Conforming Your Beliefs To Church Teaching

[CrossCuT]

So? Does that mean you have special insight into my life?

I dont speak much on catholic morality. And when I do, Im speaking from a non catholic perspective so yes, it will be "incorrect". But that doesnt mean I am unaware of the Catholic position. 

[Anomaly]

Settle down, Bucky, and power up your calm reading skill. I said "appear", ie: to have an outward aspect; seem.

[dUSt]

What I am saying is that I think the world needs more humility. 

 

CrossCut, do you believe you are correct 100% of the time? I would hope not. I hope you have an understanding that you are human and prone to mistakes. Right?

 

So, if you admit to being wrong sometimes -- If you admit that you do not have all the answers -- then where do we look to find answers?

 

If you seek an answer about math you may go to Khan Academy. <--dope

If you seek an answer about literature, you may go to a library.

 

You get the point. Answers are not always found within ourselves. Humans are not given ultimate supreme wisdom at birth. We learn it. We seek it.

 

So, the difference between me and you, I suppose, is that I believe the answers to moral issues, or issues dealing with faith, lie within the Church. I base this on faith, yes, but also through the study of history, with logic, and for me, common sense.

 

I do not know where you seek the answers to moral issues. Within yourself is not acceptable to me. "Makes sense to me" seems like relativism, which is why I suggested the book. Relativism is simply illogical, because it eliminates right and wrong. Help me figure you out!

 

I posted the picture of the illusion to show that what "makes sense to me" is not always right. My eyes see two different colors. My brain processes two different colors. I could live my entire life completely content with those two blocks being two different shades of gray... but it's not the truth.

[PhuturePriest]

I posted the picture of the illusion to show that what "makes sense to me" is not always right. My eyes see two different colors. My brain processes two different colors. I could live my entire life completely content with those two blocks being two different shades of gray... but it's not the truth.

 

I saw 50.

[CrossCuT]

I do not know where you seek the answers to moral issues. Within yourself is not acceptable to me. "Makes sense to me" seems like relativism, which is why I suggested the book. Relativism is simply illogical, because it eliminates right and wrong. Help me figure you out!

You want to figure me out?

[Credo in Deum]

Help me figure you out!

[veritasluxmea]

I saw 50.

I see what you did there. 

[Poorly Catechized Convert]

I have had to do this, regardless of how hard it is. During my conversion process, I realized that the Church was established by Jesus Christ and obtained her authority from Him. Thus, obedience to Jesus required that I accepted all of the Church's doctrines. I recognized that I'd struggle with things and even want to reject them because I am human, which means I'll make mistakes and be unable to fully understand what the Church teaches and why. Still, that doesn't make anything less true and so it was my duty as a Catholic to remain obedient to Jesus.

That doesn't mean I never research such issues. The Church doesn't ask for blind obedience and we're encouraged to investigate the truth. Faith is reasonable; God doesn't ask for blind obedience. Thus, I have researched everything I struggle with and have came to the conclusion that the Church's position is the correct one. Does that mean my struggle is gone? No. I think there will always be things we struggle with, despite understanding why things are they way they are. This tendency is not a permission to pick and choose what we believe.

[Socrates]

Ah ok.

I guess Im going in the opposite direction.

 

Born and raised catholic. I could recite every rule and why we believed it. But when i got older I started asking more questions and I began to deviate because things made more sense to me. 

 

I don't mean this in an insulting way, but I haven't seen anything in your posts here to indicate that you are particularly expert regarding Catholic moral theology, or that you have particularly deep and thorough knowledge of the Faith.

 

Being able to recite answers from a children's catechism is not necessarily the same as having a deep and thorough understanding of Catholic teaching on Faith and Morals.  (Though it's often a necessary first step.)

 

As some of the greatest minds in history (including some former atheists) have devoted themselves to studying and understanding the truths of the Faith, while also accepting them as true, I sincerely doubt that your own understanding and reason is superior to theirs, or more "grown up."

 

 

My own reason and intellect take me to very different conclusions than you in most matters.  Who's right?  Ultimately, opinions are like you-know-whats; everyone's got one, and they all stink.

 

Ultimately, it comes down to Faith in Jesus Christ, and trusting the teaching authority He Himself gave His Church regarding faith and morals.

If we truly have faith in Christ and His Church, then it is extremely presumptuous for any of us to think we ourselves have a better understand of what is right and wrong.