Why be a practicing Catholic?

[Holly3278]

Are you getting more and more comfortable with life, and don’t seem to “need” the “emotional high” (which is probably diminishing) of practicing your faith?

Are you getting more and more UNcomfortable with life, and don’t seem to be getting the “help” you desire from practicing your faith?

Could your situation be a combination of the two?

Once we have answers to these questions we can try to help you to rediscover why it was you chose to become a Catholic in the first place.

Very much looking forward to your answers.

I honestly don’t know how to answer your question CatsAndDogs. Sorry.

Do you think that He (and Hell) would cease to exist simply because you persuaded yourself (or were persuaded by someone else) that they didn’t?

No, I do not think that. If God exists, He exists whether or not I believe in Him. However, if God does not exist then He does not exist whether or not I believe in Him.

 

[Paul_Folbrecht]

Not seeing evidence for God? Believe me, this is just a result of being saturated by our atheistic, materialist culture - for belief in God is extremely logical, and disbelief illogical.

See this link for starters:

godandscience.org/apologetics/quotes.html

You can see that, among other categories of evidence, there is almost no getting around the fact that the universe was designed.

 

[M249]

I honestly don’t really know in what ways I am struggling with my faith. I do know that I am even having a hard time believing in God at this point in my life. I’m not sure why though. Also, all the rules of Catholicism seem to be encumbering me. I want to have fun. Like the rule about no sex before marriage. Well, I want to be able to have sex before marriage without being condemned to Hell or some other place of torture.

You sound like me and all my friends in high school. Silence your pride, stop being irrational and grow up.

 

[Holly3278]

Not seeing evidence for God? Believe me, this is just a result of being saturated by our atheistic, materialist culture - for belief in God is extremely logical, and disbelief illogical.

See this link for starters:

godandscience.org/apologetics/quotes.html

You can see that, among other categories of evidence, there is almost no getting around the fact that the universe was designed.

Thank you for the link. I will look at it now and get back to you on how I feel about the existence of God after I read it.

 

[Holly3278]

Ok, I read part of the page that you linked me to and I must say that I do still believe in God and in the Catholic Church. Thank you for posting this. I feel that perhaps I should remain a practicing Catholic.

 

[Paul_Folbrecht]

Thank you for the link. I will look at it now and get back to you on how I feel about the existence of God after I read it.

Good. There is a lot of good information on that site.

What I meant by my original comment is that we in modern society are pretty much literally awash in atheism - in evil - and unless and until you’re fully and properly formed it’s impossible not to be influenced, at the least.

I think 90% of the modern population has no idea how they’ve been influenced - manipulated - by culture. The ‘God Delusion’ generation think they have it all figured out…

 

[Paul_Folbrecht]

Ok, I read part of the page that you linked me to and I must say that I do still believe in God and in the Catholic Church. Thank you for posting this. I feel that perhaps I should remain a practicing Catholic.

Well - that was easy!

Your comment made my night, so let’s call it even.

 

[Holly3278]

Well - that was easy!

Your comment made my night, so let’s call it even.

Ok, well I’m glad that my comment made your night.

 

[nicolep]

Ok, I read part of the page that you linked me to and I must say that I do still believe in God and in the Catholic Church. Thank you for posting this. I feel that perhaps I should remain a practicing Catholic.

I’m so glad you found something that speaks to you. Keep building on it! We’re here for further encouragement if needed.

 

[Holly3278]

I’m so glad you found something that speaks to you. Keep building on it! We’re here for further encouragement if needed.

Thank you Nicole. I appreciate the offer of further encouragement if needed.

 

[Harmony1988]

I think there are a lot of moments where we want to have sex before we are married. Feelings shouldn’t necessarily equate to actions, because if they did, then everyone would be walking around with a black eye, maybe two.

 

[adelore]

I never said that. However, if God does not exist (and I am having doubts about His existence) then obviously Hell does not even exist.

This is something to think about that I have told to others, as this was handed down to me many years ago by someone as we were talking about how to reach people who don’t believe in God.

The conversation went something like this to someone. (As I listened to them about their feelings there was no God.)

I said to them, “Ok let’s say you are right and in the end there is no God, then all the prayers, faith, going to Church and living a Christian life didn’t hurt me.”

But… "What if I’m right and you’re wrong and there is a God? Where does that put you? Either way I’m safe. Something to think about.

Now if you’re looking for proof there is God. Take a Good look around you. This earth, animals, mankind didn’t all happen by chance.

If you need more proof, then lets take a look at the Bible as a History book. Since it was written over 2,000 years ago, no one back then could have written so many things ahead of time, that indeed Sicence and Arkeogloist (sp?) have proven to be true in our life time, (and some before our lifetime, yet that is in the History books.)

1. The Bible says the Earth hangs on nothing. (NASA has proved this.)
2. The Bible does say the earth is round. (History tells us Columbus discovered this.) NASA also backs this up. Yet, it was written in the Bible thousands of years ago, how could have the Bible writers known this fact if it wasn’t for God telling them what to write? Only God really knew that.
3. The Crossing of the Red Sea in the Bible. If a person has any doubt about that really happening, all one has to do is look up the Charroits of Roman times and you’ll find “pictures” of them on the internet and Sicence has proven once again that the Bible is correct. Many of the Charroits and bones of the horses have been found, right where the Bible say it happened. Now mind you I highly doubt this army back then thought that the Charriots could float across that sea, so what else but God holding back the waters, letting the people cross safely on dry land, would cause the Army to follow them and then God of couse, then let the waters go and drowned them.

I have given you only 3 things to search and think about. Yet there are many more.

There are many things in the Bible that Sicence/ Mankind has proven without a doubt. Yet, we all know in today’s world that back that many many years ago, there was no way that mankind could have “known” the things they did, without God as the Author.

In todays world Satan likes to cause man to doubt, the more Satan can confuse mankind the better he likes it. Satan wants to draw as many away from God that he can. Why? Satan knows his time is comming to an end…and he’s not about to go down alone, not if he (Satan) can help it.

It’s so easy for mankind to have faith in things such as, turning a light switch on. We know without a doubt the light is going to go on…yet can we see everything behind what makes that light turn on? No but we have faith it will turn on when we flip that switch.

Mankind has faith in his own works, like our cars, heat for our homes, our buildings, bridges, boats, airplanes, computers and the list goes on. Yet, most of us really don’t understand how all these things work down to the last detail…but yet we have “faith” that they will indeed work for us and we don’t even think any farther than the “flip of the switch”.

We tend to believe our “History Books” yet most of us weren’t there, yet we believe these books as truth, because people in the past wrote them.

Study the Bible, it’s a History Book in it’s own way…and God is not going to lie to us. The people who God chose to write these books, were there and seen these things first hand. Then study the Gospel’s.

The Bible is the Oldest “History Book” on the earth. There is no other book that has lasted throughout the thousands of years that the Bible has. Many books have come and gone, yet the Bible has stood the test of time.

 

[CatsAndDogs]

Quote:
Originally Posted by CatsAndDogs
Are you getting more and more comfortable with life, and don’t seem to “need” the “emotional high” (which is probably diminishing) of practicing your faith?

Are you getting more and more UNcomfortable with life, and don’t seem to be getting the “help” you desire from practicing your faith?

Could your situation be a combination of the two?

Once we have answers to these questions we can try to help you to rediscover why it was you chose to become a Catholic in the first place.

Very much looking forward to your answers.

I honestly don’t know how to answer your question CatsAndDogs. Sorry.

I honestly don’t believe that you are serious in your original posting then.

My questions are exceedingly simple to answer. That you find them unanswerable means you are not interested in discussing what you say you want to discuss.

Best to you.

 

[Holly3278]

I honestly don’t believe that you are serious in your original posting then.

My questions are exceedingly simple to answer. That you find them unanswerable means you are not interested in discussing what you say you want to discuss.

Best to you.

First of all, I don’t appreciate this rude post. I was being honest when I said that I find the questions unanswerable. Perhaps if you rephrased the questions I would find them answerable.

 

[CatsAndDogs]

First of all, I don’t appreciate this rude post. I was being honest when I said that I find the questions unanswerable. Perhaps if you rephrased the questions I would find them answerable.

I was not being rude. You took it as rude because it was too direct. I actually DON’T think you’re serious with your original posting. I also don’t think you’re interested in discussing what you say you want discussed.

But, that’s my problem and not yours, and I will try to restate my questions to you.

The first:
Is life really easy for you? Are you finding no NEED for God?

The second:
Is life difficult and this “God-stuff” doesn’t seem to be helping?

 

[Holly3278]

I was not being rude. You took it as rude because it was too direct. I actually DON’T think you’re serious with your original posting. I also don’t think you’re interested in discussing what you say you want discussed.

But, that’s my problem and not yours, and I will try to restate my questions to you.

The first:
Is life really easy for you? Are you finding no NEED for God?

The second:
Is life difficult and this “God-stuff” doesn’t seem to be helping?

Well, I am about to prove you wrong because I am going to answer those questions now that I actually understand what you are asking. And by the way, just because you don’t think you were being rude doesn’t mean you weren’t being rude in reality.

For your first question, life is not really easy for me and I do still find a need for God. For your second question, life is difficult and yes, the “God-stuff” does not seem to be helping much.

 

[stacybks]

Holly, the only reason I can answer this is because I’ve been through some battles with my Pentecostal-Holiness upbringing and the Love that shown from Christ’s Heart through other Catholics and through a deeper understanding of the Catholic Church.

The reason to be a practicing Catholic is not to be a practicing or non-practicing Catholic… It’s to be a human sinner, saved by Grace, who that searches for the Heart of the Father through the Hearts of Christ and Mary and the communion of saints.

I’m not big on the whole “I’m Catholic now, so let’s just give up and make a habit out of the Eucharist and the Christian life of devotion to Christ.” Actually, I’m against it because it takes away so much of the Truth of the Church and the Truth of Christian life!

All of us have sooner or later went through the Dark Night of the Soul and many of us still live to offer hope for others who face the same trials and temptations.

In all honesty, if it wasn’t for the Hope of the Catholic Faith and all that it contains regarding the Truth… I would not be where I am today… on my path to fully becoming Catholic and moving toward Heaven at a quicker pace than I was before the Spirit led me to the Truth of Catholicism.

Don’t continue to let the devil attack you when you’re down… take up the Sacramentals and use them as a weapon against him. Christ has won the victory… and we will perfectly partake in that victory when He comes again. Pray the Rosary, use the intercession of the saints and Christians, and all other devotions set forth by the Catholic Faith that bring you closer to God… leaving very little gap for Satan to even put a finger in to attack you. We’re human, we will make mistakes… but through Confession and the Eucharist we CAN and WILL be made whole. It’s just a matter of pressing through… (May I remind you of the woman with the issue of blood… she gave away everything to hear the doctors tell her there was nothing they could do. Finally, she pressed through the crowd …* our present day society, temptations, and trials *… and touched what was the garment of Christ which brought wholeness to her body, mind, and soul.)

I pray that you will feel peace and the Love of God in your life once more and that you will draw closer to Him more than ever before, even during the times when you feel He’s not there and begin to feel hopeless… I pray this through the Hearts of Christ and Mary. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

God be with you.

 

[Genesis315]

Why be a practicing Catholic? Because God, who is love, has revealed that it is what is best for us. Even if we struggle or don’t understand, we trust His love for us and that He would never mislead us. He seeks to fulfill His plan for us to make us who we are destined to be.

This is what faith is all about–and most of us struggle because our faith is less than a mustard seed.

 

[CatsAndDogs]

Well, I am about to prove you wrong because I am going to answer those questions now that I actually understand what you are asking. And by the way, just because you don’t think you were being rude doesn’t mean you weren’t being rude in reality.

For your first question, life is not really easy for me and I do still find a need for God. For your second question, life is difficult and yes, the “God-stuff” does not seem to be helping much.

Sorry if you took my directness for rudeness. Isn’t it refreshing to have to take “cultural differences” into consideration when dealing with people?

As to your answers:

You find you have a need for God, but God does not seem to be helping you as you think you should be helped.

This means you are at a point where “the old habits” of your usual practice are ineffective. This is the usual “plateau” problem. The thing to do is to find some inspiration.

I would suggest finding a way to get explanations of the deeper meanings of the “old habits” that don’t seem to “do it for you” anymore.

That, and give, offer, your suffering up EVEN MORE FREELY (really LET GO) to Christ in prayer (and fasting if you can manage it).

Find a good “pastoral” expert, such as a well-referenced spiritual advisor. That would be best, though might be somewhat difficult.

Best to you, and you’re in my prayers!

 

[Holly3278]

Sorry if you took my directness for rudeness. Isn’t it refreshing to have to take “cultural differences” into consideration when dealing with people?

As to your answers:

You find you have a need for God, but God does not seem to be helping you as you think you should be helped.

This means you are at a point where “the old habits” of your usual practice are ineffective. This is the usual “plateau” problem. The thing to do is to find some inspiration.

I would suggest finding a way to get explanations of the deeper meanings of the “old habits” that don’t seem to “do it for you” anymore.

That, and give, offer, your suffering up EVEN MORE FREELY (really LET GO) to Christ in prayer (and fasting if you can manage it).

Find a good “pastoral” expert, such as a well-referenced spiritual advisor. That would be best, though might be somewhat difficult.

Best to you, and you’re in my prayers!

Thanks for the advice. I do take it to heart. Also, thanks for the apology. I do accept it and I apologize if I misinterpreted your directness for rudeness.