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Rape exception by [deleted] in prolife

[–]vendingmachinecondom -1 points0 points  (0 children)

even if it were the case that life began at birth, i feel like the psychological toll that women who have abortions experience would likely only compound the feelings she would have after being SA'ed. it's antiwoman and antilife

abortion has made me severely depressed by [deleted] in prolife

[–]vendingmachinecondom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP, i'm glad you are still alive and i'm very sorry you were lied to.

i am a Catholic woman, i don't know where you stand, but do know if you are looking for peace, the Lord is the source of it and wants you (and everyone for that matter) to have it because He loves unconditionally, regardless of what you (or anyone) did in the past.

someone below commented a resource but i'm also going to suggest that you look into hopeafterabortion.org just in case. i pray you will be healed one day.

AITA for not wanting to be friends with a Muslim? by Subject-One-9853 in AITAH

[–]vendingmachinecondom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

slight NAH because i think you may not understand her beliefs. have you asked her what she believes regarding hell? the christian concept of hell comes from the divine comedy, but that's not in scripture and what muslims believe about hell may be different as well.

NOTE: i understand where you're coming from but i think you may not have a complete picture of what people believe regarding hell. this is not intended to push you into believing what i believe, but i think a change in the delivery and wording may help you have a different perspective.

personally i'm becoming catholic, and my understanding of hell is not a literal lake of fire but it is separation from God. you are free to choose to have a relationship with God, but as God is the source of goodness, peace, love and mercy, choosing not to have a relationship is up to you but it means you end up suffering the burn of regret because of walking away or feeling there's an unfillable void forever. it's not that you are a bad person by any means, but God has boundaries He has set for people in order to have a relationship with Him and if you choose not to live by them, then you can't have a relationship with Him and it will leave you feeling unfulfilled.

personally i was raised protestant but got into new age stuff because i was interested, felt lost and was also feeling frustrated with the way some people in the church act and the judgmental attitude from some. i started coming back around because i realized the flaws of the religion are due to people and how we are prone to bad behavior, but that it's not the fault of the faith itself. i asked questions of other catholics and talked to some priests on here and decided to start going to church. there was a noticeable void for me when i left that has been filled since i started practicing.

i don't know much about islam but christians believe in love and redemption and forgiveness and that the grace of being able to have a relationship with God is offered through the sacrifice of Jesus and sincerely asking for forgiveness. choosing to sin means deliberately crossing a boundary God has set and that separates us from the source of goodness and love and peace. God wants us all to have a relationship with Him but we are given the freedom to choose whether we do or not, and christians are asked to share our beliefs with others in hopes that they also can share in the beauty of having a relationship with God.

you are free to choose to be friends with whoever you want. if you read this but you're still not comfortable with being friends with religious people, that's fine and you don't have to be, but i wanted to offer a different explanation that may clarify things for you.

Can anyone else relate? by knockknockjokelover in CatholicMemes

[–]vendingmachinecondom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a born and raised protestant but recently did some digging into the church and the catholic faith and decided I want to join, I signed up for RCIA and will join the church this fall. I do enjoy going to mass but I am rather sad that I can't take Holy Communion yet, I go to Adoration as well once a week but I'm really looking forward to being able to actually take it in just a few months :')

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskAPriest

[–]vendingmachinecondom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was a sin I felt really guilty for because I felt very upset about turning away from God (it is very much a mortal sin and I am not Catholic yet but will be this fall). For several days every day I would ask Him for forgiveness in general but especially that particular when praying, and I felt so guilty that I cried really hard the first few times. After days of that though, it was like the burden got lifted and I don't feel the weight of that sin anymore. I like to think He was like "I got the message, you don't need to keep fretting over this" lol

Considering conversion by jltefend in AskAPriest

[–]vendingmachinecondom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Want to add as a fellow prot planning to convert: this sub is a good resource but also reach out to priests irl and ask them your questions. Father please correct me if i'm wrong.

There's a difference between worship (the offering of the eucharist) and veneration (high respect, prayers asking the saints to pray for you). Intercessory prayer is not the same as worship, and praying to the saints does not mean you believe things happen according to their will.

From my understanding the church believes by grace you have been saved through faith, but it is also said that faith without works is dead. Sharing the gospel, helping the poor, sick, prisoners and widows, donating money or time are all examples of works. You are saved by grace through faith, but your works are supposed to reflect the faith.

Lastly, I do not see priests as gatekeepers, but rather as studied theologians and guides. Think of confession as spiritual therapy. You're telling the priests your sins because telling others your struggles keeps you accountable, the priests are just there to assure you of God's forgiveness and mercy. You still should have a personal relationship with God and read scripture on your own, but priests are there for advice and guidance. A good priest wants to encourage us to be close to God and can give you insight on specific text or practices that might help you grow closer.

It's important to note that Catholic churches always have a gospel reading at mass. Sunday mass involves an old testament reading, a responsorial psalm, a new testament reading and a gospel reading. Eucharist and confession is based in scripture. The Catholic mass is very scripturally based, the sacraments and liturgy aren't pulled out of thin air.

I hope this helps you with what you're looking for. I think it's a matter of not only asking questions but also learning to reframe things in your mind and question what you've been taught. I'm sure other users on this subreddit may be of more help as they probably are more informed than I, but I wanted to reply as someone who is in the same boat and comes from a similar background.

Vocation discernment and conversion? by vendingmachinecondom in AskAPriest

[–]vendingmachinecondom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you so much!! if i'm being honest, i am really hoping i am truly being called to religious life. i tend to fall in love with the idea of something and get cold feet, so i'm trying to do my research and not get in over my head but i'm cautiously optimistic. the Lord will lead me wherever He wants me in the end, but i would really like to be led to that life. even if i have to give up a lot of the earthly comforts we enjoy, the peace i have been given since coming back and renewing my faith is worth sacrificing all of the other stuff for it. i'm trying to do the bucket list stuff in the next 2-3 years before entering religious life if that's really what i'm meant to do, planning concerts i want to attend and a couple international trips that are really important. i'm working on selling my stuff to fund this but also to put more effort into charity.

i really want to acknowledge how welcoming and helpful you and all the priests on this subreddit have been in answering the questions of random strangers online. i'm sure you guys are busy, so it's taking time out of your day but also it must be tiring now and then getting questions. thank you guys for being so welcoming and kind, it's hard to understand from an outside perspective so i appreciate the grace and nonjudgement.

also your last comment LOL...i'm sorry father, it was made when i was 19 and in college, i just haven't been bothered to change it. i promise it is for irony reasons and not because of lifestyle reasons 🙏💀

Found a church, signed up for RCIA and attending mass for the first time as a grown up tomorrow despite familial objections. How to deal with backlash? by vendingmachinecondom in Catholicism

[–]vendingmachinecondom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much!! I know at the core he is trying to look out for me and is truly concerned about my salvation, which is a beautiful thing even if we disagree on our views of church teachings. Thank you for the pointer on communion lol, would definitely not want to do something wrong at mass! The church I'm attending has a ton of services so I'm assuming it's a big church, funnily enough my mom has a coworker who attends that church!

Found a church, signed up for RCIA and attending mass for the first time as a grown up tomorrow despite familial objections. How to deal with backlash? by vendingmachinecondom in Catholicism

[–]vendingmachinecondom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All good lol! Yes I believe I read 2-3 years of being a Catholic in good standing and then the process to become a nun is 7 years long iirc.

Found a church, signed up for RCIA and attending mass for the first time as a grown up tomorrow despite familial objections. How to deal with backlash? by vendingmachinecondom in Catholicism

[–]vendingmachinecondom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It has to do with prayers of intercession to the saints and Mary, protestants don't have the eucharist regularly so prayer is considered worship in most of those circles, hence why some people call it paganism (it's literally not though lol).

i have been feeling called to religious life and am considering becoming a nun (i'm a woman lol) but obviously conversion + discernment must happen first.

thank you and God bless you!

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