Why remain Christian, especially Catholic when I could instead choose Buddhism?

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Pat_Goffena

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Why remain Christian, especially Catholic when I could instead choose Buddhism?
 
Because that would disappoint God, who gave us the one True Church once and for all. In fact, no one has a choice. If one is born, then he expects him to cooperate and join that Mystical Body which is the Church.
 
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“Why choose a good answer, especially the correct answer when I could instead choose an incorrect answer?”
 
Because Buddhism teaches to detach yourself from caring for things. It isn’t a realistic life and what matters most is the real world God created for us. Experiencing Love by its very nature - is attachment.

I will borrow here from American Apologist Ravi Zacharias (and if you care to you can look up his thoughts on things like this on YouTube);

So take the Dalai Lama himself. His very teaching goal, is to desire ‘nothing’. Yet he wishes for the freedom of Tibet. Contradicting the idea that you can desire ‘nothing’, entirely.

Female monks, live separately from their children in isolation and cry. Because they must obtain a lack of attachment to them.

If that life appeals to you, first question why the place Christianity is booming most, is Asia.

Caring is the most important value in ‘meaning’ in our world. Without it. The entirety of existence is meaningless. Buddhism is unsustainable. And whilst I have done it poor service here to an extent - you should research more yourself.
 
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Thank you. I’m actually inquiring for my Catholic educated 32 yr old son, who left the church while in college. He and his wife, along with their friends, are well educated and very liberal in their beliefs. They believe in separation of religion and state, being pro choice, euthanasia and gay marriage. Their disdain for President Trump is frightening and my son says he’s the devil. My son was once pro life so it’s heart breaking that he’s changed his views.
I’ve always had a good relationship with my son and he remains a very polite, respectful, compassionate person so it’s disturbing that he now questions Christianity. His words to me in a recent phone conversation were, “How do we know that Christianity is the right religion? There’s many others, such as Buddhism, Hinduism.”
 
Pat_Goffena said:
They believe in … being pro choice, euthanasia and gay marriage.
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Well, this probably explains why they left the Church. Has nothing to do with Buddhism and everything to do with people who expect a Church to agree with them on everything.

Perhaps Buddhism presents fewer “difficult” teachings, at least at the beginner level. However, I am sure if one progressed in the religion as a serious Buddhist, there would be some questions come up that are not easy and that might not agree with everything your son feels like thinking, in which case he would have the exact same problem with Buddhism.

You either love Jesus enough to deal with difficulties, or you don’t.
 
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Thank you. It’s my son who is asking me these questions. I’m his 71 year old mom and he has no idea that I’m inquiring. What frustrates me is how he’s not willing to do the research to answer his own questions. I’m just looking for (name removed by moderator)ut because all I can really do is pray. Words are ineffective most of the time when dealing with adult kids, esp. ones that are married because I wouldn’t want to upset my son’s wife. She’s equally smart, is a cardiac e.r. nursing. This entire situation is complicated and it’s also very common. I’ve so many friends who are strong practicing Catholics yet all their kids have left the church. .
 
I don’t even think of Buddhism as a religion, as much as a philosophy.
 
Pat_Goffena said:
I’m just looking for (name removed by moderator)ut because all I can really do is pray. Words are ineffective most of the time when dealing with adult kids, esp. ones that are married because I wouldn’t want to upset my son’s wife. She’s equally smart, is a cardiac e.r. nursing. This entire situation is complicated and it’s also very common. I’ve so many friends who are strong practicing Catholics yet all their kids have left the church. .
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Prayer is the best thing. Remember poor St. Monica and her wayward son St. Augustine.

What religion is son’s wife?
 
Furthermore, it’s intimidating for me to try to come up with Dr. Spitzer types of responses for a son who intellectualizes everything. Has a masters in E.E. and physics. Thank you for the reminder of Saint Monica and her son Augustine. I have prayed to her in the past but gave up because nothing seemed to be happening, & I’m not getting any younger. God bless you for reminding me of this incredible saint and doctor of the church. I’ll return to her. I think it’s the only way. God bless all of you for your help.
 
You’re fine… Maybe simply entering into dialogue with your son is the best thing to do at the moment…
 
My sons’s wife was brought up Lutheran but she doesn’t practice. Neither do her two siblings. I love her family, they’re such good people & by far, my favorite inlaws. I found out last year that her father is a fallen away Catholic but I don’t know the reason. My impression is he’s upset at the church. My son’s wife would never have consented to a Catholic marriage and even tho I discussed it with my son prior to his marriage in Jan. of this year, I didn’t pressure him. His father isn’t in the picture & furthermore, an agnostic. If I’d married a practicing Catholic, my son might not have given up his Catholic faith, or at least take it more seriously.
 
Thank you. A very ‘iffy’ subject however and unless he brings it up, I probably won’t say anything to him. It was strange how the topic of Christianity even came up but was related to politics. One thing just led to another.
 
Thank you. I don’t know much about Buddhism but the strange thing is my son is now traveling a lot with his business and just recently spent two weeks in Asia. Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and South Korea. During his spare time he visited some of the temples. Dangerous in my opinion.
 
Pat_Goffena said:
Furthermore, it’s intimidating for me to try to come up with Dr. Spitzer types of responses for a son who intellectualizes everything. Has a masters in E.E. and physics. Thank you for the reminder of Saint Monica and her son Augustine. I have prayed to her in the past but gave up because nothing seemed to be happening, & I’m not getting any younger. God bless you for reminding me of this incredible saint and doctor of the church. I’ll return to her. I think it’s the only way. God bless all of you for your help.
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I feel for you. I have a masters in EE among other things. To make a long story short, I was a fallen-away/ very sporadic Catholic for years for no good reason and my mom was not happy about it and would occasionally bug me about it and I would get annoyed or mad and she’d stop. I’m sure she prayed about it and felt bad about it. I could not share the whole reality of my situation with Mom which unfortunately included me committing various sins of a very private nature that I did not want to get into with her.

Mom eventually died. A few months later I felt a call to go back to Confession (it had been 18 years) and return to the Church. I am sure she gave me a push from the beyond or maybe she got the Holy Spirit to do it. I picture her in my head saying, “Why couldn’t you have just done all this when I was alive and could see it?” But then maybe I think she does see it. I will pray for you and your son. Don’t lose heart, though you might not see results in your lifetime, prayers are never wasted and might manifest in unexpected ways.
 
Oh yes, my son left the church because he felt he couldn’t live up to the teachings. Plain & simple, he ‘caved’ to the culture because he felt following Christ’s teachings threatened his freedom. In all fairness, he didn’t live a lose lifestyle or use drugs. Was always a serious student & considered nerdy. . Met his current wife & it all changed. She’s a very good person, always kind & considerate to me. As a nurse, my daughter-in-law believes that when someone’s enduring extreme suffering, euthanasia should be considered. Those were her words to me.
I’ve also heard her say abortion is acceptable when the quality of life for an unborn child isn’t favorable. Everything is contrary to the way I brought my son and his two older brothers.
 
I tried Buddhism and Christianity together for a fair amount of time.

I came to believe that Buddhism at its heart is a means, in one sense, to escape the Cross in our lives, when in fact, this can never be done.

Christianity presents a greater fullness of truth that Buddhism cannot offer and shows us a way to live that can bring joy and inspire us to love our neighbor, which will inevitably bring more peace, yet amidst trials and sufferings of this life.
 
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