growing up Christian Options

[eunie03]

I've lived a pretty dogmatic life. I haven't known much else. I started talking to a friend who's a philosophy major, and he up and tells me he thinks we just disappear after this. We have no soul, no spirit. We just live and die, and decompose. Like we never existed.

It's kind of pointless then. To live a Christian life.

I've been trying to get away from it since the end of high school. Christianity, I mean. But no matter how hard I try, it's so hard for me to believe that this is it. That there's no heaven or hell. Then I think about all the years I've wasted going to church and essentially just talking to the ceiling in my room.

It's just as easy for me to doubt it all.

Anyway, the point of my topic. If you've grown up in a church, you've probably noticed how much stronger the fire is in the newborn Christian. Growing up with it... it just makes everything mundane and routine. Have you ever denounced Christianity, just so you can have that newborn fire? Do you think it's a sin? To want to experience the world and gain some sort of insight before blindly following the faith?

[yummy_delight]

I've been Roman Catholic my whole life. But, there's been a huge change in the way I think about my religion in the past few years.

I agree with what you said about "losing the fire" and passion in religion if you've been brought up to believe in it your whole life. Ever since I could remember, I found going to church every Sunday and praying every night very mundane. I didn't think there was a point to it, but I did it and didn't ask questions because I thought it was something I HAD to do.

Then, I went through the Rite of Confirmation. I went to classes for 2 years that taught the Confirmandi all about the "why" of Catholic religion. I learned a lot not only about Catholicism, but about myself and where I fit into the religion. Throughout those 2 years of Confirmation class, I was never once told that I "HAD TO" do it. For the first time in my whole religious experience, it was MY choice whether I went through with it or not. And, for the first time, I was actually having fun at my church. I learned that there was more to it than sitting and standing and kneeling in Mass. There was the joy that comes from sharing God's grace with others. It's been a year since I was officially confirmed as a Catholic, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm proud of my religion, and I'm coming back this year as a Youth Minister so I can show other teenagers just how wonderful being a Catholic and believing in Jesus Christ is.

My faith has definitely become more special and meaningful to me ever since I made my own decision to be Catholic.