdain against the things of God…You really would not care if you were too far gone or not. The very act of sincerely asking proves you aren’t!

 

[Neo_Canaan]

How do you propose to get rid of them? And how will you judge how far gone someone is? Are you beyond reproach?

Exile them to someplace desolate.Better still, leave them behind when the end of the world comes, like what Noah did during the great flood.

 

[Traditional_Ang]

When is one too far gone, too bad of a person to be able to go to Church, turn to God or pray? Can someone be inherently bad, wicked? I think I might be.

Siobahn:

Go find Chuck Colson’s book on how he become a Christian, or read the history of the man who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace” (He was a slave trader who repented in a huge way), or read the story of St. Paul, who as Saul murdered Christians (the Book of Acts), or the Life of King Dave whom God said was a “Man after my own Heart”…

Or read some of the stories here.

The Hound of Heaven

*I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat – and a voice beat
More instant than the Feet –

By many a hearted casement, curtained red,
Trellised with intertwining charities;
(For, though I knew His love Who followèd,*

mcs.drexel.edu/~gbrandal/Illum_html/hound.html

KEEP ME RUNNING Randy Stonehill

Keep me running from the sins I can’t erase,
Like an outlaw with a mask to hide his face.
Once I was told that love could fly,
Yeah, but it’s been so long I just can’t remember why ?

christianguitar.org/csongplain/4069

Simon who denied our Lord three times in the most cowardly way possible ended up being the 1st Pope and dying for our Lord as St. Peter.

The first person into paradise was a thief who “Stole Paradise” by chiding the thief who was giving our Lord ha hard time and then saying, “Lord, remember me when you cme into your kingdom.”

Even the traitor Judas would have been forgiven if, instead of “taking council with himself” and killing himself on a hill close to Golgatha, he would have crawled to the cross on the hill opposite the one on which he took his life and begged our Lord for forgiveness. But, as Judas had given himself over to the devil, that was never going to happen… Judas chose hell - He didn’t stumble into it.

Those who are in hell are there because they have chosen to be there.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

 

[Neo_Canaan]

That proves that Judas was a failure and a greedy coward, so he got what he deserved.