Posted: 1/29/2010 4:17:05 PM EDT
|
I have a few questions and would like a bit of guidance. My girlfriend and I have been together for about 4 months, but have been best friends for two years (neither of us thought the other was interested so we just kept it as friends and everything was good). Anyways, we got together and we started discussing religion, something that is extremely important to her and to me as well. She asked if I was religious and I said "I'm a non-practicing Catholic". What I meant by that statement was that I believe in God and always have, I just don't go to church as often as I should. This created a bit of a rift in our relationship because I think she thought I meant that I was raised Catholic but do not believe. Now here's the part that gets difficult for me: I believe in God but I believe that we need to act for ourselves and he will guide us and help us accomplish our goals. She seems to believe that God will handle everything and show us where we belong. I agree to a point, however, I don't agree with inaction. She wants us to connect spiritually and I do as well, and am working on becoming a better man under God, not for her but for me. I guess what I need is a bit of guidance. Anybody care to weigh in? BTW, I already see myself as a better man under God than in the past. I have resumed attending church and, for the first time in my life, I am reading the Bible. |
It seems you are already headed in the right direction. There are many Catholics here who will be along shortly to provide helpful links to aid in your pursuit of spiritual growth. Welcome to the Arfcom Religious forum! There are many good folks here who are eager to help you in your search for answers. 
|
|
Quoted: It seems you are already headed in the right direction. There are many Catholics here who will be along shortly to provide helpful links to aid in your pursuit of spiritual growth. Welcome to the Arfcom Religious forum! There are many good folks here who are eager to help you in your search for answers. My problem isn't that I want to believe, because I already do. I want to believe MORE. I don't necessarily need input from just Catholics, anybody will do. She isn't Catholic so I don't know if that's where the issue is arising from. |
|
Quoted: Have you not since cleared up what you meant by "non-practicing" with her? Are you essentially in a faith vs. works (or some similar type of inner debate) stand-still? More detailed/specific info may be helpful in replying. Quoted: It seems you are already headed in the right direction. There are many Catholics here who will be along shortly to provide helpful links to aid in your pursuit of spiritual growth. Welcome to the Arfcom Religious forum! There are many good folks here who are eager to help you in your search for answers. My problem isn't that I want to believe, because I already do. I want to believe MORE. I don't necessarily need input from just Catholics, anybody will do. She isn't Catholic so I don't know if that's where the issue is arising from. |
|
Quoted:
BTW, I already see myself as a better man under God than in the past. I have resumed attending church and, for the first time in my life, I am reading the Bible. You are on the right track. First, the biggest single suggestion I could make is just to read the Bible and pray, a lot. Don't just read what you feel is relevant, but read it all. Both you and your girlfriend make good points and really they aren't that much in conflict with each other. As far as your question, well a few points from the Bible: Psalm 139:16 16Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! Another fairly relevant passage is that of King Nebuchadnezzar, who was greatly humbled and humiliated until he knew that God was in control, sovereign and that everything he had was because of God's will. Excerpt from Daniel 4: "O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will." 2 Thessalonians 3 6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. So what to take out of these passages: 1. God has a plan already set out for our lives. 2. We should pray for God to teach us His will. (as David did) 3. God's will, WILL be done. God is in supreme sovereign control of everything. Everything we have, God has either allowed us to have or given us. 4. We are not called to be idle and wait around but be imitators of the example set before us in the Bible. Basically, pray, read the Bible, and walk in the Word. Trust that God will provide for your needs as it is written in Matthew 6. |
|
Quoted:
I have cleared up the "non-practicing" comment. I suppose my issue is that I don't know how to have a personal relationship with God. The way, and in fact the only way, to have a relationship with God is through the Lord Jesus Christ: Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 1Ti 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Cor 15:1* ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. If you will turn to God, and believe that Jesus died for you.... to pay for your sins, and that he was buried and rose again from the dead.... if you will simply call on his name you will be forgiven for all your sin, and become God's son. Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: |
|
Quoted: Repent and be saved!Quoted: I have cleared up the "non-practicing" comment. I suppose my issue is that I don't know how to have a personal relationship with God. The way, and in fact the only way, to have a relationship with God is through the Lord Jesus Christ: Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 1Ti 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Cor 15:1* ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. If you will turn to God, and believe that Jesus died for you.... to pay for your sins, and that he was buried and rose again from the dead.... if you will simply call on his name you will be forgiven for all your sin, and become God's son. Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: These helped me understand on an intellectual level what was required to take place on a spiritual level. http://www.cfdevotionals.org/studies/docrepent.pdf http://www.cfdevotionals.org/studies/docsalva.pdf |
|
Quoted: Thanks for the links, ARLady. Saved for printing and further study. I also find it difficult to be "a man of reason," trying to intellectualize what spiritually "feels right." Faith gives the understanding access to these things, unbelief closes the door upon them. . . A right faith is the beginning of a good life, and to this also eternal life is due. Now it is faith to believe that which you do not yet see; and the reward of this faith is to see that which you believe.–– Augustine of Hippo Hebrews 11:1-2, 6 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. . . . And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. For both Augustine and Pascal, final existential certainty is rooted not in the "cogito" of pure reason but in the "credo" of the biblical message. The radical remedy for skepticism is the biblical faith guaranteed by the church. . . . for him (Augustine) what is decisive is crede, ut intellegas, "believe in order to know" . . . For both Augustine and Pascal, it is never a question of an irrational but always rationally justifiable faith; not rationalism, but rationality;not blind, but reasonable, submission. . . . Faith is necessary not only in regard to questions of Christian revelation but also in regard to questions of everyday life . . .as faith has to do with reason, so reason has to do with faith. - - Catholic theologian Hans Kung Christ was revealed as the the divine logos -("logic" is derived from this word). John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (as quoted by another poster above), yet this shows Jesus is the ground of all being as the self-existent one. Christ is the truly transcendent source of knowledge and he alone can bring completeness to our reasoning, thus illuminating our minds and providing completeness. By accepting Christ's truth through faith, we can have a logically consistent worldview. The record is clear that the modern philosophical tradition has not been able to provide an intellectual approach to reality that is adequate to the vastness, the diversity, and the complexity of reality, to say nothing of the ultimate meaning. Nor does the current existentialist posture in itself offer a permanent solution. - Albert Wells |
|
Laughingststosk:
These two particularly caught my eye: Faith is necessary not only in regard to questions of Christian revelation but also in regard to questions of everyday life . . .as faith has to do with reason, so reason has to do with faith. - - Catholic theologian Hans Kung
The record is clear that the modern philosophical tradition has not been able to provide an intellectual approach to reality that is adequate to the vastness, the diversity, and the complexity of reality, to say nothing of the ultimate meaning. Nor does the current existentialist posture in itself offer a permanent solution. - Albert Wells The quote of Albert Wells reminds me of a botany class I took. To view the perfect symmetry of dissected plants under a stereo microscope is as awe-inspiring as pictures from the Hubble telescope, although their scales are diametrically opposed. |
|
Quoted:
I have cleared up the "non-practicing" comment. I suppose my issue is that I don't know how to have a personal relationship with God. Full disclosure: I am a practicing Catholic, so my comments will be directed towards fulfilling your personal relationship with God in that context. I am a Catholic revert, so I have been in you shoes. I was raised Catholic, but stopped going to Church when I was 18 because I too did not have a personal relationship with God, but knew how to "go through the motions". I came back to the Church four years ago after 15 years away. I now know how to have a very intimate relationship with Him. Many here will tell you that is not possible in the Catholic Church, but myself and many other Catholics will tell that it most certainly is. Here is my advice: don't give up on the Catholic Church. We believe that we are the Church founded by Christ Himself and that we possess the fullness of the Truth. (I don't mean to offend my non-Catholic brothers with that statement, but it is what we hold to be true.) Educate yourself about the faith if you aren't already. Do you understand what the Mass is? Do you understand the Real Presence in the Eucharist? Do you understand the Sacraments and the grace imparted by them? If not, learn about these things and the scriptural basis behind them. A good place to start is Catholic Answers. There is extensive library and a huge forum there. You will also find a lot of great stuff at Litteral's Christian Library which is run but an AFRCOM member (with some help from me). Read the Catechism. Start going to Mass. Make a prayerful examination of conscience and go to confession first, of course, so that you can fully participate in the Holy Eucharist. Use the silent times at Mass to thank God and to ask for the gift of faith. Spend some time in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament, either during Adoration or in front of the Tabernacle. Finally, read scripture every day, and ask the Holy Spirit what He wants to tell you. And, of course, pray. I hope this helps. If you have any further questions about the Catholic faith (not sure how well catechized you are) feel free to ask here, or send me a PM. May God bless you abundantly on your faith journey. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have cleared up the "non-practicing" comment. I suppose my issue is that I don't know how to have a personal relationship with God. Start going to Mass. Good advice. Go to church. I am strengthened by my "brothers" and "sisters" in the Gospel of Christ at church. |
|
Just learning this stuff is not enough, living it is the hard part. At least it is for me. Turning loose of your life and trusting God is hard and it can also be scary.
All I can say is keep your eyes on Jesus and don't let the storms of this world distract you. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- Mat 14:28- "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." Mat 14:29- "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Mat 14:30- But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Mat 14:31- Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Mat 14:32- And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Mat 14:33- Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." |
|
Quoted: I have cleared up the "non-practicing" comment. I suppose my issue is that I don't know how to have a personal relationship with God. I VERY VERY HIGHLY recommend reading "The Ectstacy of Loving God" by John Crowder. If you want a relationship with God this will jump start you so fast you'll feel like you've got a spiritual high. I'm a living testament of that, right here, as well as my best friend, and her husband who she has been praying for for YEARS. While I will not ever even elude to the fact that any book could be greater than the Bible in getting closer to God, this book kind of helps you to read it with different eyes. It's really awesome. Sometimes with books like these I find myself depending on them instead of the Bible, but this book has just made me more hungry to read God's word and to be in prayer and to share him with the people around me. It's VERY challening, but if you check it with scriptures it's right on. A lot of truths that have been covered up by the relgious spirit (which is synonymous with the anti-christ spirit) that is running rampant in so many denominations and churches today. I think you and your girlfriend would both enjoy this book a ton. |
|
Quoted: Quoted: It seems you are already headed in the right direction. There are many Catholics here who will be along shortly to provide helpful links to aid in your pursuit of spiritual growth. Welcome to the Arfcom Religious forum! There are many good folks here who are eager to help you in your search for answers. My problem isn't that I want to believe, because I already do. I want to believe MORE. I don't necessarily need input from just Catholics, anybody will do. She isn't Catholic so I don't know if that's where the issue is arising from. You are what you eat! We can easily lose sight of our original goal by wading through the minutia of diverse solicitations of the well meaning. Christ made it simple, plain and clear through His ministry on earth. The problem of mankind is a heart condition. The capacity for evil resides in all of us. Christ pointed out the necessity for the individual, and the broader culture to recognize and acknowledge the need for the human heart to be transformed and find a higher moral law to which it can bow its knee. There is beauty in the simplicity of transcendent truth. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, he was speaking to you and to me. Many mock the concept of spiritual 'rebirth' or being 'born again', yet it is a necessary component of the transformation that must take place in the followers of Christ. In essence dying to the selfish self (in a spiritual sense), enables us to open our hearts, eyes, and ears to the truth which sets us free. For me it was not simply a momentary event where I said a particular prayer and felt some warmth, or physically sensed some instantaneous transformation right after I had followed a script. Some people have had that kind of experience, but mine was more of a process that took time, more like an actual pregnancy with a gestational period that was lengthy. I am certain it is possible to believe and simultaneously be hamstrung with skepticism and doubt that seem to seek to erode the foundations of the belief. That can be a torturous path. I've chased after peeling the onion which left me stinky, empty-handed, and with tears. John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Christ spoke to the problems that humanity faces. His message illustrates that by our own education and by our own ability we will only find yet more sophisticated ways or methods of being self-centered, and we will in doing so seek to control each other with evil. Jesus is the Word, Jesus is the Bread of Life, and we must feed our spirits by taking the Word, the Holy Scriptures into our hearts where it is like nourishment, and medicine. Reading and studying the scriptures, reflecting on them with prayer, that is cement or mortar that holds the bricks of our faith, our belief, together. I have a dear friend whose grandmother has Alzheimer's and it has robbed her of remembering any of her loved ones. She doesn't recognize anyone. Yet she sings Hymns throughout the day. She quotes scripture all day. She reaches out to everyone around her and asks them if they know Jesus, then she tells them how to know Him and how to be 'saved'. She preaches in a gentle and loving way everyday. She has lost everyone but Jesus. She has never forgotten Jesus. As sad as it is for her loved ones to be forgotten, they are inspired and touched by her witness of faith when all else is lost. Mathew 7:7-8 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door is opened." In our quest to strengthen our belief, we seek evidence to confirm what our heart is telling us already. We turn to people, to books, to sources that may further confirm what we already sense, maybe in the desire that it be manifested in a more tangible, concrete manner. I always come back to the true source, when all other sources are either exhausted, or end up leading me down a rabbit hole, and that is the Word of God. That's the part of your post I wanted to encourage you in, the most important element coupled with prayer that I was inferring was the 'right path'. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Repent and be saved!
Quoted:
I have cleared up the "non-practicing" comment. I suppose my issue is that I don't know how to have a personal relationship with God. The way, and in fact the only way, to have a relationship with God is through the Lord Jesus Christ: Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 1Ti 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Cor 15:1* ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. If you will turn to God, and believe that Jesus died for you.... to pay for your sins, and that he was buried and rose again from the dead.... if you will simply call on his name you will be forgiven for all your sin, and become God's son. Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: These helped me understand on an intellectual level what was required to take place on a spiritual level. http://www.cfdevotionals.org/studies/docrepent.pdf http://www.cfdevotionals.org/studies/docsalva.pdf This is the way. By the blood of Jesus. ARLady has it. |
|
Quoted:
I have cleared up the "non-practicing" comment. I suppose my issue is that I don't know how to have a personal relationship with God. Dialogue is key to any relationship, so if you want a relationship with God, you need to talk to him. The first step is to realize that prayer is not a spiritual exercise. It's a conversation, not a mental workout. You are actually talking to God, a real being who is really listening and responding. If you get a spiritual "rush" and feel like praising God, great. If not, great. Don't judge prayer by the feelings you get because feelings will come and go. You'll never pray if you stop when you don't feel anything happening. When you pray, ask God to help you develop a personal relationship with Him. . Then, attend Mass consistently and pray there. "Pray constantly" ––––Saint Paul. |
|
Quoted:
I have a few questions and would like a bit of guidance. My girlfriend and I have been together for about 4 months, but have been best friends for two years (neither of us thought the other was interested so we just kept it as friends and everything was good). Anyways, we got together and we started discussing religion, something that is extremely important to her and to me as well. She asked if I was religious and I said "I'm a non-practicing Catholic". What I meant by that statement was that I believe in God and always have, I just don't go to church as often as I should. This created a bit of a rift in our relationship because I think she thought I meant that I was raised Catholic but do not believe. Now here's the part that gets difficult for me: I believe in God but I believe that we need to act for ourselves and he will guide us and help us accomplish our goals. She seems to believe that God will handle everything and show us where we belong. I agree to a point, however, I don't agree with inaction. She wants us to connect spiritually and I do as well, and am working on becoming a better man under God, not for her but for me. I guess what I need is a bit of guidance. Anybody care to weigh in? BTW, I already see myself as a better man under God than in the past. I have resumed attending church and, for the first time in my life, I am reading the Bible. I think that the difficult part for any of us that are Christians is understanding just how and where we fit in not only concerning how to properly negotiate our walk with God, but also how our commitment to Him fits in and how this same commitment affects others around us. As you probably already know, your relationship with God through Jesus Christ is a personal one, first and foremost. How you should conduct yourself toward God as far as how you should view Him concerning your walk with Him, in my opinion be largely based on where you stand with Him right now. God is a kind, loving and most generous God. Any loving and concerned parent will not let his child attempt anything, especially untried before without knowing that that son or daughter is ready to take on that task. Not for His benifit in knowing because He already knows! If you are what some call a,''baby Christian,'' then follow God's lead in all things through prayer, supplication, and through a ernest and humble study of God's Word, that is the Bible. Once that this period of nursing on God's Word has been completed then God through the guidence of the Holy Spirit, can and will start to give you more responsibility and you will feel at that time that you are accomplishing more with less help from Him. However, this feeling of confidence that comes from God's knowledge and wisdom being applied to everyday life situations can make a person, and that's all of us, to become cocky and full of self-pride like it has a tendency to do on some occasions. Many of the actions that we take concerning anything,''under the sun,'' as Solomon described it are many times thought out, decided on, and then accomplished by what we humans only percieve through the senses as being the right thing to do or what we would percieve to be God's best for us. An important part of any Christians faith walk with the Lord God of Abraham should be based on how that persons actions glorify Jesus Christ. The answer to your question is this; God is responsible for you and everything about You. Jesus said,''There is nothing that I do on my own initiative, only that of which My Father in heaven has for Me to accomplish.'' Jesus also said,''Without Me, you can do nothing.'' You may feel at one point that you are doing more on your own initiative, but in my humble opinion it would be like when a father takes the training wheels off of his son's first bike and lets him try out his balance and build his skill level on that bike, first in the drive-way and then out in the street in front of the house. Ether way, that loving father never takes his eyes off of his son's progress or the direction that his son takes, always guiding him away from danger, and giving him the confidence that the son recieves from such, and the saftey and security that only a loving and concerned parent can provide. Thanks, SAE |