Catholic, and tired of it.?

Question

I belong to a mother who is a strict Roman Catholic. My dad is Catholic; only because my mom wanted him to convert into Catholicism.

I myself, personally hate it. I have never missed more than 3 masses since I was about 4 years old.

It's so.... hard, I know so much about the Catholic religion, and I don't even act like a Catholic//how they should. I'm not totally naughty, but I'm most certainly not a good girl. (still a virgin, ect)

Anyway, I guess my question is, should I convert into something else?? Or should I stay as a Catholic, and..... I don't know..

I'm so lost.

your opinions, please?

Answer 1

You're like most Catholics that I know. I am one too.

The reason I think we are like that is because we have our hearts and minds to locked in to the world. We think that life should be easy-going and that we don't have to do anything since Jesus did it all for us on the cross.
That is a Protestant belief. And we Catholics have bought into it.

Life comes with ups and downs. Catholics should know this. All we have to do for starters is to look at the life of the saints. A lot of information has been written about these saints and how they struggled with their faith, some even struggled right before they died, some died for their faith, like the Fransican martyrs in Morrocco during the 1200's.

Only if you make yourself small will God be pleased with you.
Forget about the high-life, the ego trips, the poopularity.(spelling intended)
What is in your heart is what God sees. Make your heart humble.
Accept the humiliations that the world gives you and give them to God. He wants you to be humble, not prideful. The pridefulness that is all around you ,the devil has a hand in it. It's true.

A selfish life, a life full of vanity, lust and ego, is what is called a worldly life. It is what distracts you from the truth which is Jesus Christ.

As a Catholic, you have the Sacraments. Are you trying to follow the sacrament of reconcilliation (aka confession) ? Are you examining your conscience and trying to turn away from sin?

If you are, then are you approaching the Eucharist at communion time with respect (reverence)? If you are then you will receive the graces to better understand your purpose here on earth.
If you take the Eucharist with mortal sin on your soul, you will not benefit from it. In fact, you will go backwards in your faith.

As Catholics, we believe that the Priest has been given the gift of bringing Jesus to us in the Eucharist through the sacrament of Holy Orders, when the Priests hands are annointed and bound as has been the case for centuries.
Protestants do not have the Eucharist, they only have bread and wine no matter how much they might say that they do.
St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion. (CCC 1385)

Why does Jesus use strong and to the point language in the 6th chapter of John?:

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"

Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

John 6:48-58

It is no wonder that in today's Catholic church, 70+% of them do not believe in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The results of this unbelief are what you are going through exactly.
If you could only spend some time alone in the church and pray for understanding, I think you will start thinking differently about being a Catholic. It won't happen overnight, give it time.

It's hard to be a true Catholic nowadays. The world has us by the shorthairs and many of us are faced daily with the choice of being fully Catholic or living a life of lies and denial.

Answer 2

I'm Catholic and I understand what you're going through. I wasn't raised in a strict Catholic household which I think actually is better for kids than being raised in a strict household. I disagree with many things the Catholic Church teaches. They're anti-birth control while I support it as a good way to prevent STDS and pregnancies. They think unbaptized babies go to limbo while I think babies whether baptized or not, go to heaven. I've missed a lot of masses, but I'm taking confirmation classes and I've been attending regularly church on Sunday. You're probably wondering why I'm still Catholic but the reason is that after mass, I always feel better. I respect Mary and I like the sacraments which I think is helpful for people. It makes me feel good to be in church and take the eucharist, it makes me feel at peace and pious. This is why I'm still Catholic and will be until I die. If you don't feel good after leaving mass, or completely disagree about everything with the church, and just dislike being Catholic then you should seek another religion. Research what other Christian religions believe in and maybe you will find the one most closest to your beliefs. Don't feel that you're betraying your family, you'll be more hypocritial if you stay in a church that you detest going to. Also, I don't know what Catholics you met but every Catholic acts different, we have different personalities and opinions. We don't act the same or act the same way. You should make a list of what you disagree with the Catholic Church, if the differences are overwhelming then you shouldn't stay in it anymore. Go find your religion that will make you happy and fulfilled. I wish you the best.

Answer 3

From one Catholic to another, the Catholic faith is not an easy one to live up to. There's a lot of expectations - but such is the case with anything you might ardently believe in. I think that it would be more helpful to phrase your question in a larger context. Rather than ask

"Catholic, or not Catholic?"

You should seek:

"Who am I?"

My searching brought me back time and again to the Catholic Church, the Catholic Way of Christ. Read, study, search with an open mind. Just remember, if I can offer one caveat, that your actions have the potential to limit your future - ie, if sexual activity brings a profound change in your life (baby, abortion, STD, or simply the emotional fallout most of us experience from a bad relationship), your personal development may be seriously delayed.

But don't follow a life unless you believe it. To do otherwise is to live without integrity - to go through the motions.

Personally, I think there's a sublime, intrinsic and beautiful truth within Catholicism. Not everyone on here agrees. Seek and ye shall find. If you don't want to read your Bible or the Catechism, try "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho.

Blessings in your walk.
V

Answer 4

Religion is a very personal thing. I was raised a Catholic and now I'm an agnostic. I understand perfectly what you are saying. You don't need a religion to live a good live and be a good person. You might be considered a bad person by their standard but do you honestly think that you are? or do you follow your heart? Religious people forcing others to be religious just because they are in the same family is not ok, it's the way they do it but it doesn't mean it's ok. Do what is right for you!

Answer 5

I can relate with your feelings, in that, it is not easy to be a true Christian. I have come to realize that the Catholic Church isn't just the largest Christian denomination but the largest religion in the whole world! Why? It is because divine providence has done so.

Don't give up! Persevere! I have been humbled as a Catholic by having been divorced twice. I received an annulment both times. I have a vetitum (prohibition to be married in the Church) until I get councelling. I had impediments to the marriages succeeding. I have friend who has suffered the same problems and is an ardent Catholic. So, please don't give up.

As a Catholic I have callenged my faith by asking questions and I have been amazed what I discover. If you took a Bible course and discovered what SCRIPTURAL TYPOLOGY is you would be amazed. If you knew what SALVATION HISTORY was in the Bible you would understand. If you recognized DIVINE AUTHORITY you would know that there has to be someone in authority to reveal the "secret" truths God has given. If you research all those phrases you will begin a journey of discovery that will last a life time.

We have a saying in Catholicism: the New Testament is hidden in the Old and the Old is revealed in the New. There are many mysteries contained in the Bible that I have been amazed at discovering for the past 20 years and there is a whole lot more. St. Jerome said: Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. The whole Bible is about our SALVATION: Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 prophesies in the Old Testament about the Messiah you can discover 50 of them in cd's IT IS WRITTEN.

WHEN YOU HAVE BEGUN TO DISCOVER THESE THINGS YOU WILL KNOW IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY MAN. Jesus (a historical figure along with others in the Bible that are not fictitional characters) by fulfilling just 50 prophesies makes the odds of doing that 10X135 power! An astronomical figure that could not have been achieved by human means.

The thing that might shock you and others is that SATAN used scripture to tempt Jesus. So, too Satan will use scripture to trip us up from following the true faith. This is why there has to be DIVINE AUTHORITY that passes from the Old Testament to APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION in the New Testament. This is why someone cannot Authoritatively pick up a Bible and correctly interpret it nor can there be millions of interpretors to HOLY SCRIPTURE. There can only be one!

Having been in the Marine Corps I want to share the motto Semper Fidelis (always faithful). In Romans it says that God allows us to disobey so that we may come back to him freely. I would just ask that you not give up on the truth and ask Mary for help.

Answer 6

Catholicism is not an easy religion to follow. But choosing a religion should not be about the ease of it. It should be about truth. As long as X happened, you ought to follow X. If you are running around pretending Y happened, but you don't really even believe it, you're a dis-integrated person. On a quest for truth you will end at the Catholic Church.

Answer 7

Been there. You should probably just go along until you no longer "belong to your mother." I assume this means you are not legally an adult.

Once you reach adult status, then it is important that you do what you want. You should certainly consider alternatives. Ask yourself, "What do I like and what do I dislike, about this religion?" Some people find it too difficult to think about these philosophical things. I would suggest actually writing down pros and cons on a piece of paper - just for yourself. And then go find a different religion (or a non-religion like Humanism, atheism, agnosticism) that suits you better. This can (should) take some time.

It can be very difficult to leave the church, since it can be so difficult for your family and friends. But you have to be true to yourself first. If they hate you for it, it is more their problem than yours. In time, they will probably learn to accept you as an individual, just as they accept other non-catholics.

Best wishes.

Answer 8

I know your feelings. I left the catholic church when i was 15 (hormones and influence of peers), from there, i went to other denominations and religions-including buddism, and wicca. 4 years ago, i told a friend that i was so tired of trying to find the right church/religion, i just wish God would bring me someone who would tell me where to go.the very next day, my priest was walking down the hallway where i worked and hollered my name. i was surprised and shocked. as we began to talk, he tells me i need to come to back to church. so, i did, and i was happy. well, my hubby wasnt. i told him i wanted our son baptized in the church, well, he threw a fit. so i prayed to God and told Him that if i and my son belong there, He will have to do something about my hubby. 2 weeks later, my hubby went to mass with us and has been since. he will be baptized and confirmed this coming up easter. i guess what i am saying is that now i know that the catholic church is where Jesus wants us, and i have missed so much by not going all those years before. pray to God for guidiance. by the way,you should honor your mother's request until you're 18--you can still read on other religions until then. look, Jesus said that it will be hard, we are not of this world. don't give up, when you're older, life will look different then it does now.

Answer 9

In my honest opinion you should follow you're heart if it says that you don't wanna be a Catholic anymore then don't be if you need religion in your life then study up and find one that has principles and ideas you agree with if you feel that you can get by without religion thenbecome Agnostic if you feel that the whole religion thing is a pile of Bull then Join us Atheists be who you feel comfortable being and above all be YOURSELF!

Good Luck!

And if your mother doesn't like your choice tough sh*t you gotta follow your heart and be happy otherwise you are gonna live a miserable life!

xxx

Answer 10

Family matters more than religion. Do what you feel you must for them. Your religious activity as a child, if it was like my own family, was just one more chance to be part of the clan you call family. It's perectly normal. It's also perfectly normal to assume that the religion somehow caused that feeling you had with family in church. It didn't. If going to church or acting pious rings hollow for you, it's because you probably realize you miss your family and not hanging around in church.