Can anyone help to get my faith back?

Question

I used to be the most devoted Catholic, and now I believe in Reincarnation. I made a mistake of reading some material that I never should have read.
I don't miss Catholic Church and their senseless rules, but I miss my love for Christ, his selfless teachings, and the message of love. I am still full of love for anything that breathes, would save anyone and would not hurt a fly (literally), but miss Christ in my life. Do you know any Church or place in a greater Chicago Area or Northwest Indiana where I could hear some good
sermons, or similar? It does not have to be Catholic. Thank you

Answer 1

I know what it is like to be in your situation. I was away from God for a while last year, but God brought me through it. Just study your bible. I have found that it contains much more revelation then the typical sermons. I dont know of any churches in that area, but look around. I think if you are truly studying your bible,you will get back on track.

Answer 2

grows and evolves. Just because it no longer fits into the little box your childhood memories put it in, does not mean that it is gone. It means you are growing spiritually.

That is not easy in these times because most churches have crystallized their dogmas, and anyone who thinks different is 'going to hell'.

Every congregation is going to have it's strengths and weaknesses. I would recommend finding a Meteropitan Community Church if there is one you can get to. It was founded in the 60's with the particular outreach to everyone that the other churches deemed unworthy. Gays, divorced people, women who had abortions. If lightning don't strike you at the door, you are welcome to participate as much as you want.

You may want to do some reading, too. There are a lot of new books out exploring early christianity. Be careful, some of them are pretty wacky.

I recommend: Meeting Jesus for the First Time
Reading the Bible for the First Time
Both by Marcus Borg.
The God Code Gregg Braden
A World Lit Only by Fire William Manchester.

Good luck and God Bless

Answer 3

Sheba

(I had to answer you with that name, my daughter who's 5 has always said she has a sister (invisible that is) named Sheba.

Anyway, I'm sure there are many but I know of one called English Lake Church in North Judson, IN. I don't know if you want to make the trip all the time, but call them, visit once and they can direct you to some others that might be closer as well!

This isn't even my church any longer but my church is not for everyone just yet I'd imagine (almost everyone homeschools for instance).

There number is 574 896 5009.

I have to disagree, we are not supposed to neglect gathering ourselves together as well.

Faith is like being married, you don't wake up feeling super gushy lovey dovey for years. It's just not even remotely realistic. But you don't just quit, and you do what you can to fan the flames to keep it burning. :)

I also really suggest you look at some of these sights.
You love information obviously, so try these:

www.drdino.com
www.answersingenesis.org
www.icr.org
www.apologetics.org
www.carm.org
www.coralridge.org

and the book More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell

Also find some christian programming the you enjoy. If you get dish, there is programming on channels 262 and 260 (there is a Catholic channel as well). There are a lot of interesting shows, not just "boring" ones. lol

I hope this helps you. God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you!

Answer 4

I sympathize with what you are going through. But I'm afraid that some people here are misleading you with their answers. (I'm not judging or condemning anyone personally, just asking you to be careful because all that was said in response to your question is not necessarily good advice).

One very important thing: Christ and His Church are one. We cannot separate Christ from His Church. He loved the Church and gave His Life up for Her. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, it is the Presence of Christ in the world today.

That is why I would like to encourage you to find a good Catholic parish where you feel at home and welcome. Find one that has a good priest who can help you on your way to reconciliation with God. Don't worry about reading "what you shouldn't have read". That is in the past. There are many good books that can lift us up in our faith; but there are many more that can steal it away from us if we are not careful. The most important thing in all this is to remain faithful to Christ in prayer. Pray, even if you don't really feel anything inside. What counts is your desire, your thirst for God.

And don't forget, it's so important for you to find a good Catholic parish in your area. Keep searching, you are on the right track by the very fact that you have maintained an open mind. Before rejecting your Catholic faith, I encourage you to take the time to learn it better. You may be surprised by the beauty and profoundness of what you learn. I suggest a good web site to set you back on the right track. You can try:

www.catholic-pages.com
www.catholic.com
or search one for yourself.

God bless you in your search, and remember, there are many Catholics out there who love you and are praying for you -- me included.

Answer 5

If you don't miss the catholic church and its mass, then you really you don't love Christ, because Christ is the center of the mass and the center of the Catholic Church. We go to mass on Sundays and weekdays to receive the Eucharist which is the body of Christ, and what would anyone who so loves God want better than to receive Him?

Answer 6

Dear Sheba,

You asked about a church in the greater Chicago Area where you can hear good sermons etc -- here is a recommendation...

Willow Creek Community Church • 67 East Algonquin Road, South Barrington, IL 60010 • [phone]
General e-mail: [e-mail] • Church Resources: [e-mail]

I hear good things about that church... non-denominational, Bible based, Christian.

--
I empathize with your missing your love for Christ... and are interested in help to get your faith in Christ back...

Please check out http://www.GodSci.org -- the site has many articles and answers to questions etc to help strengthen the faith of Christians (and provide answers to seekers).

--

I used to be an atheist. Over a period of time however, I grew convinced of the existence of the Christian God, and ultimately committed my life to Christ.

For a draft-version of my journey from atheism to Christ, see http://www.godsci.org/gs/chri/testimony/seek.html

For scientific and intellectual evidence for the existence of God, see http://www.godsci.org/gs/godsci/evidence.htm

For evidence for the historicity and truth of Jesus Christ, see http://www.godsci.org/gs/chri/jesus.htm

Feel free to contact me if you have more questions etc.

Cordially,
John

Answer 7

Bless your heart. The Bible is where you need to turn, and prayer for the Lord to lead you to the right church. From my experience finding a church without the Lord guiding is not fulfilling. We do get away from Him when we put other things into our lives. More of Him and less of me is what I pray for sometimes. May the Lord bless you and you find peace. Jesus loves you.

Answer 8

It is too bad that you left Catholicism. Your faith is in your own mind. Why should it make much difference regarding the building you go to celebrate the mass, or whatever service one may host? You need to be more firm.

Also, regarding entitlements, what I said is the following:

"Their (Congress') irresponsible spending and total lack of control over these ever-expanding entitlement programs will soon bring this country to its knees."

Answer 9

There is proof somewhere that the early Church believed in reincarnation. They changed that after a while. Cynics have said that they changed it because it was harder to find converts when you taught that they had many lives and only have to be saved in one of them.
Why not try Buddhism?

Answer 10

Ask Jesus Christ to be your personal Lord and Savior. Go to a EFCA church.