Saturday, August 11, 2007
My journey towards enlightenment begins.
I have a dear friend that is a regular at my place of employment, Stogie's in Brentwood. Outside of being a fellow filmmaker, we have had several long discussions of several things going on in my life. Along with finding a true love of my life and the excitement and frenzy that goes with any new relationship, he has been a sounding board for my struggle with life and faith. So he gave me the start several months ago towards my release of the struggle of my faith. His blog, his own account of the journey towards the Eastern Orthodoxy faith has helped me focus on regaining my stride to a better relationship with both God and Myself. He even posted a blog to his disillusioned catholic brothers to come back to the true church. He has had some heated response from catholics, so I have decided to add my 2 cents in it.
I am Catholic by birth and was once a member of the Roman Catholic Church. I stress WAS because it has been sometime since I have really been an active member of the church. I still go on a non-daily basis, mostly attending service with my mom. It is mostly for her because it is good to see her smile at me at service. However, I feel large amounts of guilt being in a house of worship that I have very little belief in.
I was forced to service by my parents when I was little, and as I aged in years, I realized that faith played a huge part in my life. I went through the parochial catholic High School system to get a better chance at a good education. It was here that my faith and beliefs became tested. It seemed that every time that I even questioned my faith or the religion I was involved with, I was met with extreme resistance. Both my lay teachers and those from the Diocese almost prevented me from learning more about the faith from an outside sources.
My problems from the Catholic Faith is numerous in many ways. The roles of women in the church lends little form the fact that the faith has a woman in a prominent role, the mother of Christ, and yet my own mother has a little role in the church. My mother's role is almost subservient and that is disturbing that she cannot lead the church. Doctrine has and will be changed in the past and future. The fit doctrine to fit the needs of the church. The RCC has years and years of being deceitful and underhanded. They have killed and started wars, assassinated leaders and kings and have years and years of corruption. I won't even remark on the priest scandals because that is petty and there is more to it than the press reveals.
Most of the arguments that Catholics present to people when arguing their beliefs and faith is based on years and years of discrimination because of the religion. As the largest organized faith in the world, they are targets on a daily basis. No religion is more ridiculed nor looked at in a microscopic way than the Catholics. This constant scrutiny has led many to call to arms in defense of their faith and others to look elsewhere.
While my interests in the Orthodoxy faith has grown, I have dived into reading and research of the faith and all it encompasses. I have read several books by leaders of the faith, and will not enter this faith until I feel that my longing and eternal quest for knowledge with my relationship with God is good and strong. However, I will say that while the RCC has steered away from the one true faith several thousand years ago, the Orthodoxy faith has stayed true to the original doctrine set so many years ago.
I don't know where my journey will lead, and surely until I die in body, it will never end. I do urge that those torn about their faith and belief in the RCC, please search for the right answers. If in fact it keeps you in the RCC, then all the power to you. If you feel that there are other answers out there, then search for them and if it leads you in a different direction than where you are, embrace it, understand it, and never judge those that block your way from the most fulfilling relationship you will ever have.....the relationship with you and God!
JF
[Note from Journey To Orthodoxy: JTO realizes that this letter is not indicative of all RCC experiences. JTO also realizes that this letter is indicative of many RCC experiences. ]
My journey towards enlightenment begins.
I have a dear friend that is a regular at my place of employment, Stogie's in Brentwood. Outside of being a fellow filmmaker, we have had several long discussions of several things going on in my life. Along with finding a true love of my life and the excitement and frenzy that goes with any new relationship, he has been a sounding board for my struggle with life and faith. So he gave me the start several months ago towards my release of the struggle of my faith. His blog, his own account of the journey towards the Eastern Orthodoxy faith has helped me focus on regaining my stride to a better relationship with both God and Myself. He even posted a blog to his disillusioned catholic brothers to come back to the true church. He has had some heated response from catholics, so I have decided to add my 2 cents in it.
I am Catholic by birth and was once a member of the Roman Catholic Church. I stress WAS because it has been sometime since I have really been an active member of the church. I still go on a non-daily basis, mostly attending service with my mom. It is mostly for her because it is good to see her smile at me at service. However, I feel large amounts of guilt being in a house of worship that I have very little belief in.
I was forced to service by my parents when I was little, and as I aged in years, I realized that faith played a huge part in my life. I went through the parochial catholic High School system to get a better chance at a good education. It was here that my faith and beliefs became tested. It seemed that every time that I even questioned my faith or the religion I was involved with, I was met with extreme resistance. Both my lay teachers and those from the Diocese almost prevented me from learning more about the faith from an outside sources.
My problems from the Catholic Faith is numerous in many ways. The roles of women in the church lends little form the fact that the faith has a woman in a prominent role, the mother of Christ, and yet my own mother has a little role in the church. My mother's role is almost subservient and that is disturbing that she cannot lead the church. Doctrine has and will be changed in the past and future. The fit doctrine to fit the needs of the church. The RCC has years and years of being deceitful and underhanded. They have killed and started wars, assassinated leaders and kings and have years and years of corruption. I won't even remark on the priest scandals because that is petty and there is more to it than the press reveals.
Most of the arguments that Catholics present to people when arguing their beliefs and faith is based on years and years of discrimination because of the religion. As the largest organized faith in the world, they are targets on a daily basis. No religion is more ridiculed nor looked at in a microscopic way than the Catholics. This constant scrutiny has led many to call to arms in defense of their faith and others to look elsewhere.
While my interests in the Orthodoxy faith has grown, I have dived into reading and research of the faith and all it encompasses. I have read several books by leaders of the faith, and will not enter this faith until I feel that my longing and eternal quest for knowledge with my relationship with God is good and strong. However, I will say that while the RCC has steered away from the one true faith several thousand years ago, the Orthodoxy faith has stayed true to the original doctrine set so many years ago.
I don't know where my journey will lead, and surely until I die in body, it will never end. I do urge that those torn about their faith and belief in the RCC, please search for the right answers. If in fact it keeps you in the RCC, then all the power to you. If you feel that there are other answers out there, then search for them and if it leads you in a different direction than where you are, embrace it, understand it, and never judge those that block your way from the most fulfilling relationship you will ever have.....the relationship with you and God!
JF
[Note from Journey To Orthodoxy: JTO realizes that this letter is not indicative of all RCC experiences. JTO also realizes that this letter is indicative of many RCC experiences. ]
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