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Column Keeping my faith can be challenging at times, but it's my safe haven
The choosing of a new pope has brought a positive feeling about the Roman Catholic Church and a sense of new beginnings, says Patricia McNally, who explains why her faith is so important to her.
Following the appointment of a new pope, Catholic Patricia McNally talks about her hopes for the future of the Catholic Church and the challenges and joys of her own spiritual path.
FAITH IS A SAFETY net in a challenging and stressful world. Everyday life has become busier, we are living in ‘fast-forward’ mode and faith is the pause button that everyone needs. We all like to have a certain amount of control over things in our lives and we like things to turn out the way we want them to, but very often this doesn’t happen.
Families are struggling to make ends meet, young people are facing emigration. Depression, loneliness, and feelings of isolation and detachment from society are becoming increasingly common amongst people. Why is this happening in an age when methods of communication couldn’t be better? We mail, we text, we Skype, we tweet each other regularly but what we are losing sight of is the personal touch, the real life conversation with another person, and being fully present with them in that moment. Faith keeps us connected to God and to one another and prayer is our communication line to heaven.
I strayed from my faith before
Faith is the light at the end of the tunnel that so many people need to see and experience. It is very real, it fires up your whole being. It brings with it a new hope and a sense of trust in God. It is very easy for all of us to get caught up in the world and leave our faith and our belief to one side. I strayed unintentionally from my faith some years ago when I became involved in new age activities such as meditation, angel readings, reiki, bio-energy healing and a wide range of other practices.
I didn’t realise that this was going totally against everything I had believed in and grew up with. The dark cloud of new age philosophy hung over me to the point where it blinded me from the truth. I continued along this path for quite some time, always searching for something but never finding it. Eventually I came to the end of this road and discovered that there was nothing there.
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Finding my way back
I felt terrified, alone and overcome with such a state of anxiety that I dreaded even having to leave the house. I called out to God for help. I felt like I was crying out to him from the wilderness. Shortly after, a series of miraculous events happened that enabled me to walk away from everything to do with new age. I walked into a church for mass. The altar was beautifully lit with candles and when I heard the priest say the words ‘Jesus is present’ something stirred inside me and I felt safe. The sermon that evening was about new age. It was no co-incidence. It was everything I needed to hear right at that particular moment.
Mass became my safe haven, my breathing space, where I could get relief from all the anxiety and the terrible fear that encompassed me. Through the amazing power of the Eucharist I got the strength I needed to break away from all the snares and deception that surrounded me because of my involvement with new age. I can relate to the story of the lost sheep as I feel I was lost – we all stray away from the flock but Jesus really will welcome you back with open arms no matter how far you have strayed. He will heal the wounds and make you strong again through the sacraments.
The Church is my community
The church is the heart of the community and it is our place of connection, where we can experience the love of God through others who reach out with a helping hand when we need it. I am blessed to be living in a parish where we have a vibrant faith-community. This is down to the support and encouragement of our priests who work alongside the people, ever-ready to support and encourage and build anew.
The challenge the Church faces today, I believe, is in creating a bridge to the community to meet people where they are at on their own particular faith journey. For some, coming back to mass may be too big of a step for them to take but they may come along to a witness talk or even to a parish coffee morning. The church is going through a new evangelisation right now and it is the most opportune time to give your faith a chance to grow.
It’s okay to take stepping stones. Everyone needs to walk at their own pace. We all have a light inside us, it is how we nurture that light that matters, and our faith is like that, it needs nurturing and then that little wavering light will become a blazing fire inside your heart.
Patricia McNally is helping to organise the Faith Festival in Enniscorthy, County Wexford from 31 May – 2 June 2013.
The celebrations organised by the parishes of St Aidan’s and St Senan’s, will be officially opened by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and closed by Bishop Denis Brennan. Enniscorthy castle will play host to an exhibition of various religious artefacts and photographs showcasing the celebration of faith in the diocese throughout the ages. The weekend will also be packed with a wide range of events including witness talks by John Waters and Micky Harte and Maeve Carlin. If you would like more information on the festival please email Patricia at p.mcnally@live.com.
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As long as your faith is yours and you don’t try to force your standards on others it’s a beautiful thing.
However, when clergy enforce their will upon the people and religion dominates politics, it’s an evil that knows no second.
This article is just more of the usual catholic propaganda . I wish Derek Walsh from atheist Ireland or other non religious person of note would write an article about what it means to them to be an atheist or secular and how their lives are better because of it . I’m so happy to be mentally free of religion and the God concept . It’s a good feeling being able to think for oneself and evolve as a human being , free from the God delusion. Humanities salvation will be through sciences not prayer and obedience to any creed or doctrine. Roll on the future ! An estimated One billion non believers on the planet and growing !
The RCC propaganda machine is going to go into hyperdrive.Expect much more of it in the media. The Vatican has employed some of the greatest marketing minds and spin doctors in the hope of changing its image , it’s still the same beast with the same power hungry people at the top. Preying on the good well meaning obedient masses like a parasite . Preying on young vulnerable and weak and impressionable minds.Many people maybe seduced and forget the heinous crimes that were committed but I know of many victims who will never forget what was done against them!
Because I find the notion of faith and belief in deities utterly nonsensical for adults, no matter how hard I try I just cannot say anything positive about articles such as this, other than I’m sure the author is a very nice person and I really hope that one day they find all they need to make them happy in this world right here.
Faith is nonsensical? Gaius, have you ever believed a story somebody told you at school without asking for the evidence and bringing along with you a battery of lawyers? Faith, trust, it is something everyone possesses, so how you can call it non sensical is beyond me. When my wife told me she loved me and wanted to marry me, I did not bring with me a pack of scientists to examine her love for me. I simply said yes and leapt into her arms full of faith and trust. Granted that sometimes we can put our faith in something that is false, like…..atheism for example and the belief that there is no God for it is something the atheist cannot disprove. His argument is circular, he complains there is no proof and yet cannot prove there is no God and himself is full of faith in his own disbelief. You may say you cannot prove that the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn’t not exist, but does that mean he exists? However, how many people were miraculously cured of cancer in the name of the Flying Spaghetti Monster versus Jesus Christ? It’s obvious that if there was no God there would be no atheists so let’s see your own proof. Your tired of our faith, but your full of faith yourself. People are born with faith, just instead of putting it to good use they put it to bad use, like atheism ;)
Au contrare Stephen,we’re all born atheists,it’s only mammy’s and daddy’s that turn children into ‘believers’ when they baptise them,thankfully this trend is being reversed. All religion is man made,and therefore merely a story,I don’t believe there is no such thing as a god,I know there is no such thing,a character invented my man is by it’s very nature fictional. You spend your life waiting to be dead,I spend mine appreciating every second of it.
Very christian of you beaten up on the atheists.They History channel are showing The Bible,its hard to belive that people are taking all this stuff as fact and not aloud to question yet.
How many people are cured from cancer in the name of Jesus Christ?
It’s this kind of logic that adds nothing to the debate and is completely valueless. If you were to ask how many were not cured in the name of Jesus Christ it might be easier to answer.
There is nothing you can do about dogmatic belief. You can’t make someone believe, that’s the very nature of it.
I’m with you though Gaius – I think it’s nonsensical too.
Gaius people are born neither atheists or believers, this however does not discredit the fact that there is a God, just like s babie is born without the knowledge of how to feed itself, does not mean at some point we should not teach him or her how to feed themselves.
Furthermore, being an atheist Gaius who believes only in the physical and not in the invisible, you cannot make that claim that we are born atheists and get away with it, without presenting to us your physical, scientific evidence. We don’t want theoretical evidence Gaius, we want to see the atheist gene. You can bet your bottom dollar that if there as such physical evidence it would explode on to the news and be one of the most prestigious scientific finds since the dawn of mankind. But it ain’t there. *tumbleweeds*
@stephen I have read many of your posts and you have claimed that more or less not to clever and not well educated . This is obvious when you state children are borne with faith . Children are born atheists they are indoctrinated into a faith , generally by their parents and the society they grow up in.
Stephen you do realise that you are almost as atheist as me. I dont believe in 2870 deities and you dont believe in 2869. Where is your proof that they don’t exist? (applying your own logic here)
Ok Stephen I see what your getting at . Let me reword it , babies are not born with a belief
In deities . Because of this they are atheist by default .
We are all born with faith, this is obvious because we all practice it. You mean to say that when you were a child, and your father asked you to jump from the high wall down into his arms, that he would catch you, that you waited for science to give you the answer? No, you leapt full of faith and trust in your fathers love for you. This is what Jesus talks about in scriptures when he says that unless we become like children we cannot enter the kingdom of God. The simple faith of a child is pleasing to God.
@Stephen:
The term atheist means without belief in a deity – are you seriously suggesting that babies are born WITH a belief in God?
Also – you can’t have it both ways – it’s pretty transparent what you do – you try to call out atheists by constantly asking for scientific evidence; all while never presenting any of your own and ignoring it when it comes – or denying it by saying that faith is not science.
You are actively blinding yourself and I hope you manage to see the truth as soon as possible. Otherwise, on your deathbed, I hope you manage to not worry that you might be going to hell – rather than the “comfort” that people constantly refer faith to be.
@Stephen – when I jumped down off a wall my father was ACTUALLY THERE. And when I asked him about stuff he ACTUALLY ANSWERED ME. This is not about the faith of being caught or being heard – this is about knowing that the person is right there and having trust in them due to observational history – which is about as scientific as you can expect a child to be.
Far more real world there than going to school and being told that the protestant/muslim/hindu lad that’s not in your school but that is your friend is going to burn in hell because they don’t believe in YOUR god.
I would imagine Stephen that you’re not catholic by choice, its a question of geography. As in, you were born in Ireland to catholic parents. If you were born in Iran to Muslim parents you would no doubt think that you were born with the Muslim gene or whatever you believe is inside of infants.
As for proof, well the burden of proof isn’t on atheists, its on the believers.
To put that into context, if you were to tell me that Santa was real, its not then my job to prove he isn’t, its your job to convince me he is real. And as a sane and rational person I’m afraid I’m going to have to demand some proof.
“His argument is circular, he complains there is no proof and yet cannot prove there is no God and himself is full of faith in his own disbelief. You may say you cannot prove that the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn’t not exist, but does that mean he exists?”
“First, many people who believe in God do not realize that in every discussion about theism, their assertion is implicit: God exists. They do not need to say it. Every argument they make is under the assumption that the statement “God exists” is true. The fact that they identify themselves as believers is enough to serve as an assertion that a deity or deities exists. No assertion is being made by an atheist (at least not a smart atheist). The word “god” hasn’t even been defined and the nature of belief in that god has not been described; these must take place before any substantial discussion about the nature of God can begin. Atheists have no reason to provide these descriptions – without any beliefs about God, they have no reason to do so. It must be presumed that this onus rests upon the theist. The mere mention of one’s belief in God serves as an assertion that God exists.
Logical statements have to abide by certain rules and restrictions. In order for a statement to be logical, it must be falsifiable, which means that it has to be presented in such a way that it could be proven incorrect. A statement is not logical if it cannot be tested to make sure it is true. The existence of God is not a logical question at all, and is therefore nonsensical. Of course you can’t prove that God doesn’t exist – no one even knows what God is supposed to be.”
@Stephen Mc Elligott I’m an atheist. I have no problem with those who believe in a sky fairy, or as you may call him, God. I find many people, as Patricia said in this article, was searching for something, what rattles my cage, so to speak, is when people make comments or statements that are blatantly wrong either about religion or atheism.
Your assertion that everyone is born with faith is so wrong it is laughable to those who understand how wrong you are. We are all born without any faith, we are only shown the faith of those who raise us, usually in a society of a similar faith. In the West it will likely be Christian of some description, in the middle East it would likely be Muslim. If the parents are atheists the child may likely be brought up with no faith.
If we are all created in Gods image, then why aren’t we invisible too? These things just don’t make sense and are all to often explained as a “mystery” or some such thing.
You make bold references to miraculous cures of cancer, nonsense. Medicine cures terrible diseases and illness every day, when it looses that battle it admits defeat, it never claims it was the boogey man. Religion makes ridiculous bold claims that people should pray to this relic or that saint to effect a cure, and if they get lucky (don’t mention that medicine played a part or that sometimes people, rarely do just get better on their own, or lie) claim a miracle. If they don’t get lucky, it was the patients fault for not praying hard enough. Win, win.
You see my children have faith, faith in what they know, what can be proven. They don’t suffer from nonsensical guilt over ridiculous things or have hang ups over things there is no need to have them for (know what I mean, wink, wink). They don’t believe in scary monsters or the boogey man. We don’t need a shepherd, because, frankly, we’re not sheep.
Lads, all of yiz who say Stephen is ‘uneducated’ for saying children aren’t born atheists are so two-faced. Atheism by definition is the rejection of God’s existence. Well if children don’t know such a thing like a God can exist, how could they be born already rejecting the notion of God?
Also atheists here who like to write snide comments to the few believers here, there is (or should be) freedom of association in this country, if a person associates him/herself with faith of any sort then who are you to deny them that right? The same goes for a portion of practicing Christians who are against gay marriages and whatnot. Freedom of association guys :) it’s sickening to see all the snide comments every single time a religious article comes up.
Serge, that sounds like a skewed definition to support your point. Being Atheist isn’t necessarily a “rejection of the existence of god”. It is simply to be “without a god”. Which is how kids are born, not rejecting, but just starting off without!
And I’m sure most, if not all atheists would agree with your point of having freedom of association for all. The problem there is that many state laws (which all people must obey) are built around religion and past beliefs (not entirely just!), and most religions don’t stop at just believing, but spreading their particular “word” and judging others for not sharing their beliefs and practices, as most religions do towards each other, and not just toward Atheists!
Those Christians (and anyone who just doesn’t like the idea in general) who oppose gay marriage, are more than welcome to have those views. Its when they publicly declare it and it becomes a legal issue, that’s when the trouble starts. Legal issues aside, I reckon those who are for gay marriage don’t really care what some Christians think, but when Christians open their loud mouths and try to get up on some kind of imaginary moral high-ground, then they’d better be prepared to receive some insulting verbal abuse about their beliefs in return…. freedom of association for all…. right?
@Sergé As John Buckley said, so very well, an atheist does not just reject God’s existence but that of any supersticious beliefs. We no more believe in ANY god than we would in the efficacy of a witch doctor shaking a stick at a large rock.
Article on this site, whether about religion or not, are here to provoke debate on the subject, and yes, sometimes that can be humorous. That is the beauty of a free society. Are you seriously suggesting that if the topic of religion arises then that becomes taboo, atheists must refrain from questioning what we would consider the strange practices of certain religious people? If so then it ceases to become a site for topics to debate, such as this.
If Christians, or any people with strongly held views, religious or not, choose to debate those views on an open site like this then surely its a little disingenuous to complain when others who disagree with those views join that debate. The alternative you propose is preaching, we’ve had that. It hasn’t worked too well.
Your church is repressive. It’s leaders preach bigotry, hatred etc even against its members. There is absolutely no proof that your religion is better than another or that your god even exists yet you inflict your beliefs on others and expect us to be indoctrinated. Women are far from equal. I’m at a loss to know you would enjoy being subjugated just as I can’t understand how gays could be part of that church in its present state or with its current leadership.
I hate how so many people on this site have the arrogance to comment on this article telling Patricia that she’s wrong and they’re right. The kinds of people who tell Patricia that she’s wrong and should stop believing in God/the Catholic Church because it’s not real and she was just indoctrinated are being completely HYPOCRITICAL! They are trying to tell her what to believe in the same way as some in the Catholic Church did/do!
I say fair play to Patricia for having the bravery to put her views out there on a site that can be so full of hate sometimes!
@ Denis O Ceallachain – No one is telling Patricia what to believe, it would be of benefit to her thought however to be skeptical when it comes to accepting things in live. Having doubt is a great thing, in the past I have believed things without real evidence and it was only to my detriment.
Why do gay people on here constantly go on about being gay? It’s not like heterosexual people are here shouting about being straight all the time. Do gay people want medals for not being normal? Yet they come on here and ridicule this woman for expressing her faith.
Denis – I don’t understand how you expect people to stay away. It’s not hypocritical in any way. The other day a guy was shouting on the street about how pretty much everyone who passed was going to hell unless they repent. I’ve had people call door to door to tell me about Jesus. Why is it that non-believers are not entitled to express their opinion?
If you have your belief then the only reason for being annoyed about non-believers commenting on what you seem to see as your “turf” is that you feel your belief being shaken.
If that’s the result of being challenged then think again about where the source of the problem is.
Well said Denis, couldn’t agree more. Some people on here reckon if you do believe in God you should be locked in the looney bin! Can you not respect other people’s beliefs??
I absolutely respect your right to have whatever belief you want to have. Nobody is under any obligation to respect what those beliefs actually are – just as you are under no obligation to respect atheism.
As for being locked in the loony bin for believing in God – I certainly don’t believe that.
The real question is why believers ever feel the need to defend their faith?
To all the religion-bashing atheists, I ask how Patricia’s faith affects you in any way. She is in a better state in her life because of it, is involved in her community and is not harming anyone as far as I can tell.
It’s not Patricia per sé, it’s people we all know in similar places in their lives. For me, it’s like watching someone constantly trying to put a square peg in a round hole, and you really want to show them that the square hole is right behind them.
Donal there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a personal faith- and if that brings someone happiness, then that’s great- it’s when people (like the writer of this article) make out that because being religious is good for them, then that’d mean it’d suit everyone- trying to force their own opinions on everyone, in other words- and act like any other belief (like new age) or no faith at all is bad or wrong. If Christianity/Catholism has helped this woman, then that’s great, but organised religion and attending mass isn’t right for all of us, and it shouldn’t matter what you believe or don’t believe in, as long as you’re a good person!!
When I saw the headline for this article, I said I wouldn’t bother reading or commenting as everyone is entitled to their beliefs, however deluded some of them they may be. Then on second thoughts I thought I’d read it with an open mind, to see what the person had to say about her faith.
But of course, yet again, a member of the Catholic Church couldn’t just profess her faith without making massive generalities about other people, without dissing other peoples beliefs or lack of same, without making assumptions like “faith is the pause button that everyone needs” I don’t need it.
And what exactly is “the dark cloud of new age philosophy?” Meditation is not new age it is centuries old and widely practiced in the catholic church. That other things she doesn’t believe in anymore are suddenly evil, at least thats the implication. Most of these new age things are a waste of time, I agree. Their followers are probably people who need a pause button, just like the writer does and they choose to allow themselves to be deluded by the promise of an external source for happiness and fulfilment, just like the writer also does. It makes me laugh when one superstitious person mocks as stupid or evil, the superstitious beliefs of another and assumes that going to mass(the re-enactment of a human sacrifice involving the eating of the victims flesh and the drinking of his blood) is a prerequisite to being a good person.
“I became involved in new age activities such as meditation, angel readings, reiki, bio-energy healing and a wide range of other practices”, and these are less valid then Catholicism how?
Both of them are just unverifiable superstition.
Patricia mentions briefly a series of miraculous events that cemented her faith but fails to give any details on what these are. This article is very vague in the message it tries to portray and is quite laughable in it’s attempts to position faith and the church at the centre of ones life.
She makes an argument for having religion as the centre of ones life yet fails to back up this argument with any logical reasoning. I laughed upon reading it. It is therefore laughable.
I absolutely hate the political fights people have in the comments but I hate even more people bashing others religions, what gives you the right to do so? The woman has her beliefs, has her faith who are you to question it??? Get on with your sad pathetic lives and leave it be… Nice article by the way!
@ Thomas O Leary – “people bashing others religions, what gives you the right to do so?” Its not bashing, it is people merely questioning Patricia’s decisions as to why she does what she does, I suppose by your logic it is also not okay to be critical of Muslim extremists and what they do to other people who don’t believe what they believe, because what Muslim extremists do, they do so based on their beliefs.
Patricia, if the lord is your Shepard; that makes you a sheep. Following the flock blindly rather than thinking for yourself. Religion was born out of ignorance and adherence to worship of gods, in this age of information, is wilful ignorance. The world will be a better place when people accept reality for what it is rather than paint over it with some comforting fantasy.
‘An astronomically overwhelming majority of the people who could be born never will be. You are one of the tiny minority whose number came up. Be thankful that you have a life, and forsake your vain and presumptuous desire for a second one. ‘ Prof. R Dawkins
Alan: ive lost family to cancer. Their faith helped them greatly in their final days. Im not much of a believer but they took huge comfort in prayer. I also find your sneering tone unhelpful and rather arrogant.
@Clifford – with respect, so have most people – but not necessarily had faith. The constant suggestion from the faithful is that without faith, there is no comfort. This is simply not true.
Gods are about as real as Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy. But if that’s what floats your boat then go for it I say. For me my mrs and kids are the real angels
I have to admire people to find stength and solace in faith. I haven’t been to Maas in years, but was at a funeral of a family member a few weeks ago and was amazed by how comforting I found the words of the priest to be. Considering going back to maas now and really listen rather than act the maggot as I used to as a child.
Believing in God (or not) I think is a personal issue. To my mind there is nothing wrong whatsoever in having beliefs and considering yourself to be spiritual or even religious, my problem is confining yourself to the dogma and diktats that come from an organisation that’s undemocratic, repressive and massively-wealthy.
If nothing else, faith (and lucky charms) can induce a Placebo effect and that’s a charm in itself that makes faith and superstition worthwhile for some.
It’s pretty amazing in these days of education and information access that so many people believe in gods. I suppose that since these two things are fairly new and main stream religions have been indoctrinating people for centuries it’s going to take some time to wear off.
Patricia talks about straying from her faith briefly when she dabbled in new age, reiki, meditation etc. Basically she swapped one load of gobbledy gook for another. Typical unquestioning “spiritual” waffle.
War, murder, drugs, unemployment, corruption, gang rapes and hundreds of other issues in the news. But what really gets the blood boiling among the commenters on the Journal? A woman expressing her faith !
When you grow up and live a little, come back and share your experience with us. You’re not long out of Nappies, still in college and need more living!
Ha ha…are you a professional stalker or just part-time Stephen? Because you’re not very good at it. I’m long out of college and nappies but thanks for the background check attempt. I notice you didn’t provide any further evidence on the almighty’s assertions either? That’s the modus operandi of anti -theists on this site; arrogantly tell the rest of us about our lack of free thinking or ignorance of facts and then throw around historical inaccuracies
Kevin, I know this comment is a bit late but I have to pick you up on something. An anti-theist is someone who is anti-God which would imply that they believe in him. Atheists cannot be anti-God and they cannot hate God because to them he does not exist. How can you oppose something that doesn’t exist?
Killian, in a purely philosophical sense I think your point make senses as the word may suggest someone who believes in a malevolent god and opposes that deity. But in a practical sense I think it’s an acceptable word to describe those people who are opposed to the religious beliefs of others.
I don’t believe anybody is laughing at this woman! She has her faith and it helps her live her life where she gets a great deal of comfort and support from it! Does science help you in a moment of crisis in your life!?! At least this woman has her faith!
Im in Gaius. Nobody can doubt the infallibilty of the sacred Beano Annual. We shall worship by drinking tea in our JCBs whilst admiring our women in their knickers.
Religion is for those who don’t want to go to hell. Spirituality is for those who have been there.
Live and let live.
I have a strong belief that the soul. Spirit, consciousness lives on after we die. There is no comprehensive proof but there have been many tales recounted of near death experiences.
I respect anybody’s view that faith in the afterlife is all nonsense. To those who strongly feel / believe that I would ask this. What is atheism but another unyielding faith which lacks any tangible evidence?
His name was Galileo Galilei, they put him under house arrest for saying the world was round, then they excommunicated him for heresy, but it’s okay, they forgave him in 1995, 380 years later.
No the church persecuted Galileo for saying that the earth wasn’t the center of the universe and that the earth revolved around the sun instead. The earth being spherical was a well established idea by the time Galileo was born, in fact Eratosthenes (a Greek mathematician) had a very accurate estimate for the circumference of the earth in 240BCE.
Yes John this inaccuracy was going to be my first point. Mainly because I find that a large number of people who berate others for dismissing facts throw around inaccuracies about religion all the time. The other points were that although Galileo turned out to be right the science he used to support his theory was inaccurate and he had no proof for his theory. Furthermore his work was largely funded by the church and he was not convicted for heresy but was put under a house arrest because he contravened his pledge not to promote heliocentrism without proof. Note that Copernicus who had first raised the idea of heliocentrism was not persecuted in any way
@tomy. Ive not heard it said that there’s no comfort without faith. My point ultimately is that whatever way helps a person accept their own mortality is their business and not really appropriate for snide throwaway comments.
In terms of things being “snide” – this is something that particularly bothers me about people defending faith and religion. If it is your faith and belief then nothing anyone says about it should shake that. So why defend it? Why do people so often get angry and bitter about it? The only logical reason I can see is that people feel that their own faith is personally challenged, but instead of actually thinking about that, active denial kicks in against actual thinking.
I think your reading too much into my comment. I didnt like the tone of the statement asking what faith could do for terminal cancer. In my experience people close to me found it hugely comforting. That was all. I dont ask why people are for or against religion. Its none of my business.
Yes, that’s pretty much what I got from your comment.
The thing is though Clifford – as I mentioned in my earlier comment – you’re not alone in having lost people (to anything). I was merely observing that the perceived comfort of faith comes with conditions.
Clifford here’s something that may bring you comfort on your own death bed.
There is no heaven, no hell and no afterlife. When you die the atoms that make up your body disipate and are absorbed into their surroundings. Some into plants, some into soil, some into air, some ultimately into stardust. You came from the universe and when you die you return everything you have to the universe. When you die you become everything around you – everything you can see, smell, hear and touch. Ultimately you may even become a star.
Is that not a more comforting, truthful and beautiful message to hear in your final days than what those of “faith” profess?
Burden of proof is about proving what IS there, not about what’s not.
Some whimsical statement like “prove that there’s not” is pretty similar to “because it is written” or “it’s a mystery”. It’s one of the places people go when they know that they either accept what is blatantly in front of them, which is often frightening, or deny it while suspending their ability to reason
A nice and well written article. One thing I would be curious about is the author’s age. I think it does make a difference as if she’s young it would appeal to the “target audience” as such whereas if she’s older the article loses its relevance.
@worf you use the term “target audience” typical of RCC doctrine to target the young and vulnerable with their propaganda .i have never met a catholic who had chosen their faith by their own free will but I have met many who have rejected it as a faith by their own free will.
@ Beabad – I presume you’ve never heard of adult baptism into the Catholic Church? These are people who choose to become Catholics from either other faiths or none.
So a few adults become Catholics so what ? All i stated was that I have never known any and I’ve been around for almost half a century on this planet . I wager far more depart that faith as adults than enter into it as adults .Catholics like to indoctrinate and make their mark nice and early , because its a lot harder to indoctrinate a mature educated mind. Fortunately there is an estimated 1 billion non believers in the world . One day that figure will overtake the numbers of Catholics . The more advances and access to technology , science and social equality and education throughout the world the greater this number will become . I have a dream that Some day humanity will be truly free and consign the god concept to where it belongs , history.
What about terminal cancer so!?! Science has failed you…How do you deal with what comes next!?! Faith helps! For the record I have very little, if any, faith myself these day, but I think it’s admirable that this woman has strength in hers!
Maybe not exactly stupid, but very sad to see people choosing superstition over reason or rejecting whatever parts of science don’t fit with their mythology-based beliefs.
While I wouldn’t be as blunt as Adam, if you read the bible, or any holy text for that matter, one can only reach the conclusion that all religions are stupid, so I’d have to agree with him on that point, at least he didn’t beat around the burning bush.
Charity has nothing to do with belief in a god. I give money to VdeP whenever I can. I am an atheist and don’t need a collection to donate or religion to know that they do good work and deserve support.
it really saddens me when I hear so much negative comments on having a belief. I am 26, I am a practising catholic, I have many friends who do not believe or who do not live by what I believe and that doesn’t bother me, once they’re happy that’s d main thing! Having a faith brings me great joy, knowing that I can take time out and reflect on my life, on how I live on a regular basis gives me a great sense of peace and believing in a greater good and the love that surrounds us,helps me when I’m worried!
I never try and push my faith on anyone, my husband is non-practicing but what makes me sad is the view by so many non- believers that religion somehow instils fear and repression into those who practice! I am very sorry if that has been the experience of those in the past and who have turned away from the church for that reason!
As a practising catholic I have never felt that fear of hell, I have only ever felt the love and forgiveness that exists! I am sorry for the way that religion was rammed down in the past and for the hurt that it has caused to a great many but I am thankful for the peace and joy that it has brought my life and the lives of so many! Please don’t feel that it is all about repression because it can be about so much more love and joy if we let it be, sorry not trying to preach it just saddens me to think of the negative experiences so many have had from such a positive thing in my life!
Starrey eyed. Lovely comments. I am a practising Catholic myself. I have only positive things to say about being a Catholic.
I’d say a lot of em on here are pseudo intellectuals. Spent couple of years in college and suddenly they know it all. Tis quite embarassing really.
Its only right to stand up for your God but its pointless getting into an argument with these idiots. They can get very viscious in order to make their point.
“Its only right to stand up for your God but its pointless getting into an argument with these IDIOTS. They can get very VISCIOUS [sic] in order to make their point.”
I didn’t even see any coincidences, I think she basically just said she went to church, the priest said something about Jesus, and it made her feel good. That’s a pretty piss-poor miracle.
Miracle is a divine act suspending the natural order and/or laws of the universe in favour of the recipient. What happened here is that the lady was down in the dumps, was wide open for influence and got a cuddle from the past.
One of the great myths of our time is the supposed conflict between faith and science.
Few myths are more damaging to the standing of religion in Western countries.
However, as priest and particle physicist Dr Andrew Pinsent argues in his talk, the myth is exactly that.
Fr Pinsent is Research Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at Oxford University, a member of the Theology and Religion Faculty, a Research Fellow of Harris Manchester College and a priest of the diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
His research experience includes a period at CERN, the world famous research centre in Switzerland working on the DELPHI experiment on the LEP collider, and he has a doctorate in particle physics from Oxford, besides a degree in theology and a second doctorate in philosophy.
Fr Pinsent’s research interests include the philosophy of cosmology, complex systems and persons. The present focus of his interdisciplinary research is on second-person relatedness (the ‘I-Thou’ relationship) in contemporary science, philosophy and theology.
as usual…the theists and atheists flocking to write about how they’re better than one another…all I know is that the Western world is becoming increasingly atheist, and will be eventually be swept away by another religion that is more united in its identity. Then they’ll wish they had something to prevent that from happening, but it’s gone now
Because for all its faults, (including dividing people), religion has the ability to unite people beyond boundaries like nationality, race etc. You’never hear of a giant bunch of atheists being united in anything besides….well hating theists and organizing anti theist forums which only they go to
I’d accept it & not be fooled thinking there’s something else out there,that’s why make the most of your life & don’t be worrying about what’s there after you die,the answer is nothing.
@simon This is the first time I have ever commented in public about my religion and I did so only in response to all of the negative comments about the beliefs that I hold, I wanted to show that there is another side without pushing it on anyone!
Ps my personal answer to why u don’t hear about the losses is because there are no losses when u live by love, forgiveness, peace and joy, well not for me anyway!
Starry eyed. U hadnt posted a few.mins when someone wanted to attack. Do not get sucked in. These are sad individuals with a lot of frustrations in their lives. They love to pick fights in order to vent their frustrations.
Yeah, you keep on thinking that, Deirdre- it’d be just too scary to think you were wrong, and that other people have different views to you, wouldn’t it?
I’m not an atheist, by the way, but I don’t belong to any organised religion either- and as I said earlier, I have no problem whatsoever with people believng; it’s when they try to force it on others that I get so angry, and rightly so. You’re saying we’re angry, and want to pick fights- what do you think you’re doing? You sound more angry and intolerant than anyone else on here!
Starry Eyed, at least you have a nicer and more tolerant way about you than a lot of religious people- I wsh more of them were like that!
@ Sarah thank you, I also wish everyone would be more tolerant of each other!
@ Deirdre, I’m afraid I must agree with what Sarah and others have said! U advised me not to get involved in an argument however u did exactly that! How do u expect others to believe what we say if we engage in name calling and intolerance! I have no intention of arguing with anyone I simply wanted to share the joy that I get from my beliefs but in order to do that we must practice what we preach! Unfortunately there has been too much hypocrisy in the church in the past and I have no intention of adding to that! We most be tolerant and accepting of those who do not share our views! Best of luck x
Starry eyed surprise. I stand corrected. U are 100% right. I got involved in an argument and i shouldnt have. U showed the love peace and tolerance of God far better than i did.
Thank you Starry Eyed! :-) It’s good to know that Deirdre got the basic message from both of us, and that my words might have made a difference! Religion should be a comfort to those who like it, and politely ignored by those who don’t- it’s sad that it always seems to cause arguments such as this. At least by discussing it like this, and hearing people agree not to argue, I can see how it’s made a difference…
Sarah. U are correct. I need to address my way of answering people. If the non believers find me offensive then i am not doing myself or my faith any favours am i?
Its a very emotive subject. Good luck. Thanks for ur respectful input.
@Alan, I am contesting that contributing to church collections is no worse than other uses of people’s money. There is a hell of a lot of bad stuff about Catholic church, but there is some use of those funds for genuine charitable causes.
I never heard of anyone being saved from a life of crime, gambling, drink, drug addiction, mental anguish, etc by finding ATHEISM. if atheism’s so good then why is Prof Dawkins so insecure? He protests too much. Check out Prof Anthony Flew RIP. He was a bit like Dawkins. Mad prof, whatever didn’t believe in God. Changed his mind near the end and was ridiculed by his atheist former colleagues and fans.
Can anyone at The Journal please tell me why my comment above had been removed, and do so without effetely pointing in the direction of a guidelines document. If it’s the author of the piece who has say-so over who can or can’t comment then I’d suggest that your faith isn’t as strong as you make out if you’re objecting to others commenting on your opinion piece.
‘sky’ fairies? Man in the ‘sky’? imaginary this and that.?? where are you hunting pack of insecure atheists getting these terms’ from. Where does the ‘sky’ come into Christianity??. Whoever said God is a ‘man’ that ‘lives in the sky’?? Who said God is ‘imaginary’ or ‘invisible’? Y’all have a very childish, cartoonish, simplistic concept of Christianity. It probably makes you feel better to dumb down things to your own level to make yourselves feel better. But remember it’s easy to be smart and brave here but there are no atheists in a foxhole or on a deathbed. It’s not for nothing that there are billions who KNOW (not ‘believe’. I’m sick of this condescending ‘beliefs’ stuff) that they were created by God and that they actually have a purpose and are part of a plan. Scoff and laugh all you want here. In the midnight hours it’s a different world….
@Eamon I hope your feeling better now you got that off your chest . I guess by your post that you also think that the estimated billion or so non believers on this planet are also wrong and destined to a life in your hell . How comforting that thought must be for you ! It must be nice to feel morally superior to those who don’t share your beliefs(what you “KNOW”) Sleep well go in peace live the delusion. “You take the blue pill- the story ends , you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe” -Morpheus.
KNOW??? Like you know the Earth is flat? Like you know that it does not orbit the sun? Like you know it was made in six days? Like you know it’s 7,000 years old? etc. etc. (in the same way as I know there are invisible undetectable leprechauns in my back garden, I suppose).
@Worf, no more than I can back up the following statement; ‘There is a giant teapot trapped in the middle of the moon, and inside there lays 2 apples, a JCB, a 1976 Beano Annual, and a pair of knickers’, it’s just really, really unlikely isn’t it.
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