Please Convince Me

[Maggyie]

Thanks! I'm always a fan of Bouguereau:)

I just wanted to let you know I share your fandom :) his paintings of the virgin are amazing!!!

[superblue]

Hello,

I'm pretty new to this website (let me know if I'm in the wrong section or on the wrong website for this), but I've decided that I should bring this topic to others more knowledgeable than me.

 

I was raised non-religiously- I've not been baptized. One visit to church with relatives as a child and a bat mitzvah have been the extent of my formal religious experience. Yet ever since I learned about religion I've decided that's what I want. I want to believe in God, I really do. Recently I've been very attracted to the beauty of the Church, and I'm pretty sure that if I can become religious, I'll become a Catholic. I love the idea of the rosary, of Mary, of the Mass. But it's not so simple as professing faith, because I have not been able to make myself believe in God.

 

I don't want to push my concerns away to make it easy. If I'm going to convert, I want to do it right. I don't want some kind of half-hearted experience that may not even last.

 

I have lots of issues that I need to resolve, for example- the Virgin Birth and Eucharist. I can't see myself legitimately accepting that because I've been so grounded in science growing up, and I don't believe in miracles. But then I suppose it all comes down to belief in God.

 

So please, try to convince me. I'm willing to think and work hard. Hey, I'll even try praying, although you'll have to tell me how to do so:)

 

Thanks.

you are deff on the right path Lux, if you were not asking questions then in my opinion there wouldn't be any faith to begin working on .

 

Praying over all is merely a conversation communicating as you are doing here, except doing so silently to Christ, the Holy Spirit , God, Mary, Joseph, and the many saints and angels in heaven that we turn to for help who in turn direct that request back to God on our behalf. ( least that is what I have known prayer to be ) .   So basically if you know how to talk to a person, you now know how to being praying to God / Christ.    How to pray with reverence and sincerity isn't that hard to learn to do and the formal prayers Catholics know are basically memorization , but the important thing is not just Memorize a prayer, but to understand the fundamental meaning of those prayers, our creeds, the our father, the hail mary, etc.

 

Eventually you will need to find a parish you are comfortable with, and talk to an RCIA director, or the parish priest/ deacon.

 

as for science and faith, they rarely go hand in hand, and as for your concerns towards the virgin birth, and the Eucharist , the best theologians and scholars have tackled this time and again, and the most cradle Catholics are still grappling with this, we may understand parts of this and accept in faith what we are told, but if  us " Catholics " really understood both of these, in my opinion we would be crushed under the weight of such knowledge.

 

I am still trying to figure out how Mary didn't take off running in fear when an angel appeared to her, me if an angel were to visit me with some message, first im going to wonder if I was dreaming, then after that im getting my head examined, and then after that I am probably going to a doctor and asking for meds because I think I am hallucinating .

 

lastly, there is no making yourself believe in God, it is a relationship that has already begun , it is up to you to understand what your personal relationship with Christ / God actually is. You basically have to work 10 x harder to not believe in God than you do to in building a relationship with Him and begin trying to understand what your relationship with Him is and why.

[MarysLittleFlower]

Hello,

I'm pretty new to this website (let me know if I'm in the wrong section or on the wrong website for this), but I've decided that I should bring this topic to others more knowledgeable than me.

 

I was raised non-religiously- I've not been baptized. One visit to church with relatives as a child and a bat mitzvah have been the extent of my formal religious experience. Yet ever since I learned about religion I've decided that's what I want. I want to believe in God, I really do. Recently I've been very attracted to the beauty of the Church, and I'm pretty sure that if I can become religious, I'll become a Catholic. I love the idea of the rosary, of Mary, of the Mass. But it's not so simple as professing faith, because I have not been able to make myself believe in God.

 

I don't want to push my concerns away to make it easy. If I'm going to convert, I want to do it right. I don't want some kind of half-hearted experience that may not even last.

 

I have lots of issues that I need to resolve, for example- the Virgin Birth and Eucharist. I can't see myself legitimately accepting that because I've been so grounded in science growing up, and I don't believe in miracles. But then I suppose it all comes down to belief in God.

 

So please, try to convince me. I'm willing to think and work hard. Hey, I'll even try praying, although you'll have to tell me how to do so:)

 

Thanks.

 

Hi Lux :)

 

I'm a convert.. I used to be doubtful about the existence of God. I also studied science - but that's not why I was doubtful. (I don't think science contradicts faith, neither does the Church teach this :) but science has to do with laws of nature, it doesn't comment on whether these laws could be lifted in particular situations - ie miracles. That is simply not the domain of science to even comment on). I don't have any doubts now about God or miracles - yes if we believe in God, and believe He could do anything, believing in miracles gets easier :)

 

However, I don't think I - or anyone here - would be able to 'convince' you.. faith comes from God. We can try to answer questions and pray for you and try to help, but in the end, faith is given by God Himself, though He can and does often work through people :) maybe He will use something here, if that's His Will.

 

Here's just a little thing I would recommend :) have you ever tried to pray? I would recommend saying a little prayer to God every day. Even if you feel like you're not talking to anyone, even if you don't feel Him there, even if you're still doubtful - regardless of how you feel, just ask Him for faith, every day, and tell Him anything you would if He's real. Ask Him for the gift of faith and openness to it. You can ask Mother Mary to obtain this too. I do believe that over time, when you're ready, this prayer would be answered :) God is always willing to give us His grace, but we need to open ourselves to it, and sometimes we feel unable to, but He can help us with that :)

 

You might be interested in a blog called "conversion diary" which is by a Catholic lady who used to be an atheist. In it, she describes how she found her faith and gives advice to others about this. The fact that you want to believe, is actually already a grace from God and an invitation :) whenever we want God, He is already there. It just takes time to grow into it and for this, we often need to do something, like try to be open and try to pray - don't expect something right away, because God never forces faith on us, it needs to be a choice to be genuine, and He will prepare you until you are ready :) when it happens, you'll know.  Trust me if you're searching for God, He is searching MUCH MORE for you too to know Him. :)

 

God bless you! :)

[MarysLittleFlower]

I haven't read the Gospels at all- I guess I've kind of been stalling in that area. To be honest, I'm not sure how to start. Do I go from the Old Testament and progress in order? It's a bit overwhelming.

 

I'll have to look for that book you mentioned.

I haven't prayed much at all. I tried just "talking" for God but it wasn't structured enough and I felt uncomfortable. Recently I've been saying the Hail Mary prayer (because it's the only one I know). But generally prayer isn't a part of my daily life because I'm not sure what to do.

 

I would start with the Gospels in the New Testament :) (like Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John).

 

I see what you mean about unstructured prayer feeling uncomfortable at first. In that case, you can either say something more structured (like the Rosary), and you can also just learn more about prayer :) prayer is very simple... I mean, God already knows your heart, but He likes us to speak to Him because He wants us to be close to Him. You can talk to Him as with a friend, but of course He is also God. The more trust you pray with (this comes with time, don't worry) - the more you open yourself up to God :) He is a personal God, not impersonal... He is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So you can talk to Him simply, and learn some prayers like the Our Father and the Rosary. It's okay to even say "God, I don't know how to speak to you right now or what I'm doing, please teach me.."

 

God bless you :)

[Lux]

Thank you everyone for your kind responses! They've been very helpful to me, and I'd love to hear any other thoughts or suggestions you have.

 

I'm planning to start praying the rosary soon, and I've started reading the Gospels (Matthew). However, I'm having a lot of trouble understanding and processing it, maybe because of the translation. I'm reading from a copy of the King James Version. Is there a slightly more readable version you might recommend?

 

Today, though, I went to Mass! I was really nervous about it because I've heard that daily Masses generally attract fewer people and I didn't want to stand out. But it was a really good experience. I wasn't able to follow along very well because it was my first Mass. I saw someone was holding some sort of book- I didn't see it closely- and I was wondering, is there some sort of guide to the Mass that people can follow?

[Nihil Obstat]

Thank you everyone for your kind responses! They've been very helpful to me, and I'd love to hear any other thoughts or suggestions you have.

I'm planning to start praying the rosary soon, and I've started reading the Gospels (Matthew). However, I'm having a lot of trouble understanding and processing it, maybe because of the translation. I'm reading from a copy of the King James Version. Is there a slightly more readable version you might recommend?

Today, though, I went to Mass! I was really nervous about it because I've heard that daily Masses generally attract fewer people and I didn't want to stand out. But it was a really good experience. I wasn't able to follow along very well because it was my first Mass. I saw someone was holding some sort of book- I didn't see it closely- and I was wondering, is there some sort of guide to the Mass that people can follow?

Try the Knox translation. Still a more elevated style, but more English than the Douay Rheims. Edited August 11, 2014 by Nihil Obstat

[fides' Jack]

The Jerusalem Bible might also be a good version to try.

 

Praying for you!

[LouisvilleFan]

I have lots of issues that I need to resolve, for example- the Virgin Birth and Eucharist. I can't see myself legitimately accepting that because I've been so grounded in science growing up, and I don't believe in miracles. But then I suppose it all comes down to belief in God.

 

C.S. Lewis wrote a relatively short and readable book titled "Miracles" about how science is a necessary foundation to recognizing miracles. I think you would enjoy reading it.

 

On Bible translations, you can always find Bibles at used bookstores or Half Price Books, where they are cheap and usually not packaged, so you can get a taste of what they're like to read before buying. I would look for a Bible that provides an introduction to each book, footnotes, maps, or other study guides. It'll help a lot in gaining historical context for what you're reading.

 

Phatmass has a solid collection of arguments for just about any dogma or belief you might be curious about. Look under News & Resrouces - Defense Directory. As you said, much of it comes naturally as you accept the premise that there is a God who created the universe and loves each person uniquely. Looking back on my own journey, it wasn't so much a matter of coming to be convinced of each matter of doctrine, but more by coming to see the big picture that helped bring the details into focus.

 

Is your background or education in science?