Confirmation March 14,2007: What is right?
I just had a really interesting day @ confirmation. It didn't get me really mad until after I left and I started thinking about everything that was said tonight. The topic was morals: what's good and what's not. Pretty much speaks for itself...a very touchy subject to some people. So we discussed all this stuff including sex and marriage and homosexuality and birth control etc. It was the first time in a while that I have felt really out of place at church.
In regards to homosexuality, I said I don't think I personally believe in gay marriage, but I don't think that should include not letting a couple that happens to be gay adopt a child. I said I know personally not growing up with two parents since like 7th grade has been difficult, and I think the bigger issue is not a gay couple adopting a child, but a child being an orphan their entire childhood. Someone said "what would be better though...a child with a mother and a father, or two moms or two dads?" I think it would be worse for a child to go through life not feeling the love from a parent!
Then the topic of birth control and abortion came up. If something were to ever happen where I got pregnant and didn't want the child, I personally would never get an abortion because I do believe it is killing a life BUT I also believe that if a situation came up where a woman was raped she should be given the opportunity to choose what to do with her body and life because I don't believe a woman should have to endure 9 months of pain and suffering for something that might have been forced upon her and for something that may or may not have been her fault.
Sex before marriage...nowadays not an uncommon thing. I asked someone a question of a situation I had heard of a couple years ago. "What if a man and a woman have been together their entire lives...being faithful and dedicated to each other, but they didn't have a piece of paper saying legally they were married?" How would that be judged? I'm just saying if the church is so concerned on what the government is telling people what to do, then why does a couple need a "legal" document by the government stating that they are married. Obviously, this is a very rare situation, but it does make me wonder...
Then finally the topic of confession came up. A few questions were like "how long has it been since you last went to confession?" or "what's your excuses?" etc. I said that I will admit, it has been 10 years since my last confession and that was for when I was going through first communion. Since I've gotten into highschool, I have realized that it can be important for someone to go to confession. I said my excuses were that A) I really don't have the time, but have realized that I need to make time & B) I fear judgement. I went to a church camp a few summers ago and was given a packet telling me everything wrong with my religion and other religions and how the religion of the camp I was attending was basically superior. I've also had friends with parents that would greet their neighbors every morning by telling them that they were going to go to hell because the were Jewish or something. Then some kid spoke up and was like "Well yeah! Because it's true!" I'm sorry, but I don't think that God put us on this earth to judge people and tell them every day that they are going to go to hell because they don't believe the same thing. I also believe that every religion has their own interpretation of a heaven and hell. So a Jews thoughts on what a heaven would be like might be what some Catholics might think of as hell. So who is right and who is wrong? I just said that the reason I haven't been to confession is because I don't want to come to a place where I'm supposed to feel safe and wanted and welcomed and then go and confess my sins to cleanse my soul, and then get told that I'm a terrible person or that I'm going to hell because I did this, or I did that, or because I do or don't believe this or that!!!!!!!!..........nobody said a whole lot. A couple people just kind of stared at me. I talked to Peter about it later and he said "You see?! This is why I don't like the Catholic religion anymore!" But there is a huge difference between Peter and I...I want to be Catholic. I want to keep attending church, but it's soooooooooo frustrating and I just felt really akward today @ confirmation.....so I guess my question I want to throw out is "Am I a bad Catholic because of my beliefs and opinions that may or may not go by a book?"
<3
In regards to homosexuality, I said I don't think I personally believe in gay marriage, but I don't think that should include not letting a couple that happens to be gay adopt a child. I said I know personally not growing up with two parents since like 7th grade has been difficult, and I think the bigger issue is not a gay couple adopting a child, but a child being an orphan their entire childhood. Someone said "what would be better though...a child with a mother and a father, or two moms or two dads?" I think it would be worse for a child to go through life not feeling the love from a parent!
Then the topic of birth control and abortion came up. If something were to ever happen where I got pregnant and didn't want the child, I personally would never get an abortion because I do believe it is killing a life BUT I also believe that if a situation came up where a woman was raped she should be given the opportunity to choose what to do with her body and life because I don't believe a woman should have to endure 9 months of pain and suffering for something that might have been forced upon her and for something that may or may not have been her fault.
Sex before marriage...nowadays not an uncommon thing. I asked someone a question of a situation I had heard of a couple years ago. "What if a man and a woman have been together their entire lives...being faithful and dedicated to each other, but they didn't have a piece of paper saying legally they were married?" How would that be judged? I'm just saying if the church is so concerned on what the government is telling people what to do, then why does a couple need a "legal" document by the government stating that they are married. Obviously, this is a very rare situation, but it does make me wonder...
Then finally the topic of confession came up. A few questions were like "how long has it been since you last went to confession?" or "what's your excuses?" etc. I said that I will admit, it has been 10 years since my last confession and that was for when I was going through first communion. Since I've gotten into highschool, I have realized that it can be important for someone to go to confession. I said my excuses were that A) I really don't have the time, but have realized that I need to make time & B) I fear judgement. I went to a church camp a few summers ago and was given a packet telling me everything wrong with my religion and other religions and how the religion of the camp I was attending was basically superior. I've also had friends with parents that would greet their neighbors every morning by telling them that they were going to go to hell because the were Jewish or something. Then some kid spoke up and was like "Well yeah! Because it's true!" I'm sorry, but I don't think that God put us on this earth to judge people and tell them every day that they are going to go to hell because they don't believe the same thing. I also believe that every religion has their own interpretation of a heaven and hell. So a Jews thoughts on what a heaven would be like might be what some Catholics might think of as hell. So who is right and who is wrong? I just said that the reason I haven't been to confession is because I don't want to come to a place where I'm supposed to feel safe and wanted and welcomed and then go and confess my sins to cleanse my soul, and then get told that I'm a terrible person or that I'm going to hell because I did this, or I did that, or because I do or don't believe this or that!!!!!!!!..........nobody said a whole lot. A couple people just kind of stared at me. I talked to Peter about it later and he said "You see?! This is why I don't like the Catholic religion anymore!" But there is a huge difference between Peter and I...I want to be Catholic. I want to keep attending church, but it's soooooooooo frustrating and I just felt really akward today @ confirmation.....so I guess my question I want to throw out is "Am I a bad Catholic because of my beliefs and opinions that may or may not go by a book?"
<3