I am a Christian, no particular sect. Would you agree that the ritual performed by traditional Catholics are good when it is outta pure love for the LORD that you like to do them, but when it comes to fear of hellfire, it isnt such a great venture as pertaining to works?
2006-11-09 23:17:22 · 10 answers · asked by sliccapostle 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Hi, I am Catholic and I have little fear of Hell and I will tell you why, the God that I believe in (personally) is a huge merciful God and not the narrow minded God that I hear pushed onto people these day`s.
I look at the love He has lavished on us,the beautiful gift of His only beloved Son, and the comforting presence of His Holy Spirit.
the things that I as a Catholic perform is my response to this Wonderful Father,and I realize that to non Catholics I may well seem a bit weird, but I also believe that God looks into the heart and it`s the hearts response to His love that pleases Him.
to my mind personally there is too much division,oh yes we have those in the Catholic church who disagree with other Catholics, we have the various Protestant churches, not all agreeing with each other,there is division in Judaism between Talmudic and Torah Jews, and to my mind each os us seem to be replacing the God of incredible love with a lesser version, i.e God will punish this one or that one,you are not part of our crew so you are damned, and the list goes on and on.
the God that I love (personally) wants our hearts to be on fire with love for Him and not the words of our mouths that can bless one moment and curse in the next.
God bless us all.
2006-11-10 00:06:41 · answer #1 · answered by Sentinel 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As I see it, fear is not necessarily something bad. Fear helps us to protect ourselves. e.g. We are more cautious when we are lost in the woods out of fear for the unknown animals... etc.
Therefore, I believe that there should be an amount of fear towards God and hellfire so that we are obedient and reverence God for who He is and we keep ourselves away from sins. I mean I can't imagine that one day people will have totally no fear of God and start stepping on God's head. I cannot imagine if one day people will start to be rude and totally ignore about those around them. That's worst than hate because at least it takes acknowledgment of a person's existence to hate. But if you were to totally ignore, that means that person don't even exist and does not have any value.
I am very sure that everyone as long as they are human, they know what love really is regardless whether they are christian, catholics or any religion. And I guess because of this, the Catholic believes that even those who have not known Christ in their lifetime but through their own way try their best to love as they know how, then it is up to God whether or not to commit them into the kingdom of heaven.
So, I totally agree with you that anything that is done out of love for God is really a cool thing.
2006-11-09 23:54:05 · answer #2 · answered by frankenstein3000 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the fear of hellfire gets the attention of a Christian who is lax is practicing the faith, it is hard to argue that fear of hellfire serves as an inappropriate impetus.
Perhaps it is that fear of hellfire that gets a Christian moving as far as practicing his/her faith more actively. As he/she becomes more acclimated to Christianity's beliefs and customs, that person will find that they are less motivated by fear and more motivated out of love for God.
It is wrong to look down upon a Christian who is primarilly motived by fear of the Lord. You will remember that Fear of the Lord is one of the Holy Spirit's Seven Gifts. Therefore, you cannot make this argument without "talking down" to one of the Holy Spirit's Divine Gifts.
Don't worry so much about where you stand, in relation to other Christians, as far as what is motivates you to follow God. Everyone is unique, so everyone responds to God in a different manner. It would be well to note that "Fear of the Lord" is not necessarilly "fear" per se, it is "respect", humble respect for the Lord.
You would not love the Lord if you did not have respect for Him. And you would not respect the Lord if you did not fear Him.
Christians are not so different as our feeble intellects mislead us to believe.
2006-11-13 01:52:46 · answer #3 · answered by Daver 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're talking about the Mass, then I wouldn't agree.
At Mass Jesus becomes physically present on the altar for us. Then he personally approaches God the Father on our behalf, for the needs of the church, and for the needs of the whole world.
Not only is the Mass the most loving celebration in which anyone can participate, it's also the highest form of worship in the universe, as well as the greatest, and most significant "work".
Superlatives all around, courtesy of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ... just another example of God's total self-giving for our salvation.
2006-11-10 02:45:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Judgement Day, has not come yet. in basic terms God is familiar with what hour He cometh. yet i will help you comprehend, this. If all people worships Idol's that's against the 1st Commandment. Thou Shalt don't have the different Gods previously Me. What does this advise. you're to not worship the different idol or God. it is it !! additionally in the Bible it says. we are to not decide. concerning the Catholic's, they have super and extreme appreciate for the Pope. From the days of Rome, he has been tremendously respected and the Catholics manage him like a Saint. however the Catholics shouldn't pray to the Pope. in basic terms to God.
2016-10-21 14:17:50 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fear of punishment is a less righteous reason than love for living the way God calls us to live. However it is still a valid reason. One Catholic prayer, the Act of Contrition, expresses this idea. It goes, in part ...
"... I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend thee, My God, who art all good and deserving of all my love ..."
.
2006-11-10 10:34:21 · answer #6 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since there is almost certainly no such thing as god, it follows that all religious rituals are a sheer waste of time, no matter what motivates their performance.
2006-11-09 23:39:51 · answer #7 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Pure love is always the best. I personally go to church cause I love the Lord, not because I"m scared of hell.
2006-11-10 00:06:32 · answer #8 · answered by sister steph 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I understand what you are saying, but shouldn't we be scared of God? After all he killed a lot of children based on their ethnicity in the Bible.
2006-11-09 23:23:05 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes I agree. I think most people would. You do something because of love, want, desire, not out of fear.
2006-11-09 23:20:20 · answer #10 · answered by Marie 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋