What Catholic teaching or doctrine do you find most challenging or difficult to understand and why?

Apologetics
44

I truly believe that homosexual people, male or female, cannot help themselves for feeling attraction to people of their own gender. But that doesn’t mean that they have the freedom to act on it. There are so many temptations that arise in our hearts in the course of our lives. But that doesn’t mean we act on them. This is what religious life is all about. Self-discipline, with the help of the strength that communion with God affords. Let these people be friends. There is nothing wrong with that. But when religion begins to endorse what God has condemned, that is the beginning of hell on earth.

Also, the Catholic Church, in the 1400’s through the 1800’s organized “The Inquisition” Estimates of the number killed by the Spanish Inquisition," which Sixtus IV authorised in a papal bull in 1478, have ranged from 30,000 to 300,000 . Some historians are convinced that millions died." So although the church is against abortion, it also authorizes and encourages wholesale slaughter of people of other religions. Similarly, Estimates for deaths during the First Crusade ( launched in response to a call by Pope Urban II in 1095)
vary, but it’s generally accepted that tens of thousands of people, both Christian and non-Christian, soldiers and civilians, died due to disease, starvation, and fighting.

The question raised is "What Catholic teaching or doctrine do you find most challenging…). My conviction is that people who have the humility to recognize God’s dominion, regardless of their specific cosmology, rituals, etc. should all be loved and respected, and that God accepts their worship. After all, Jesus appeared a mere 2000 years ago. Does this mean that prior to that time, for hundreds of thousands of years, no one could approach God with a feeling of veneration and love in their hearts?

46

The difficulty in obtaining an annulment. Shouldn’t confession and penance for the breaking sacrament of marriage be enough?? The denying of the Holy Sacrament seems harsh. There are many divorced and remarried Catholics that have gone through all of the hoops to get an annulment just to be denied and as a result, denied the Holy Sacraments. Just my opinion y’all.

47

I understand what you are saying, and we need to also be reverent to what the Bible says about Marriage. The problem is, if someone is technically still Married to someone else in the eyes of the Church and in light of Sacred Scripture, then these individuals in new Marriages could be continuing to live in sin (committing adultery).

Annulments are not the same thing as “Catholic Divorce,” a common misconception among many.

There was a fun episode of “The Pillar” Podcast where they were trying to figure out whom President Trump is technically Married to : )

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48

As far as divorce and annulments, it’s the act of remarrying that is sinful. And a valid marriage cannot be annuled. I’m civilly divorced but still married since my spouse is still alive. It’s a very lonely existence and the thought of being alone for the rest of my life without any possibility of intimacy is horrible. But, it’s not up to me. I just have to trust in God.

49

You mean the rest of your spouses life (Sorry, my dark humor coming out. I am not implying that you should be hoping for his/her death nor plotting anything sinister so that you can be free to Marry again.)

I know that we have talked about how there are other ways to not feel alone, but I cannot begin to understand the loneliness that you are undergoing. I Pray that in your obedience, that you find the peace you so desire.

50

Thank you.

And yeah you’re right, her life :grinning_face:

51

The Trinity. NO such thing in the Bible!

52

Ooh a Protestant! Why did you join? lol

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53

I joined because I used to be a Catholic in my teens, and am curious as to why people still BELIEVE it!

54

Some of the most ignorant of the Catholic Christian Faith are former Catholics. To which denomination have you deconstructed to? Or are you a “just me and my Bible” kind of Christian? Genuinely curious.

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55

Oh cute! Have fun lol

56

Let’s consider you’re not as Great as you THINK you are.
Do you know the God of Jesus?

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59

We’re sorry that you’re not a Catholic. You should take your anger somewhere else. Nobody here is trying to hear your mess. You have no authority to say who God is. The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago when He made St. Peter the head of the Church and the first Pope. We’ll follow God’s Church that He founded. Not you.

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60

You didn’t answer my question.

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61

Now I understand. COMPLETE ignorance, plus arrogance.

Thanks!

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62

Interesting, thar there is both a Peter and a Peter1. I am also a Peter, so is my screen name composed. Perhaps I should change my screen name to something more creative.

On a general note, coming from evangelicalism, the Bible is my reference book for faith. I find it both relieving and frustrating that the catholic church has used its ruling right to make rulings. With some rulings I do not agree, but other rulings I wholeheartedly support.

Example forced marriage. There are not clear verses against forced marriage in the Bible, but the catholic church has made the ruling that such a marriage can be nullified.

I am befiddled why the catholic church do not promote Lordship salvation. Perhaps they want to be also church to the secular people, and that is why a holiness doctrine like Lordship has not been decreed.

63

The Bible tells us that Christ gave the Apostles and their successors the authority and responsibility to “loose” and to “bind” (Matthew 18:18).

Are you referring to “arranged” Marriages? We had a couple in our Church (Catholic) from India and their Marriage was an arranged and they were very happily Married. However, I have a friend from the Middle East (she was raised Muslim, but is now Catholic) had a horrible arranged Marriage. Her Husband would beat her if she added too much salt to his food or not enough salt to his food. She tried fighting back once, but the beatings she received were twice as bad as when she just took it. It was not a happy Marriage. But, Christ rescued her and she is now one of the most joy-filled Christians I have ever met!

Can you explain in your own words what “Lordship salvation” is? I have never heard this term before.

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65

Hm I guess there is a spectrum between forced and arranged. In a forced marriage, the element of free will is lacking. A priest told me, that the Catholic Church want to assert that it was your “full and free will” to get married. Example a shotgun marriage would probably not be considered a free will marriage.

Yes, Lordship salvation means that you make Jesus Lord and King in your life. You enter into a relation with him, but with the understanding that He is the master. I do actually think, that especially with people being child-baptized (and while I do believe that child baptism is effective for salvation), these people have never entered into a committed relationship with Jesus, and allowed him to come and rule in their life.

In practice you would most likely join a church where there is a high focus on Jesus being Lord and ruler. The idea of Lordship salvation is probably closely tied to the idea of adult (re)baptism, namely that you must make a formal public profession of faith in connection with your baptism. As a pentecostal christian, I used to have an undercurrent feeling, that I should always strive to see Jesus as my Lord, and not just as a buddy.

66

We enter into a covenantal relationship with Christ, which is the deepest form of relationship.

I think one of the reasons that the Catholic Church has pushed Confirmation back, rather than do Confirmation as infants like the Eastern Orthodox do, is so that the youth can choose this relationship with our Lord and that their faith might be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation. I personally think that Confirmation should be earlier (maybe around fourth grade), because by the time too many young people reach the age of current Confirmation, they have already chosen a relationship with the world or a sort of hybrid relationship (serving two masters or lukewarm Christianity).

You can usually tell who is cooperating with God’s grace and who isn’t bases on the fruits of the Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, chastity, modesty, and love.

Some of us need more of His grace in certain areas than others. For instance, some individuals are by nature may have low-impulse control (meaning they are easily tempted). Others may suffer from depression and therefore less joyful. I inherited my Mom’s RBF and people think I’m either depressed or angry when I’m not specifically smiling : )

When it comes to modesty, I like to bring up how well dressed the Mob was when they went to Church. Extremely dapper, but inside, they may have much in need of God’s grace (for they were in the Mafia after all). I believe their modesty stemmed from ego or appearances and less about a relationship with God. And there can be a young lady who has great love for God, but dresses immodestly, because she doesn’t know any better. But, as her Faith matures and her relationship with Christ grows, perhaps she will be more aware of how she is living her life. Same goes for the Mobster.

I think of St. Augustine and how his mother (St. Monica) Prayed for his conversion. He was not Baptized nor Confirmed as a baby. Augustine was baptized on Easter Vigil, April 24, 387, by Bishop Ambrose in Milan. He was Ordained a Priest in 391 AD, and then appointed coadjutor Bishop of Hippo in 395 AD. He later became the Bishop of Hippo after the death of Bishop Valerian. He had a son with a woman prior to his conversion and his son, Adeodatus, was also Baptized alongside Augustine around the age of 15 and died shortly there after (cause of death unconfirmed ; ) My point is, that even the worst of sinners can encounter Christ and enter into Covenant with Him.

And just as anyone who enters into a Marriage can be a bad Husband, so too can Christians who have been Baptized reject God who remains faithful. If someone wants to walk out on the relationship, they choose to suck.

67

Right, so what is your experience of that relationship on a daily basis? Do you hear Gods voice, do you see God’s guiding hand, and so forth? What are the things that you must take care of in order to maintain that relationship?