Im 16 and so far ive been raised in a strict catholic religion.....i can honestly say that i have never fully believed the whole god and heaven thing....ive tried to tell myself that it was real...but i cant believe it at all now.....my parents still force me to go to church even tho i have reasoned with them on a mature level...what can i do?
2007-07-14 13:56:43 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Hang on for two more years then move out.
2007-07-14 14:00:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
A lot of people will tell you simply to break away and go in your own direction, but I do not think this is the best advice. Pretty much all of us have been in your shoes, and your feelings are natural for your age. What you are realizing is that for years you believed what you were told, but now you are wondering why you should trust what others have told you. This is an excellent question, and it is a mature question. What I invite you to do is to search for what is true for you. It may be Catholicism, it may be something else, but search for truth. You may not think that you believe what the Church believes, but don't assume it, find what you DO believe, because everyone believes in something...even if it is a belief that God does not exist. Find truth. Then, once you have found it, re-evaluate your beliefs and see where you find yourself. I am at a point where, like you, I am struggling with my faith. However, when I get to this point, I go out and I seek truth and I try to find what is true for me. So far, it has always pulled me back to the Holy Roman Catholic Church and I have great faith that it will do so again. Good luck!
2007-07-16 19:56:03 · answer #2 · answered by irish68178 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is no such thing as reasoning "on a mature level" if the point you are trying to make is there is no God or Heaven. Actual mature reasoning is that which is in favor of belief in God and heaven.
As long as you live under the same roof as your parents, you do what they tell you to do, including going to Church.
Someday, when you are on your own, you are free to make the mistake of leaving the Church, but that day has not yet come.
2007-07-17 07:48:34 · answer #3 · answered by Daver 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are young and probably feel you dont need God at this point of life. But soon a time will come when you will desire to know God. Most likely it will be some suffering that will make you seek God and Heaven. Then your parents' teachings and their insistence on your going to church will make sense to you. For now you may rebel, but soon in a few years , God willing, you will return to your faith.
For now, follow your parents' wishes. Go to Church and try spending some time in personal prayer, preferably the Rosary.
2007-07-15 15:11:15 · answer #4 · answered by Pat 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have you ever asked God to make Himself known to you? To give you the gift of faith?
It's sorta like me and rap music. I used to try to make myself like rap music. It didn't work. I would listen to it and just shrug. But when I finally got to see rap performed live, THEN I got it. The energy and the emotion, it all finally clicked. I'd still rather see a live show than listen to it on the radio or on MP3 or whatever, but at least I can finally appreciate rap authentically.
So it's pretty much impossible to believe in God and want to worship God if you've never been really face-to-face and had a major encounter with God. Your parents know that God is real and they think God is the best thing ever, so they are trying to give this experience to you. Okay, so it's not working with just going to Church. You're not seeing God there.
But rather than just chucking it, really give it a shot. Ask God to show Himself to you, then go on retreat or plan on attending World Youth Day in Australia next summer. Find a local Catholic charity that is doing work that you believe in (feeding the hungry or something) and sign up. In other words, think about where it would make sense for you to meet up with God and then get yourself into that place and ask Him to show up.
2007-07-18 10:16:50 · answer #5 · answered by sparki777 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you can break away or you can sneak away. One is messier. Both require some patience.
I can't be sure, but your parents' insistence may be more about family loyalty and their own spiritual doubts and fears than the faith itself. They've invested their lives in it and they've ended up with an apostate son. This means failure and futility to them. Most parents are very uncomfortable with the idea of their children changing or losing their faith. So they may simply be hoping you'll grow out of this rebellious phase.
As a minor, satisfying options are limited. You may have to go through the motions to please them for a few more years until you're truly independent. Or you may be less uncomfortable arguing with them than deceiving them for the time. I just hope you can show enough tolerance for their beliefs to not ruin the relationship.
If you end up going along for the sake of peace, you can still use your mind. Listen to the readings, sermon or other instruction and analyze it. See what good you can find in it. Determine just what is wrong with the bad. Don't worry about the spiritual dimension of it. Keep a journal. If they have you doing family rosaries, learn to think about other things while the Hail Marys are mantra-ing off. (Medieval monks did it all the time.) It's like being in the army: you do what you're told until your hitch is up. Perhaps you'll have an insight, Catholic or otherwise. But eventually you'll be in charge of your own life. I know it seems like forever but it'll happen sooner than you think. And maintaining a relationship, even a strained one, is better than breaking it. Good luck.
2007-07-14 21:37:38 · answer #6 · answered by skepsis 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My guess is that someone did a very poor job of teaching your Catholic faith to you.
Maybe you should try to remedy that yourself, before you break faith with God.
Obviously, your idea of a mature level and theirs, doesn't match up, either.
It takes many men 40 or 50 years to actually get "mature".
Maybe you're one of them.
2007-07-14 21:43:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't cause unnecessary ripples in your life at this time. Go along with it, and one day you will be on your own and can do whatever is right for you. You'd be surprised how many people in Church wish that they weren't there. You are not alone.
2007-07-14 21:06:21 · answer #8 · answered by liberty11235 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I went through something similar, my brother, at right around the same age...it's O.K. to have doubts....
But you are living under their roof. Sorry...you want freedom...go get a job and pay your own bills.
Now...as for my story...I ended up a priest.
Never give up.
2007-07-14 21:00:41 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
http://www.carm.org/doctrine/100truths.htm
LIVE THE PART OF AN OBEDIENT CHILD AND WHEN YOU ARE OLDER YOU WILL BE WISER !!!
2007-07-14 21:03:04 · answer #10 · answered by rapturefuture 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋