Faith

[Paddington]

So...is faith like when you believe that there is a car crash after you heard it on the radio? (Can't help believing that one.)

Or is it like believing somebody's side of a dispute and they want your help? (Have to choose to believe them in this scenario.)

Anywho.....I've heard it described both ways. Any insight or tangent is appreciated.

Thanks,
Paddington

Edited March 25, 2008 by Paddington

[aalpha1989]

[quote name='Paddington' post='1483927' date='Mar 25 2008, 04:52 PM']So...is faith like when you believe that there is a car crash after you heard it on the radio? (Can't help believing that one.)

Or is it like believing somebody's side of a dispute and they want your help? (Have to choose to believe them in this scenario.)

Anywho.....I've heard it described both ways. Any insight or tangent is appreciated.

Thanks,
Paddington[/quote]


Dunno. Honestly I'm having issues right now.

Which way are you leaning, Paddington?

[Paddington]

[quote name='aalpha1989' post='1483930' date='Mar 25 2008, 07:25 PM']Dunno. Honestly I'm having issues right now.

Which way are you leaning, Paddington?[/quote]

Dunno. Honestly I'm having issues right now. (you said it so well)

I wonder if I'm supposed to just choose to believe. Then I would have to choose to block out lots of thoughts and call them temptations. Also I would have to not use that method on other parts of life.

[aalpha1989]

[quote name='Paddington' post='1483931' date='Mar 25 2008, 04:58 PM']Dunno. Honestly I'm having issues right now. (you said it so well)

I wonder if I'm supposed to just choose to believe. Then I would have to choose to block out lots of thoughts and call them temptations. Also I would have to not use that method on other parts of life.[/quote]


That was kinda vague, but I think I understand what you mean.

For me it's a bit different; It's like my emotions are all telling me "Don't believe, don't believe!" while my head knows that the rest of me is just playing games. It's like head knows what is True (insofar as it knows to follow the Catholic Church), but the rest of me doesn't like it.

That sounds so weird and bad... I haven't left the Church or anything, I'm just struggling.

Basically I feel like I'm at a point right now where I do have to decide. One way I feel like I'm lying to myself (the decision just not to care about religion as much as I have in the past... the decision basically to be lukewarm) and the other way I feel like I'm forcing myself to change and I don't like it.

I think that my dilema comes from scrupulosity... I've always been extremely scrupulous and hard on myself, and I have found that when I don't beat myself up I am a lot happier. Problem is, it's hard for me to view faith without beating myself up for not being perfect.

I guess my issues are kinda weird (no idea if they're unique or not)... Basically I know what I should believe, but I don't know if I really want to believe it.
I know the decision sounds obvious when so stated... logically I should just chose to believe. Like I said, I'm having issues. I know what'll win out in the end, too... Maybe I'll find a way to go back to that "devout Catholic" way of living without being so hard on myself. *shrugs*.

[Guest]

Im pretty sure he's real. I prayed for signs and got them.
I live on carpenter road (Jesus was a carpenter)
the road right beside me is meekus (meek inherit the earth)
when i drive to work i take carpenter to meekus to st route 66 to st route six
at that stop sign where six and 66 meet their lined up beside each other and read 666 (the antichrist number)
umm what else i decided to up and leave and follow God. I went to branson missourie and was at jim bakers restraunt and figured that wasnt where God wanted me.
So then i went out to phoenix and eventually was out of money walking around all day and finally found the catholic church. When i went in these 2 old people behind me asked me for money and I gave them some change i had left and then they told me " their only bringing you into this church to kill you" kinda spooky to say the least.
It happened to be ash wensday and I got ashes.
plus i saw weird lights and some other stuff.
so ya im pretty sure God's real, he let all this happen when i was at a place of zero faith in Christ or the ressurection.
now im at a place of 100 % faith in him and the ressurection and i've also been blessed big time.
now its up to me to stay out of mortal sin and recieve communion so i can make it to heaven.
the devil doesnt like the idea to much and has been giveing me a hard time.
so i think its wrong of me to say God will give you signs because we shouldnt expect signs to have faith.
but he did me so if you pray for them he may give them to you to increase you're faith.
Godbless

Edited March 26, 2008 by Guest

[Legend Chaser]

I think there must be an honest, willing search for the truth, and a prayer that God will reveal it, and He shall show you. I suppose praying presupposes faith though. Hm.

With most people it tends to come all at once, I've noticed. You hit a point where you're just "That's it, that has to be it." Perhaps a great deal of study and time and thought led to it, but there is that point of faith where it becomes a baptism of desire. So, perhaps faith is a gift, but you must seek it, unknowingly or otherwise.

[AccountDeleted]

Doubting your faith is as old as time and even saintly people have done it. Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a crisis of faith for the last 40 years of her life, but she continued to do her good works and act as if she did have faith. Now that's faith!

The devil often tempts us to doubt and Dom Chapman said that one solution is to pray to the God that you don't (at that moment) believe in, for help.

Scrupulosity is another trick of the devil's because if you find you can't live up to your own impossible ideals, then you think you might as well give up all faith entirely. How about just trying to believe in one thing at a time - like asking yourself if you believe that Jesus was actually alive at one point in history? If you believe that, then ask yourself if you think he really did any of the miracles that the gospels say he did. What about the resurrection? If you think that might be true, then how about his statement to Peter that he would be the rock on which he would build his church? And if he said that - is there any reason to believe that maybe the successor to Peter might actually be guiding the church today?

I think sometimes it just helps to break everything down and try to find those things that you DO believe in. In the past, when I have started to doubt even God's existence, I find my way back by starting with all the things that I do believe in, and see where that leads me. Pretty soon I realize that there may be a lot of things that I can't comprehend totally with my mind, but deep in my heart I have a conviction that there is a God of love and compassion who really does care what happens to me.

Usually I then start to think about Jesus' life and what he was trying to accomplish, and how he went about doing it. Is this someone I can admire and respect? Is this someone I can love? Is this someone I can believe?

His acts of love and compassion were so unconditional that it seems obvious that He had to be divine as well as human. After that, the rest of the story kind of falls into place, and the resurrection makes perfect sense. And there we have our happy ending! No wonder the devil doesn't want us to believe in Jesus or his church!

Anyway, to go back to Mother Teresa - someone once asked her how she could support the church with all its failings and she said that as a human institution, the church was bound to be flawed, but that we needed to see beyond this to the church as the mystical body of Christ. There is always a human realm and a spiritual realm.

And while you are struggling, continue to receive the Sacraments and they will be like a lifeline for you. The Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist are two of the most powerful weapons that God has against the forces of darkness - take advantage of them! And one of the weapons that we have been given is prayer.... lots and lots and lots of prayer, especially if you can do it in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

I will be praying for all those who are going through doubts right now -- as a convert to Catholicism, I understand this battle all too well.

Edited March 26, 2008 by nunsense

[thessalonian]

The doctrines regarding faith, free will, pre-destination are considered mysteries. We choose but it is by God's grace that we choose. We come to know but it is his grace that sense the knowledge. It is by his grace that we have the mental faculties to learn and know and it is the holy spirit moving us by grace.

[CatherineM]

Faith and where it comes from is a hard thing to explain, but I will say when I thought I was going to die, I had no doubts.

[Slappo]

[quote name='Paddington' post='1483927' date='Mar 25 2008, 01:52 PM']So...is faith like when you believe that there is a car crash after you heard it on the radio? (Can't help believing that one.)

Or is it like believing somebody's side of a dispute and they want your help? (Have to choose to believe them in this scenario.)

Anywho.....I've heard it described both ways. Any insight or tangent is appreciated.

Thanks,
Paddington[/quote]

I have not read through all of these but here are some Catholic resources on faith.

[url="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm"]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm[/url]

[url="http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3002.htm"]http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3002.htm[/url] - St. Thomas on "The act of faith"


I'd read and break them down for you but it is late and St. Thomas does a better job then me anyhow .

God love you,
Marcus