Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Analysis of a Conversion - Why I left the Catholic Church, the meaning of faith

Yes, the meaning of faith.

Mark Twain once quipped, "faith is believing in something you know ain't so."  That really made me laugh.  Because, that is almost the same thing that Catholics had always said to me.

Try this yourself.  Ask a Catholic if he believes that God exists.  Typically, here's the answer I get, "I don't know.  I have faith that he exists."

I don't know?  I'm sorry to tell you this, folks.  But that isn't faith.  That is a logical conundrum.  It is impossible to have faith in someone whom you don't know exists.  Here's what Scripture says:

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him.

If someone asks you whether you believe that God exists, the answer to that question is, "YES!"  Here is the way that Jesus Christ wants you to answer that question:

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.

There's no room for doubts where the existence of God is concerned.  Faith is believing in God and trusting Him with all your heart.  In fact, loving Him with all your heart and soul and mind and body.

But that's not the answer that I ever got from Catholics.

Maybe I was asking the wrong Catholics.  I hope so.  Nevertheless, this sort of lukewarmness was not attractive to me.  And I fell away.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for contributing.