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I think i need religion.

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    #32
    Turtwig
    Registered Users Posts: 26,578 ✭✭✭✭Turtwig


    Dean820 wrote: »
    One of the worse things I've experienced in my life is losing my faith. I wish I had it again.

    Now you have to create a thread in A&A about this.
    It's like training for the Olympics. We have to have a coach. We have the potential, but the coach has the knowledge and just wants us to listen and take His perfect advice. We have the choice to not listen to the coach, and by doing so, not make the Olympics.

    I like that analogy.:)

    As for Atheists if hell exists.


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    #33
    lostboy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 140 ✭✭lostboy


    Thanks for the replies, I feel they are helping me understand things more, it might take me some time to think on things and as such i may not reply for a while

    thanks.


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    #34
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    lostboy wrote: »
    one thing prominent in my mind is whether she has gone on to an afterlife or shes simply gone. she believed in an afterlife but i dunno how religious she was. She was a good person

    i know by posting here i wont get any sort of definitive answer im after but in the eyes of a christian where is she gone? I find it hard to believe shes just finished and hope her soul/spirit lives on in some form.Like there has to be something, i would hate to think in 50-60 years my consciousness will simply cease to exist. I cannot fathom it,even in sleeping you have dreams which although isnt physically conscious it is still a sort of consciousness i feel.

    To be honest, none of use are able to answer that question. We simply don't know what her relationship with God was.
    lostboy wrote: »
    Where do non christians go when they die?

    It is a difficult question to address. There is some precedent for an answer though. The Old Testament deals with the Israelite's over a large time period. Their story pre-dated Jesus (there was obviously no Christianity before Jesus), but Christianity believes that people like Moses were indeed saved. I believe that God is a just God. I see no reason to believe that a person living 1000 years ago in Papua New Guinea or wherever would be condemned to hell (what I think of as eternal separation from God) because of an unfortunate mix of bad timing and geographical location.
    lostboy wrote: »
    Are different christian religions i.e catholic and protestant compatible?

    A point of clarification that might help you. There is the Christian religion (singular), there aren't Christian religions (plural). I think you are getting denomination confused with religion. A denomination is a sub-set of a religion.

    Back to your question. It depends who you ask. Largely I would say they are. While there exist points of tension between all denominations (some more serious than others), at the heart Christian denominations are about Christ. Without this I don't believe they should be considered Christian. Mormonism would be an example.
    lostboy wrote: »
    do catholics think protestant and other christians goto hell and vice versa.

    Well, I've encountered a few people who believe that there own denomination is the "only way", but I'm not sure where they get this from. It seems to me that they have to appeal to something extraneous to the fundamentals of Christianity. The relationship with Jesus - someone who we believe to be a real person - is central to Christianity, nothing else.
    lostboy wrote: »
    is there any christian religion compatible with homosexuality.

    Homosexuality isn't considered to be a sin. Homosexual acts that are considered sinful and therefore incompatible with Christianity. Still, there are some denominations like Episcopal Church in the USA (part of the Anglican tradition - protestantism in other words) that have elected openly gay people to positions of power. Bishop Gene Robinson would be an example of a gay man who is also sexually active. This has caused much tension between those who oppose and those who support such appointments.
    lostboy wrote: »
    Whats to say christianity is the right religion and when we die we may end up facing a god from a different religion.

    Well, that really is a matter for you to decide. There really is no quick answer to your question. You are going to have to investigate the claims of Christianity and see how coherent they are. I know of somebody who decided to embark on a fairly exhaustive investigation of the major religions after he had a life changing experience. After about 4 years he came to the conclusion that Christianity was the truth. Now this may not prove anything independently - you can't prove that your not a brain in a jar and reality is just a dream, for example - but we all operate in degrees of certainty. Investigate the evidence for Christianity with an open mind and you might be convinced. Equally you might not be convinced. But the only way is to find out for yourself is to begin looking.

    Your post here might be the first page in this story of searching for the truth.
    lostboy wrote: »
    Is it possible to be a good christian without subscribing to any of the current christian religions and just saying you are a christian as opposed to I am catholic or I am protestant etc.

    Yes, I would think so. I would describe myself as a non-denominational Christian. Religion is an attempt to connect with God. Invariably it is a flawed attempt. So I would be worried about people who are more concerned with displaying the label of their denomination, rather than the central reason for their denomination existing - Jesus. To me it is the equivalent of buying the t-shirt but never having been there.
    lostboy wrote: »
    what happens to an athiest when they die

    I can't say for certain, but I believe that they are eternally separated from God. It's not because they are bad people, and Christians are somehow good people. The answer is a little more complicated.
    lostboy wrote: »
    I am an occasional Cannabis user.how do christians view this and would it be considered a sin?

    It is an interesting question. One I've been meaning to ask myself. Is excess the problem? Or is it the drug itself? Alcohol it seems is demonstrably more damaging than cannabis in a number of ways. So why is one accepted and the other not?

    I used to do quite a bit of drugs back in the day. I stopped and feel better for it. That's not an answer, but perhaps it is an option to consider.
    lostboy wrote: »
    I am asking these questions as I am considering practicing my religion again but not nessesarily as a catholic as I may well fit in better to another christian religion

    Perhaps! You actually have the choice now. As has been suggested, why not try out something like an Alpha course. It wont answer all your questions, but perhaps you will be better orientated after it. Free biscuits and all:pac:

    If you are in Dublin you might want to give Trinity, St. Mark's or CORE a try. (I think each of the links will have a section that briefly outlines their central beliefs.)


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    #35
    lostboy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 140 ✭✭lostboy


    just 2 things i would like to address here

    Where i live there is a sign outside the local presbiterian church for alpha courses so i might look that up.

    When i posted here i didnt add in the cannabis question until later on when it came into my mind.

    Just regarding this, I would use recreationally every now and then but its not really a problem and i would smoke with friends. I do not drink very often though(I have my reasons, I am not an alcoholic or anything like that).
    Would your answer to this question be the same if i substituted the word cannabis for alcohol? Alcohol is ok in the bible isnt it? The reason i ask is because i would consider cigarettes and alcohol to be recreational drugs also so would they not be just as bad in the eyes of god?
    the only difference i currently see is that one is legal and the other isnt,


    again i dont want the thread to be centered on this but i thought from reading the replies i left it a bit vague about what and when i do use so i thought i would clear it up.


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    #36
    Dean820
    Registered Users Posts: 2,099 ✭✭✭Dean820


    Malty_T wrote: »
    Now you have to create a thread in A&A about this.

    lol, why is that?


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    #37
    Turtwig
    Registered Users Posts: 26,578 ✭✭✭✭Turtwig


    Dean820 wrote: »
    lol, why is that?

    You stated something that would lead to a very stimulating discussion in A&A.
    'I wish had my faith back and losing it was of the worst experiences in your life.' Go on, make one!


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    #38
    Sam Vimes
    Registered Users Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    Fanny Cradock wrote: »
    I believe that God is a just God. I see no reason to believe that a person living 1000 years ago in Papua New Guinea or wherever would be condemned to hell (what I think of as eternal separation from God) because of an unfortunate mix of bad timing and geographical location.


    And I see no reason why someone should be condemned to hell for not finding one of thousands of old stories any more convincing than any other since not finding something convincing is not a choice, you're either convinced or you're not and if you're not all you can do is lie to yourself and others, including god and pretend you are

    But thems the breaks


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    #39
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    Maybe those who experienced a distorted version of the Message will be judged differently. I've no idea what God will do! I also have no idea why you feel so certain that a being you don't believe is compelled to act in a certain way.

    Furthermore, I think you are talking rubbish when you state that conviction is without choice. Really, pull the other one! A not inconsiderable amount of energy from some atheists is given over to informing Christians that they have consciously or sub-consciously deluded themselves into a worldview that ignores the apparent overwhelming probability that God doesn't exist.

    I'm not in the mood for a 5-page special. You are an atheist, you think it's all a load of rubbish and you want to point that out. I get it! Please take it to another thread if you want to discuss this further.


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    #40
    lostboy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 140 ✭✭lostboy


    I have another question, someone wanting to be dead but not able to kill themselfs (a deathwish) if they get killed knowingly putting themself into harms way would it be viewed as a sin akin to suicide or somthing else? ( a classic example would be Martin Riggs from lethal weapon.)

    another way i was looking also, I ride motorbikes,I ride them hard,I know i should slow down but i love the thrill i get from riding them the way I do. Its not nessesarily dangerous as i do take proper precautions and obey the rules of the road. but that is for another thread. SO take into account if i have a fatal accident that isnt my fault(or is for that matter) Have i committed sin for abusing my body or would the fact that it is an accident come into play?(Like i know if i was taking a corner and i purposefully didnt steer it would be different from if I lost control and crashed) to add to it I know the safety gear that i wear could be better so would it be considered unnssesary abuse if i had a spill. now when i say slow down i would take corners and that hard but usually stay within speed limits

    Taking for example if it is a sin, and i am killed at the accident or later die in a coma or such but never had a chance to beg god for forgiveness how does that work out?

    anyway i dont want to die but i was able to get a bit of a proper bike ride today(for the first time in a very long time!) and i thought if i died doing this I would have died doing somthing i loved rather than dying of natural causes or anything else.


    This has also been on my mind, I am all about accepting science and the big bang being the beginning of everything. The idea of an intelligent designer facinates me as does the thinking "what caused the big bang and what was there before it" this is somthing our science upto today has not been able to prove and getting into it would also beg the question, where did the big bang happen? Of course this allows me to think perhaps god did infact create the big bang and does exist.

    Another thing that just entered my mind,I believe in our universe that there has to be life on other planets, no matter how small or insignifigent or intelligent or not, we simply do not know because we do not know the entirety of our universe, but this thinking sort of goes against the intelligent designer theory, or maybe he designed things we do not yet know about.

    Perhaps god created this entire universe we live in,and maybe it is in a place in heaven that he decided(not heaven exactly but a place in his "realm" for want of a better word.) what was he doing before he created us as if he is an eternal being there must have been a time before this universe where he was doing "somthing" or perhaps he has created several universes and takes the same god role in each of them. What Created god?



    now obviously there is nobody anywhere who could answer the above but surely if hes eternal he must have been doing somthing before us even if we dont know what.


    ok so that was a lot of typing, i only expected myself to write the first few paragraphs but these things started entering my mind and i just put them down so they might not exactly be clear but i will edit it tomorrow if somthing looks unclear. I know it is all a bit philosophical and again might come accross as trolling but it just sort of entered my mind and i could not stop typing.

    I was happily going along as an agnostic person with no real interest in religion but the death of my friend has actually terrified me to the core that "this is it" and nothing happens when we die. Your replies have helped me understand things a bit more and that includes the athiest replies but I am feeling areas of christianity are making a lot more sense to me than they used to.Even just typing this post has helped me with my faith to some degree. That said it will take me a good bit more time before i can decided on anything one way or another but i would certainly like to extend a thanks to all those that have replied to me.


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    #41
    chozometroid
    Registered Users Posts: 626 ✭✭✭chozometroid


    lostboy wrote: »
    I have another question, someone wanting to be dead but not able to kill themselfs (a deathwish) if they get killed knowingly putting themself into harms way would it be viewed as a sin akin to suicide or somthing else? ( a classic example would be Martin Riggs from lethal weapon.)
    If someone knowingly throws themselves into harm's way for the purpose of dying, it sure is suicide. Dying while saving someone without having your own deathwish in the process is certainly not suicide.
    another way i was looking also, I ride motorbikes,I ride them hard,I know i should slow down but i love the thrill i get from riding them the way I do. Its not nessesarily dangerous as i do take proper precautions and obey the rules of the road. but that is for another thread. SO take into account if i have a fatal accident that isnt my fault(or is for that matter) Have i committed sin for abusing my body or would the fact that it is an accident come into play?(Like i know if i was taking a corner and i purposefully didnt steer it would be different from if I lost control and crashed) to add to it I know the safety gear that i wear could be better so would it be considered unnssesary abuse if i had a spill. now when i say slow down i would take corners and that hard but usually stay within speed limits

    Taking for example if it is a sin, and i am killed at the accident or later die in a coma or such but never had a chance to beg god for forgiveness how does that work out?

    anyway i dont want to die but i was able to get a bit of a proper bike ride today(for the first time in a very long time!) and i thought if i died doing this I would have died doing somthing i loved rather than dying of natural causes or anything else.
    I think God would like us to be responsible with the life He gave us. Being reckless and causing yourself harm or death is certainly not acceptable. How God judges this no one can say. I would suggest that you think about what God would like you to do with your life, and make the most of it. Staying healthy mentally and physically will allow you to be the best vessel for doing God's work and helping others.

    This has also been on my mind, I am all about accepting science and the big bang being the beginning of everything. The idea of an intelligent designer facinates me as does the thinking "what caused the big bang and what was there before it" this is somthing our science upto today has not been able to prove and getting into it would also beg the question, where did the big bang happen? Of course this allows me to think perhaps god did infact create the big bang and does exist.
    That is the thinking among many theists. In what ever way the universe was created, there seems to be a Creator Mind behind it. This is always up for debate, of course, and cannot be proven one way or the other.
    Another thing that just entered my mind,I believe in our universe that there has to be life on other planets, no matter how small or insignifigent or intelligent or not, we simply do not know because we do not know the entirety of our universe, but this thinking sort of goes against the intelligent designer theory, or maybe he designed things we do not yet know about.
    We have no way of knowing what else God is up to in this current universe. It's possible there are thousands of worlds like ours with a similar or completely different "story" going on. Perhaps on some world, man did not succumb to Satan's temptation.
    Perhaps god created this entire universe we live in,and maybe it is in a place in heaven that he decided(not heaven exactly but a place in his "realm" for want of a better word.) what was he doing before he created us as if he is an eternal being there must have been a time before this universe where he was doing "somthing" or perhaps he has created several universes and takes the same god role in each of them. What Created god?
    Maybe God was "doing" something that cannot even be comprehended by our minds. It may have been an "action" taking place in a "world" which both exist in completely different terms than we have words for. Like the difference between "hearing" a "sound" and "eating" an "apple." This could be the difference between God "creating" this "universe" and "doing something" to/with/at "something else." If He was "doing" anything and it did not involve time, then we certainly cannot comprehend it as even being an "action" that has duration. Have fun with your thoughts, but do not be consumed by things that only confuse and distract. There are only so many things we can know or comprehend in our current state.
    I was happily going along as an agnostic person with no real interest in religion but the death of my friend has actually terrified me to the core that "this is it" and nothing happens when we die. Your replies have helped me understand things a bit more and that includes the athiest replies but I am feeling areas of christianity are making a lot more sense to me than they used to.Even just typing this post has helped me with my faith to some degree. That said it will take me a good bit more time before i can decided on anything one way or another but i would certainly like to extend a thanks to all those that have replied to me.
    Glad to hear you are taking a serious look at life and your relationship with God. He's been waiting there all along for your to start spending some time with Him. Relationships require time and effort, like those with your family for instance. You know how close you are to people you see everyday and share feelings with? And how distant you are with people you only talk to once every couple months?
    Take care and you are in our prayers.


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    #42
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    lostboy wrote: »
    I have another question, someone wanting to be dead but not able to kill themselfs (a deathwish) if they get killed knowingly putting themself into harms way would it be viewed as a sin akin to suicide or somthing else? ( a classic example would be Martin Riggs from lethal weapon.)

    I would think that there is a difference between suicide (which I think is a tragedy, not a sin), endangering yourself (we all do this to one extent or another) and a wilful sacrifice (a soldier throwing himself on top of a grenade to save his comrades, for example.)
    lostboy wrote: »
    another way i was looking also, I ride motorbikes,I ride them hard,I know i should slow down but i love the thrill i get from riding them the way I do. Its not nessesarily dangerous as i do take proper precautions and obey the rules of the road. but that is for another thread. SO take into account if i have a fatal accident that isnt my fault(or is for that matter) Have i committed sin for abusing my body or would the fact that it is an accident come into play?(Like i know if i was taking a corner and i purposefully didnt steer it would be different from if I lost control and crashed) to add to it I know the safety gear that i wear could be better so would it be considered unnssesary abuse if i had a spill. now when i say slow down i would take corners and that hard but usually stay within speed limits

    Taking for example if it is a sin, and i am killed at the accident or later die in a coma or such but never had a chance to beg god for forgiveness how does that work out?

    I'm not sure it is a sin. It might just be plain old stupidity! (No offence ;))
    lostboy wrote: »
    This has also been on my mind, I am all about accepting science and the big bang being the beginning of everything. The idea of an intelligent designer facinates me as does the thinking "what caused the big bang and what was there before it" this is somthing our science upto today has not been able to prove and getting into it would also beg the question, where did the big bang happen? Of course this allows me to think perhaps god did infact create the big bang and does exist.

    Science doesn't actually prove anything; it deal in probabilities. You will find proofs only in mathematics and logic. While science has been tremendously successful in explaining the natural world, it nevertheless has limitations. For example, science isn't very useful in determining if something is moral or immoral or for telling us what happened at the very edge of creation, the thin line between when nothing became everything.
    lostboy wrote: »
    Another thing that just entered my mind,I believe in our universe that there has to be life on other planets, no matter how small or insignifigent or intelligent or not, we simply do not know because we do not know the entirety of our universe, but this thinking sort of goes against the intelligent designer theory, or maybe he designed things we do not yet know about.

    I'm not so sure there is life anywhere else. It seems that the required conditions for life are vastly improbable. Yet I don't completely discount life existing out there somewhere, and I love to imagine the possibilities that there are intelligent beings out there. However, I would that unless we find something in our own solar system the universe too vast and the distance we can stretch out too insignificant for there to be anything but a tiny chance of us ever encountering anything. There is an interesting discussion here about the possibilities of other life existing.

    Still, if there is life discovered on one of the moons of Jupiter tomorrow, I'm not sure how that would put a dent in the idea of there being a Creator. We are still left asking, "why something instead of nothing?"
    lostboy wrote: »
    Perhaps god created this entire universe we live in,and maybe it is in a place in heaven that he decided(not heaven exactly but a place in his "realm" for want of a better word.) what was he doing before he created us as if he is an eternal being there must have been a time before this universe where he was doing "somthing" or perhaps he has created several universes and takes the same god role in each of them. What Created god?

    Time, space, energy and matter all came into existence at the beginning of the universe. There was no "before" because there was no time. Does that make sense? In other words, you can't apply temporal language to God when there was no time. You would constraine God under conditions that didn't exist. Indeed, I would think that most Christians who have given this some thought would suggest that God remains outside of time even though he created it at the beginning of the universe.

    We are finite beings who are utterly subject to linear time, it is the hook upon which we hang every aspect of our lives. I'm not sure that it is within our abilities to conceive of there being no time. So in short, I have absolutely no idea what God was or is doing. :pac:
    lostboy wrote: »
    now obviously there is nobody anywhere who could answer the above but surely if hes eternal he must have been doing somthing before us even if we dont know what.

    Yes, I guess he must have been doing something. What that could be I haven't the foggiest. Still, if God can create the very fundamentals of the universe - the physical laws that we and everything else in this universe dances to - then I suppose it is infinitely far beyond our understanding. You can't explain Beethoven to a fly, after all.


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    #43
    PDN
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,686 ✭✭✭✭PDN


    Fanny Cradock wrote: »
    I'm not sure it is a sin. It might just be plain old stupidity! (No offence ;))

    Riding a bike at speed is fun and not stupid at all :) . Then again, between my skill and God's protection I'm not expecting to crash.


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    #44
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    PDN wrote: »
    Riding a bike at speed is fun and not stupid at all :) . Then again, between my skill and God's protection I'm not expecting to crash.

    I nearly had my skull crushed by the tyre of a lorry after a bit of tomfoolery on my moped. So I guess I'm a little sensitive.

    Funnily enough, I think Arton Senna was of the same opinion. He thought his skill and God would protect him. I've always been undecided if God actively protects me from physical harm or not.


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    #45
    lostboy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 140 ✭✭lostboy


    have had a spill from a moped myself(and not changed me helmet) i can say I kept at it because i genuinely love doing it, although i did get a fright and took a lot more care after it and i would say it has made me a better rider,I drove away from the crashm unscathed luckily but could easily have broken bones or worse, when i got a car it just didnt give me the same feeling and i ended up doing stupid things to try and replicate what i felt biking and ultimately i ended up putting the car into a ditch but walked away telling myself that if the ditch i hit wasnt a solid bank i would have ended up in teh field where who knows what couldve happened.

    But ya basically i love biking and how i ride the only things i would change is getting better gear but its not that simple,but i wouldnt stop it as it is one of the things that i get a great feeling from. kinda like senna though i suppose.That said i dont know what happened to you or the extent of "tomfoolery" but generally i stay safe and am always in control of the bike but perhaps this line of discussion again takes the thread off topic


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    #46
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    Well, I would say that what you do on a bike is probably of secondary importance to the overall question you raised on this thread. So in that context, I wouldn't worry about your bike too much. Better gear is definitely a good idea though!


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    #47
    Sam Vimes
    Registered Users Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    Fanny Cradock wrote: »
    Maybe those who experienced a distorted version of the Message will be judged differently. I've no idea what God will do! I also have no idea why you feel so certain that a being you don't believe is compelled to act in a certain way.

    Furthermore, I think you are talking rubbish when you state that conviction is without choice. Really, pull the other one! A not inconsiderable amount of energy from some atheists is given over to informing Christians that they have consciously or sub-consciously deluded themselves into a worldview that ignores the apparent overwhelming probability that God doesn't exist.
    I wholeheartedly disagree with the above
    Fanny Cradock wrote: »
    I'm not in the mood for a 5-page special. You are an atheist, you think it's all a load of rubbish and you want to point that out. I get it! Please take it to another thread if you want to discuss this further.
    Fair enough


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    #48
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    Sam Vimes wrote: »

    but I'm not allowed talk about it here

    You best stop your messing.

    I've already suggested that you could start another thread on this issue if you wished. You acknowledged this. Yet after you deleted your own repost a couple of days back, you now decide that the time is ripe to post snotty one-liners about how you are prevented from speaking, which is an outright distortion of what was said. This is the second verbal warning I've given you in the last month, Sam.

    I've no problem with you 3 guys discussing this further, just not in this particular thread. If you want to continue this discussion I will create another thread and cut the relevant posts into it.

    ::Edit::

    Executive decision made. New thread here.


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    #49
    lostboy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 140 ✭✭lostboy


    PDN wrote: »
    but rather to try to get to know Jesus without locking yourself into a particular sect or denomination (Alpha courses, backed by all the main churches, are a great introduction to Christian faith www.alphacourse.ie). Then you can choose a church that fits with what you feel Jesus is saying to you about how you should live and worship.

    This is a route i would definitely be interested in taking, that said, I dont really know how one would "get to know" Jesus.


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    #50
    Zombrex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    lostboy wrote: »
    This is a route i would definitely be interested in taking, that said, I dont really know how one would "get to know" Jesus.

    I've been avoiding this thread cause really I think the OP is looking for Christian advice (I'm not a Christian)

    But I think I need to comment here, from what I've seen I would be very cautious about Alpha courses.

    From documentaries I've seen about them they can come across as quite manipulative. It is debatable whether they are manipulative on purpose or simply out of habit, but still you should be cautious.

    By all means make up your own mind but likewise retain a good sense of sceptacism as to what is happening to you at each point, and be aware that certain feelings and atmosphere can be generated purely by naturalistic means. Just because you feel better and someone says that is because you have found the truth of Jesus does't mean you actually have.

    That is all I'll say on the matter, if the OP wants to know more PM me ... carry on


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    #51
    kelly1
    Registered Users Posts: 5,026 ✭✭✭kelly1


    lostboy wrote: »
    This is a route i would definitely be interested in taking, that said, I dont really know how one would "get to know" Jesus.
    You get to know Jesus through prayer and the sacraments.

    When I say prayer, I mean vocal prayer (Our Father etc) and Meditation (on the word of God). Through prayer we build a relationship with Jesus and discover our faults and failings. Jesus gives us the means to overcome our sinful ways so as to remove all barriers between us and Him.

    I know protestants/evangelical deny this, but the sacraments are vitally important in getting to know Jesus. In the Eucharist we encounter Jesus in His entirety in the Blessed Sacrament and receiving Holy Communion unites us more completely with the "Body of Christ" i.e the Church. Being more united with Christ helps us to avoid sin and increases the virtues in us. The sacrament of Reconciliation is also vitally important because through it our sins are forgiven and we again receive grace to avoid sin.

    Actually when we receive the sacraments, the entire Church benefits because we are part of the one Body.

    If you're looking for a good introduction to prayer, I'd recomment a book by Fr. Thomas Dubay called "Prayer Primer".

    http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Primer-Igniting-Fire-Within/dp/1569553394/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265721151&sr=1-1

    God bless,
    Noel.


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    #52
    lostboy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 140 ✭✭lostboy


    Well I havent posted here or read the forum in quiet a while,im still jsut as lost as i was when i posted this though, for a while i just stopped thinking about it but lately i feel as ive been stuck in a rut so it entered my thoughts again.

    one thing i know for sure is given the recent goings revelations in the catholic church and how they have been handled so far makes me sure that i dont want to be a member of it anymore,

    so it had me thinking, im sure theres others how i feel including practicing catholics, who dont want to be members of the organisation.

    so im curious, does anyone think that the catholic church may reform,perhaps reform is the wrong word but what i mean is a large number of people leaving the church and starting what could be a new denomination of catholics



    so unfortunately im as confused as ever


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    #53
    vodafoneproblem
    Closed Accounts Posts: 344 ✭✭vodafoneproblem


    lostboy wrote: »
    so im curious, does anyone think that the catholic church may reform,perhaps reform is the wrong word but what i mean is a large number of people leaving the church and starting what could be a new denomination of catholics

    I personally doubt it, lostboy. The Catholic Church is not defined by the sins of its members. It has a lot more to offer than that, and that's why people stay members despite various scandals, because they can see that. I can see more changes happening in the future, though. My own guess is that married priests will be allowed this century. They are already allowed in some limited circumstances, for example when some already-married Anglican priests converted to Catholicism. http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/MARPRIE.htm


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    #54
    Piano man
    Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭Piano man


    lostboy wrote: »
    Well I havent posted here or read the forum in quiet a while,im still jsut as lost as i was when i posted this though, for a while i just stopped thinking about it but lately i feel as ive been stuck in a rut so it entered my thoughts again.

    one thing i know for sure is given the recent goings revelations in the catholic church and how they have been handled so far makes me sure that i dont want to be a member of it anymore,

    so it had me thinking, im sure theres others how i feel including practicing catholics, who dont want to be members of the organisation.

    so im curious, does anyone think that the catholic church may reform,perhaps reform is the wrong word but what i mean is a large number of people leaving the church and starting what could be a new denomination of catholics



    so unfortunately im as confused as ever


    Hi Lostboy,

    I'm going to be completely straight with you here.
    I am a Catholic and I love my faith. So naturally my advice to you is coming from a Catholic perspective.
    The only reason anyone would leave the Catholic church is if they do not understand it's teachings. It is no secret that Satan is the enemy of the Church and it is his work that we see the fruits of in these scandals.

    I would really encourage you to learn about your Catholic faith in depth before you decide to abandon it. And with all due respect to all the users of this forum, I don't think boards.ie is the place to find the information you need. You are much better off looking up a specifically Catholic forum - there are plenty out there, the largest being www.catholic.com, where you can get authoritative answers to all your questions in your original post.

    As for trying to make it on your own outside the Church, look up Acts Chapter 8, Verses 30-31:
    When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' He replied, 'How could I, unless I have someone to guide me?' So he urged Philip to get in and sit by his side.
    The Catholic church, succeeding the apostles, has the ultimate authority to guide the faithful, and so within the Church there are no contradictions in Church teaching or law, unlike in the vast array of other Christian denominations who differ over various interpretations.

    As for getting to know God, try and pray - I understand it can seem difficult at first. Pray to God and ask Him for something to strengthen your conviction of His existence - after all He wants you to believe in and love Him, and that's the essence of the Christian faith - love.

    I really pray that God guides the choices you make.
    God bless:)


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    #55
    dermothickey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 489 ✭✭dermothickey


    lostboy wrote: »
    just 2 things i would like to address here

    Where i live there is a sign outside the local presbiterian church for alpha courses so i might look that up.

    When i posted here i didnt add in the cannabis question until later on when it came into my mind.

    Just regarding this, I would use recreationally every now and then but its not really a problem and i would smoke with friends. I do not drink very often though(I have my reasons, I am not an alcoholic or anything like that).
    Would your answer to this question be the same if i substituted the word cannabis for alcohol? Alcohol is ok in the bible isnt it? The reason i ask is because i would consider cigarettes and alcohol to be recreational drugs also so would they not be just as bad in the eyes of god?
    the only difference i currently see is that one is legal and the other isnt,


    again i dont want the thread to be centered on this but i thought from reading the replies i left it a bit vague about what and when i do use so i thought i would clear it up.

    Are majority of bibles made from Hemp/ Cannabis?


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