I'm scheduled to be confirmed into the catholic church but...?

Question

next year, i'm scheduled to be confirmed into the catholic church (i'm 14). there are lots of issues involving the church that i dont agree with, and i'm skeptical about getting confirmed. should i still go through with it, because there is a lot of pressure from my family to be a full-fledged catholic. what should i do?

Answer 1

You may message me or my top contact person on here with any questions you have, I am a lifelong Catholic and He is a catholic theologian.

Answer 2

Proceed with Confirmation.

In time, if you are contemplating and meditating on the issues that concern you so much - with an honest and contrite heart, that is - you will eventually come to see the justice in Catholic beliefs and pratices.

You are only 14. Don't make the mistake of assuming you know/understand everthing there is to know/understand about the Catholic Faith.

Learning and understanding the Faith is a life-long process. Many Catholics struggle with some element(s) of their Church's Doctrine, but that doesn't mean they can't be Catholics.

Right now, your religious education provides you with just enough know-how to CONTINUE LEARNING Catholicism ON YOUR OWN. Again, this is a life-long process.

Answer 3

That depends a great deal on what your issues with the church are. Confirmation is a reaffirmation of the vows made on your behalf at your baptism, so if you would have trouble promising any of those things, then by all means delay the sacrament of confirmation! But if you're confused or uncertain about issues of doctrine that are generally debated among Catholics themselves (e.g. birth control, abortion, etc) then my personal opinion is that you can sort through these things later.

As you mature in the faith you will come to an understanding of many matters that you now find confusing, but you will also undoubtedly become uncertain about the complexities of other topics. This is the sign of an active spiritual life-- wrestling with God, just as Jacob did. But unless you are unsure of your commitment to Jesus as savior, I think you can undertake that wrestling match much better having received God's grace through the sacrament of confirmation.

Blessings to you-- follow your conscience!

Answer 4

Ultimately, the decision is yours. You answer to God and to your own conscience regarding your spiritual decisions. You should pray about it a lot, and not make a firm decision until you believe you have an answer from God about what is best for you. You might want to read The Preacher's Daughter by Beverly Lewis which is about an Amish young woman struggling with the same issue - uncertainty about joining her family's church. Her fictional decision cannot be your decision, but it may give you some guidance in making your decision. Your family may find it difficult to respect your need for space, but this is a legitimate need.

My father was a stanch Baptist who joined the closest thing he could find to a Southern Baptist Church in the North. After I joined a United Methodist Church at age 50-something, he told everyone he knew, and he believed with his whole heart til the day he died, that I had joined a cult.

Answer 5

i am a catholic my husband to be isn't- it was important to me and my family that we were married by a catholic priest- all we did was go and see the local priest where we want to get married- he told us that it is basically up to the priests discretion in each parish about how he goes about deciding if a couple can be married. We visited him a lot and had many discussions about our lives , our feeling for one and other, our future, our sex life, our plans for children, how we were going to manage finances, etc. You maybe required to under take couples counseling or attend a retreat together or something like that. We haven't been as we are from a very small parish (there is lucky to be one wedding a year there) we've just been having visits from the priest and gong to church, etc. Goodluck with your wedding planning

Answer 6

Because there are so many doctrines to the catholic church that keeps changing through out the years the best bet, if you would like ?

I will send you a new book called
" What does the Bible really teach''?

And a new World Translation Of The Bible, that is translated into our modern English language so you can understand whats being read. I only send them to Avatar members Free. no catches or obligations.

Sincerely Yours,
Fred M. Hunter
[e-mail]

Answer 7

What you should do is study, and talk with someone knowledgeable, so you discover the underlying causes of your disagreements with the teaching of the Church. Jesus Christ, the founder of the Catholic Church, guaranteed that the teaching of His Church would always be true. He told the leaders of His Church, and no other, "whatsoever you bind upon earth is bound in heaven"; "the Holy Spirit will guide you to all truth"; "He who listens to you listens to Me". The teaching of the Church is true and complete, with a divine assurance that does not exist in any other church. If you don't believe the words of God Himself on this point, then there is little reason to become Catholic. Also, there is little reason to join any church, because if you can't find truth in the Church with a divine guarantee of truth, you certainly won't find it in a manmade tradition of hundreds of unauthorized, conflicting manmade denominations. Some truth can be hard to understand at first. You obviously haven't studied sufficiently to really understand the teaching of the Church. There is nothing the Church teaches that, when fully understood, is not obviously true and correct. Do you have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Have you received proper instruction? If you are uncertain, it would be far better to postpone your confirmation and take the RCIA program in your parish. it will help you learn your faith and discover the fullness of truth before you take this important step in spiritual growth.

Answer 8

Slow down for a moment and remember that no matter what, it is you and your choice that matters the most. You need to take care of yourself and sometimes people make it a little hard to do this because they feel they know what is better for you.
First of all i know it is extremely hard when you are faced with a decision at a young age that can be really life-changing, and i know that we as people are afraid to make the wrong choices and we only want to be accepted and loved for the choices we make in our lives.
At 14 years of age we are only just coming out as a teenager or in-between child and adult and we want to start making the right decisions for ourselves, but we are also faced with our parents and loved ones who are still in over-protective mode from when we were children.
They love you and feel that becoming a catholic will protect you when they wont be able to.
If you are sceptical than don't rush into it, ask your parents to sit down with you and listen to how you feel at this point, reassure them that you understand that they care about you and love you but you don't feel right just yet and you need some more time to think this through.
Tell them how you are feeling because that will help for them to take the pressure off a little if they know you are under pressure.
Good luck with this!
It'll be tough but worth it if it helps you

Answer 9

I truly believe you must follow your heart. Try talking to whichever is more understanding about this, your mother or Father. Explain how you feel. You may even want to go to a Priest you don't know with your problem. However, being confirmed won't change what you believe one way or the other. Just follow what you believe in your heart is right, and not what someone else wants you to do. This is your God-given right, as well as the Country's law.
may peace be with you

Answer 10

pray about it, if there is a priest/brother/sister that you are really close to you should also talk to them as well as your parents. you are very young and will not understand the catholic faith fully...I didnt understand really anything about catholocism until I was taught religion by the salesian priests/brothers and everything the catholic church says is directly supported by the words of God in the Bible and also through the lives of many saints throughout the chuch's history. Pray about it, just 3 Hail Marys every night thats what I do, and don't close your heart to the catholic church at such a young age.

Answer 11

Kayla, let me first tell you that I LOVE Catholic people, so PLEASE dont take offense....my problem w/ catholicism is they pray to Mary and not Jesus...mary is great but she did not die on a cross for you. Also, why do catholics confess to a preist, who is also a sinner just like you? My OPINION is that the catholic church is so tied up into memorized prayers and traditions, that you actually learn very little about the word of God....Do i believe catholics are going to heaven? Absolutely, as long as they accept his son like everyone else....I did not mean this to be offensive in any way....just pray about it and remember that you are entitled to your own opinions and ways....I'm sure that everything will go well either way....good luck!