I don’t know if this is the correct place or method to do this but I’d like to know if there is someone knowledgeable and willing to answer the many questions and doubts I have.
I was raised Catholic here in Portugal, fell out of religion in my teens/young adult years and became an atheist - however the thought of Christ never really left my mind.
I used to read the Bible, go to church, pray, attend catechesis, etc. when I was a kid because my maternal grandmother made one of my sisters and I do it, which I hated, but now I’m trying to read it out of my own free will (currently in Genesis 27:11) yet already there are a lot of things that puzzle and bother me. I am trying to establish a relationship with Christ but it is proving difficult and I’d really appreciate some help from fellow Catholics.
Thank you in advance and sorry if this is the wrong place to post this
I think you’re in the right place. I have questions and doubts, and I suppose that most Catholics do. But whenever I wonder whether I am wrong about God and eternity and life and everything (which isn’t often, but the thought occasionally crosses my mind), I can’t get past one thing: right and wrong. I’m sure that some things are wrong, and as Dostoyevsky wrote, if there is no God, then everything is permitted. So, yes, right and wrong exist, and so God must exist. As for reading the Bible, you’ve gotten pretty far in Genesis, so I don’t want to dissuade you, but I’ve heard that the Gospels are the best place to start.
Since my last post, I’ve read to Genesis 37:2 and it’s getting even more difficult to like and understand what I’m reading - not from the position that I don’t understand what the words mean but because I really don’t like the majority of the people that are in these stories and the decisions God makes.
One of the things that really sickens me is the fact of how the women of the tribes and the female servants/slaves are treated by everyone and how God just let’s them, and seems to, at some points, encourage them to take these women as if they were just emotionless pieces of meat.
I also find the men in these stories really stupid. They have the privilege of talking to God directly and then they still commit sins afterwards. I’m not saying I am better than these men because I have lived a life of sin and continue to sin everyday but, unlike them, I have never had the honour of having a conversation with God like they had.
The beginning of Genesis is also something I just don’t believe in since science tells us otherwise. I do believe God created the universe since the big bang is a worthless theory but we know for a fact the Earth is bilions of years old and we evolved from other animals. Now, I think it is possible that God at some point, or since the beginning, decided to give us tools to reach the point we have today, but the whole garden of eden story and how man was made from dust and the woman from a rib I just don’t believe.
So far I am not liking what I am reading and the God in this part of the Bible seems to be much more wrathful, prideful, vengeful and petty than Jesus was. I don’t like the fact that, though there are very few people that do good in these stories, God seems to only want the attention of the sinful and seems to only reward those people. So far the person I’ve liked the least is Jacob. I’m not saying God shouldn’t have forgiven him but it seems God put Esau to the side and gave everything to Jacob, which I don’t find fair.
I have more questions and doubts but I believe these are the major ones I have. I know it’s a long post but I’d love your and anyone elses takes on these topics.
This is a great place to post your questions! I too left the Faith when I was in College. I never fell into Atheism, but simply fell away for a while. If you had asked me if I was a Christian, I would have told you yes. But, I wasn’t going to Church. Nor was I making the best choices.
My advice is not to read it like a book (front cover to the back cover). I would start with the Gospel of John, then read Acts of the Apostles and go from there. I also like recommend reading “The Didache” after reading Acts. It was written in the late first century or early second century and depicts some of the things that one early Christian Church was dealing with, how they worshiped, and you will recognize some of the teaching from the Gospels. Sometimes this short book is referred to as “The Teaching of the Apostles.”
A great book regarding the Old Testament is Dr. Scott Hahn’s “A Father Who Keeps His Promises.” I think it will help you better understand what you are reading in Genesis. He breaks down the meaning behind what is taking place throughout Salvation History. Why are there two creation stories? He has a chapter on this with a diagram to illustrate what is gong on in Genesis. The Chapter titles are kind of cleaver too. I remember chuckling while reading this book.
Sometimes we don’t see the gift we have received until later in life. Your Grandma sounds awesome! I too had an awesome grandma growing up and she recently passed. The closest we can be to our loved ones is in the Sacred Liturgy, where Heaven and Earth touch.
It is good to question with boldness. We should question. It is how we grow. The Gospels are filled with examples of Apostles and non-Christian leaders questioning Jesus. When we Pray, God wants us to tell Him our doubts. This is one of the most honest and human thing a person can do.
Any questions you have, you are free to post here or if you would rather ask them in private, you are free to DM me. I’m not saying I have all the answers, but I have thought about many of the same things you might be struggling with.
They really are not that much different from men today. How often do we tell God that we are sorry and that we will never do whatever it is again? Only to fall into sin again. Thank God that He is a God of many chances (as you will see if you continue reading). God is often very harsh towards those who are erigant and merciful towards the humble. He is stern towards His children whom he loves, but will humble those who think of themselves as gods.
Father Richard Simon, writing as “Reverend Know-It-All,” said that the Bible is the story of God’s relationship with His people. That said, there still are a lot of mysterious and problematic things in it, especially in the Old Testament. Ascension Press has a web page that attempts to answer the question “Why Is the God of the Old Testament Vengeful and Violent?” You might find that helpful.
Cade gave a lot of good answers.
I looked for Catholic teaching on evolution, but my search of the Catholic Catechism (Catechism of the Catholic Church | Catholic Culture) yielded nothing. However, the same page has a Catholic culture search at top right, and when I entered “evolution” there it offered about ten articles. You might try that and see whether any of it looks helpful.
You of course could talk to a priest. But if not available or uncomfortable for some reason there are tools out there like Credo Chat where you can wrestle with topics surrounding the faith. God bless.
Welcome back to your faith journey! It’s completely normal to have questions and doubts as you reconnect with Christianity—many people find the path to a personal relationship with Christ involves wrestling with these challenges. Starting with Genesis is a great choice, as it lays the foundation for understanding God’s creation and His relationship with humanity.
It can help to approach the Bible both with an open heart and with resources that provide context—like Catholic commentaries, study guides, or even speaking with a priest or a knowledgeable Catholic friend. Prayer is also key, asking God for understanding and guidance as you read. Remember, faith is often a gradual process, not an instant certainty.
Don’t hesitate to share your questions here or seek out local church groups or online Catholic communities. Many have been where you are and are glad to support you. Your honest searching is a powerful step in your spiritual growth, and the Church welcomes you warmly.
Just be careful. As Pope Leto has recently reminded the faithful, we need to be careful not to worship creation, but rather the creator. And I would add that real prelateships with real people is better than developing a relationship with a machine.
I’ll try to find a priest here in my city that would be willing to talk to me. I don’t know in other countries but, here in Portugal at least, most churches are closed when they’re not preparing for masses and the priests are out and about living their lives. The only churches that seem to be open all day are tourist ones and the priests of said churches are never there.
You can call the Parish Office and schedule a sit-down with the Priest. Or even try e-mailing him. Look up times for Confession. Priests usually are not busy these days in Confession. Though if you are not there for Reconciliation, it could annoy the Priest (or maybe not).
Reminds me of a story. I had a 5th grade teacher who told us how much she loved the song, “1 O’clock, 2 O’clock, 3 O’clock Rock!” So when my brother found out he was gong to have her as a teacher too, I told him he should sing that song to her for brownny-points. On the first day of school, he busted it out… and got scolded. She said, “If I want to hear that song, I’ll go home and listen to it on my record player!” My point? Don’t trust me on what you should do when it comes to meeting someone or thinking what is appropriate, socially, and what is not : )
I agree start with the Gospels listen to Jesus’s words. He is the only truth, the way and the life. Join a Bible study near you that will help. Did you ever hear of Exodus 90. Look it up i highly recommend it
Yes, I think Literalman is correct. After all, Jesus comes, he declares, not to erase or change any of the law or teachings of the Old Testament, but to give the next step. There are different levels of spiritual understanding. One is the child-like stage in which the followers ask for things for themselves, and try to keep the commandments so that they can receive various kinds of rewards, both material and spiritual.
The other level of understanding, that Jesus is teaching is that love of God is the greatest gift, the greatest wealth, and our real spiritual identity. Love, means, not asking for something in return, but simply wanting to make the one we love happy.
We are all part of God. Just like the leaves on the tree are all prat of the tree. If the leaves try to water themselves, they cannot get what they need. If one leaf tries to water the other leaves, he will not be able to give them what they require. But if one leaf waters the root of the tree, he receives his refreshment and all the other leaves and parts of the tree are served. We are all part of God. Although we are eternally individuals, we are part of God’s creation. When our love is given to God, we immediately feel God’s loving reciprocation within our hearts. We are watering the root of our existence. This is what Jesus is teaching. Love of God. Not worshipping for receiving anything in return. Just love of God. God is already supplying everything in this world. Why will He not take care of us if we cultivate our love for Him? Love God. Glorify God. Praise God. And feel the happiness entering your heart. This is what Jesus is teaching. Because this is our eternal relationship with God.
So, I am an ex-Catholic, so I’m in the same position you are in…….well……sort of. I believe in Jesus and God, but the way I believe in them both are very avant guarde to what your average Catholic believes. Let’s just say, I offer a different viewpoint. But I try to offer my advice with love as much as I can, unless someone shows me otherwise.
Ok, so you’re having doubts. Well…lemme ask you, why do you not like God in the Old Testament? Cause, I agree with you 100%, the God of the Old Testament seems kind of like a tyrant. So, I’m going to borrow a phrase that a lot of Catholics use which is “God is like a Father.” Now, you’re a grown man, not sure if you’re a Father or not, but regardless, you’re a grown man and you know the difference between right and wrong. So, if you were the Father of some of these leaders and people in The Bible, if someone did something wrong, what would you do? Would you decimate entire cities, and kill a countless amount of people? Would you kill the firstborn in a specific country, knowing that they had nothing to do with the problem you and one of your leaders had with Pharoah? (I don’t think you got to that part yet, but if you keep reading you’ll eventually get there.) But, you’re an intelligent person, you have a God-given brain, so I trust you’ll know the answer. Again, if you were a Father, how would you dole out punishment? Is death the answer? Just be honest with yourself, cause if you wouldn’t kill people if they disobeyed you, then maybe something doesn’t make sense and maybe you need to look into this “God” and see what you find out.
And then people wonder why we have feminism. I mean, if I was a woman and if I was treated like an emotionless piece of meat, I’d be furious personally.
But are these men stupid? Look at what God is telling them to tell everyone else. Why is it that God uses other people to do his bidding? Because some people don’t like the messenger, but very rarely do these people actually talk to God directly. And it’s weird, but, God doesn’t address the entire crowd, no instead he’s using someone to get his message out. But God never addresses the entire crowd of why He did what He did does he? No…because the messenger has to take the brunt of the pushback they receive. Is this something you would do as a Father? Would you go and have a kid of yours address the rest of the family without addressing the family yourself? After all, it would look better if you addressed the family, cause you’re the Man of the household right? If you’re the Father you’re the Patriarch. So if you wouldn’t do that as a Father, would the same thing not apply to God? Just certain things to think about….
Read Enoch if you don’t believe in the Adam and Eve story. Enoch’ll tell you who it was that taught us how to survive, but keep in mind, there was a cost involved for the knowledge we received to survive. (Little hint….Bad Annunaki = Fallen Angels. Good Annunaki = Good Angels.) The Annunaki though are more than just angels too, but for now, just know those are angels.
I agree! I dunno who this God of the Old Testament is, but Jesus is nothing like that God. Jesus is loving, merciful, forgives, I mean, Jesus is awesome, but yet you mean to tell me He came from the God of the Old Testament? I dunno about you but something isn’t adding up, either Jesus was the son of God or he wasn’t…..or maybe he wasn’t the son of the Old Testament God. Might want to look into that….
I don’t mind helping you, but, you should really figure out these things for yourself. I can point you in a certain direction but it’s up to you to follow it or don’t. Regardless, you’re a very intelligent young man and you should be able to make your own choices and not have others make these choices for you. I know that whatever choice you make, it’ll be the right choice for you, cause only you know you better than anyone else.
Oh and one more thing….you do not have to impress anyone, or agree with everyone. This includes Catholics. You should be able to retain your own beliefs yet still be part of a group. You’re an individual, and people need to respect that you have your own worldview. I know I said I was ex-Catholic, but, I don’t mind having Catholics as friends, in fact I have one very good friend whose Catholic herself.
I have questions and doubts, and I suppose that most Catholics do. But whenever I wonder whether I am wrong about God and eternity and life and everything (which isn’t often, but the thought occasionally crosses my mind), I can’t get past one thing: right and wrong. I’m sure that some things are wrong, and as Dostoyevsky wrote, if there is no God, then everything is permitted. So, yes, right and wrong exist, and so God must exist. As for reading the Bible, you’ve gotten pretty far in Genesis, so I don’t want to dissuade you, but I’ve heard that the Gospels are the best place to start.