seeking understanding

[kimber1]

(this is for those Catholic who claim communion with the Bishop of Rome, not Old Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, etc.)

I hope I don't offend, but I am hoping to understand your position.

I am having difficulty with understanding why one remains Catholic when he disagrees with certain things and there are other religions that he would agree with or which affirm a great diversity of beliefs (and I don't mean actively struggling to understand, but rather just deciding to disagree). Wouldn't honesty and integrity demand that one not be a member of a religion one does not actually believe in? If you don't believe certain decrees from the Vicar of Christ bind under pain of sin or if you can't hold positions that must be held, what is the point? Why not be an Orthodox or an Anglican or an Old Catholic or a Liberal Catholic International or something like that? I want everyone to be Catholic, but if I rejected those Catholic doctrines, I wouldn't want to be Catholic--that would make no sense--I would feel like I was living a lie.

I could never become a member of a religion I could not affirm in all the points that required affirmation. Even if I believed all religions were flawed in some way or were completely man-made, there's still the matter of respecting the rules of a community. I coudn't join any organization unless I could honestly affirm what was required. I'm sorry, it just seems dishonest--help me to understand how it's not something sinful.

I am having even more difficulty with those who activiely want to change the Church, her doctrines, and her structure. There are those of us who believe these things are given from God. We cherish these things as treasures from our Father--they are our patrimony--they are everyone's patrimony in the whole world. Even if you don't believe that why would you want to take it away from us or prevent others from ever having access to it? If you don't want it, so be it, you don't have to partake of it--but why try and ruin it for those of us who do value it as the pearl of great price? No one is forcing anyone to accept it. If you believe it to be evil, then again, the question becomes why be a member of religion you find to be evil? In that case it would make more sense to be a member of a religion you believed and then try and evangelize us to that religion. I admit, it makes me angry sometimes and I react the wrong way. But I really don't want anyone to leave it--it's heartbreaking to see. And even moreso, I don't want anyone to take it away from those who cherish it. How is that a good thing, especially for those who seem to have a "live and let live" attittude?

Please help me to understand.

haven't read everyone else's post so mine may be a repeat but here goes...

you don't offend me. it's a pretty legit question i suppose.

my personal reasons---- i had at one time thought, you know maybe you'd be better off going to the Episcopalian church down the road. but with absolutely NO offense to my Anglican brothers and sisters, i spent waaaaaaaaaaaaayy too much time invested in converting to Catholic. it was one hell of a hard road with many huge obstacles. i absolutely believe that the Pope is where he's supposed to be and that no other than him is "in charge" down here so that kind of fixes that for me there.

i can absolutely not even consider any other 'faith' other than Catholic. i just can't. i may not agree with everything but i just in my heart know this is where i'm to be. maybe the other things i'll finally "get" in time. i don't know. i hope i do. i cna only keep trying but i just can't go anywhere else. it'd be turning my back on everything i believe.

 

[Protinus]

haven't read everyone else's post so mine may be a repeat but here goes...

you don't offend me. it's a pretty legit question i suppose.

my personal reasons---- i had at one time thought, you know maybe you'd be better off going to the Episcopalian church down the road. but with absolutely NO offense to my Anglican brothers and sisters, i spent waaaaaaaaaaaaayy too much time invested in converting to Catholic. it was one hell of a hard road with many huge obstacles. i absolutely believe that the Pope is where he's supposed to be and that no other than him is "in charge" down here so that kind of fixes that for me there.

i can absolutely not even consider any other 'faith' other than Catholic. i just can't. i may not agree with everything but i just in my heart know this is where i'm to be. maybe the other things i'll finally "get" in time. i don't know. i hope i do. i cna only keep trying but i just can't go anywhere else. it'd be turning my back on everything i believe.

gosh I love you!!

 

[kimber1]

gosh I love you!!

question for quantacura:

are you a Catholic from birth? i ask bc i know some of us who struggle with some aspects of teh Church are converts and i wonder if part of the problem in why you can't understand why we don't just leave is bc you don't understand how very hard it has been for us to shed our previous denominations.

 

[Fantine]

For many people, the religion of their birth is strongly connected to their heritage, their culture, and their ethnicity. To be Catholic is more than attending a church--it's being from a certain family, with a certain ethnic background, living in a certain neighborhood, sharing a certain heritage.

And so, being born Catholic doesn't mean that you have thoroughly studied each and every page in the Catechism and agree with every last semicolon--not at infant baptism and not, usually, at Confirmation (I was confirmed at 11...) But Catholicism is part of my identity.

And part of being a "liberal" Christian of any denomination means looking at religion more as mentoring than as indoctrination. I don't know if any of us would ever find a perfect match in religion--because there are 6.1 billion of us, all different, and only 100 or so religions, probably less.

 

[Protinus]

And part of being a "liberal" Christian of any denomination means looking at religion more as mentoring than as indoctrination. I don't know if any of us would ever find a perfect match in religion--because there are 6.1 billion of us, all different, and only 100 or so religions, probably less.

I am so glad you are here!!

 

[Rebekka]

question for quantacura:

are you a Catholic from birth? i ask bc i know some of us who struggle with some aspects of teh Church are converts and i wonder if part of the problem in why you can't understand why we don't just leave is bc you don't understand how very hard it has been for us to shed our previous denominations.

We're all different and have different perspectives - my thoughts were the exact opposite. As a cradle catholic I can't understand why I would leave the church because I disagree with only one doctrine - the church is much bigger than that one thing, and dogmas are more important than doctrines anyway. So to me the suggestion of leaving doesn't make sense - I assumed that it would be something that converts would understand more easily, as they have left their old denomination already.

Guess I was wrong - thanks to your post I see that now.


I agree Fantine, "I don't know if any of us would ever find a perfect match in religion--because there are 6.1 billion of us, all different, and only 100 or so religions, probably less." We have free will. We should use it. I think that most people disagree with one or more things in their denomination. The catholic church stresses freedom and promotes freedom. I think there is room for following your own conscience in the catholic church.

 

[kimber1]

We're all different and have different perspectives - my thoughts were the exact opposite. As a cradle catholic I can't understand why I would leave the church because I disagree with only one doctrine - the church is much bigger than that one thing, and dogmas are more important than doctrines anyway. So to me the suggestion of leaving doesn't make sense - I assumed that it would be something that converts would understand more easily, as they have left their old denomination already.

Guess I was wrong - thanks to your post I see that now.


I agree Fantine, "I don't know if any of us would ever find a perfect match in religion--because there are 6.1 billion of us, all different, and only 100 or so religions, probably less." We have free will. We should use it. I think that most people disagree with one or more things in their denomination. The catholic church stresses freedom and promotes freedom. I think there is room for following your own conscience in the catholic church.

well see for me, i used to be Baptist. so it's been really hard fro me to shed some of that thinking that i've had ingrained in me all my life.

i went thru so much to convert, been shunned by my former church going family (meaning those i went to church with, not my actual family) and i felt that the Catholic Church embraced me warts and all.

but at the same time, now that the 'newness' i guess has worn off and how caught up in the whole thing i was, and i've begun to search and study more, i'm left with all these why questions that i can't get answered. and merely questioning is seen by some as dissent which personally i think is a load of whooie and i can't stomach that.

i think back to what i was taught as a Baptist and i'm like, see that made so much sense. why is it so hard now? and i wonder if i'm still holding onto alot of my Baptist roots for whatever reason i can't figure out.

 

[Rebekka]

well see for me, i used to be Baptist. so it's been really hard fro me to shed some of that thinking that i've had ingrained in me all my life.

i went thru so much to convert, been shunned by my former church going family (meaning those i went to church with, not my actual family) and i felt that the Catholic Church embraced me warts and all.

but at the same time, now that the 'newness' i guess has worn off and how caught up in the whole thing i was, and i've begun to search and study more, i'm left with all these why questions that i can't get answered. and merely questioning is seen by some as dissent which personally i think is a load of whooie and i can't stomach that.

i think back to what i was taught as a Baptist and i'm like, see that made so much sense. why is it so hard now? and i wonder if i'm still holding onto alot of my Baptist roots for whatever reason i can't figure out.

Questioning =/= dissent.