@djhalling The Magi were not there to tell Christians they should believe in astrology or astronomy or the like. While Magi were likely Zoroastrian in their background, they were placed in the story to show that Jesus came as a Universal Saviour, if only you would acknowledge and worship him. They do serve a purpose, just not the one you so blithely and sarcastically proclaim. Study the scriptures, don't just quote them.
@RainBirdLori But they were described as 'wise men' because they followed the star to Bethlehem. I would have thought that meant it was wise to follow astrology.
@djhalling No... they were called wise men because they were priests in the Persian religion. At the time, it was a common assumption that magi (title used for these Persian priests) had more than human knowledge. They were called wise men because they were pretty smart. Another common assumption was that new stars appeared at the birth of important people. The Gospel writer of Matthew, however, believed JESUS himself was the star... hence the Magi follow the star that IS Jesus.
I see what you are saying, Father Barron, but in the examples you give of God calling individuals, it seems this call was not mediated by a denominational authority. What then, would be the answer to what you call religious drifting? Must a person stay in the denomination (if any) her family was in? Maybe God calls some of us along a path with many turns. But it is heartening to be reminded that it is not all up to us, that God calls us. And I agree that denominational differences matter.
There is a lot of wiggle room when someone says they are chosen by God, Joseph Smith could say he was chosen by God for the two angels spake unto him in the forest.
People who convert to Catholicism, do so as a result of a long process of research into church history etc and a lot of rational critical thinking along that same line. They don't hear a booming voice from the sky "choosing" them. It's the result of a personal journey and their own free choice.
I had a friend who was a Tibetan Bhuddist Lama, and he took me to a lot of T.B. ceremonies, empowerments and teachings, and the more he taught me about T.B., the more it strengthened my Catholicism, and the more precious Jesus and Our Lady and the Saints became to me.
The answer to this video is simple. People stopped surrendering their reason, logic and critical thinking to god or gods, because they now know better.
@wordonfirevideo To over complicate simple matters is seen to be devious. I stand by what I said, one should take things at face value, rather than imagine a world of delusion and subside within it.
America has never encountered a heresy it didn't like. It is a literal marketplace of ideas, and Americans are consumers of a religious product. Some like the Evangelical Christian brand, some like the New Atheist brand. Coke, Pepsi.
Your religion doesn't matter, all that matters is that you become one with the Lord, that you are in His same wavelength, living in grace. Religion is a tool to know God, not a goal. You can get to the same place without religion, although might take you more time and effort. Jesus was brought as a means to facilitate that journey, a role model, a message, the incarnated verb. Religion is important because to get somewhere a map is always helpful, but not indispensable if God guides you.
@dejesusluisx At last we have found somebody who God has given the real message to, So many people claiming that God has given them the right message and so hard to know who to believe. I am so glad that you have cleared that up for all of us. You must feel very special :-)
@zearro53 I feel blessed. We might never know why God gives some people some knowledge over others, but one thing is for sure, God gives all of us talents, and the people that are not given messages, are given other talents that people transmitting messages need in order to rely those messages. We all need each other. When you realize that, you have realized God's plan.
@dejesusluisx yes, I see that you feel blessed to be a deliverer of God's message. He never seems to speak to me. But obviously it is a special moment when you have realised God's plan as you humbly take on the role of messenger. Do you have anything special from the Lord that he wishes to reveal to us during these terrible dark times
@zearro53 ""Do you have anything special from the Lord that he wishes to reveal to us during these terrible dark times"" Reject your selfish animal instincts, that's the road towards the light.
@dejesusluisx. Some Jain munis & elderly have been known to starve themselves to death. In this way all selfish needs are extinguished. Could you ask the lord if this is what he wants or is he happy for us to just rein in those selfish animal instincts. Could you get some clarification please, thanks.
@zearro53 "Could you ask the lord if this is what he wants" fasting is an excellent way of rejecting your selfish instincts, a restrictive caloric diet had been proven to reduce the incidence on many illnesses, Google it if you don't believe me, in addition, saves money and purifies your soul. You body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so you shouldn't harm your body in the process. Fasting one day per week hasn't killed anyone.
@dejesusluisx I can see that will help with the instinct for food but if I am still eating isn't the desire to eat being encouraged. One day a week sounds like playing at spirituality Surely a permanent fast is better? Also what would you recommend for anger, lust, jealousy and coveting?
@zearro53 ""Surely a permanent fast is better?"" No, because you'll neglect maintaining the temple of the Holy Spirit. While you deny your selfish animal instincts you need to maintain a balance between your temporal needs and your spiritual goals. Anger is counter with love and patience, lust with chastity or abstinence, jealousy with detachment and forgiveness, and coveting with denying materialism by being generous and unbound to earthly needs.
@dejesusluisx Re: your comment of 2 months ago - "Your religion doesn't matter..." Your comment is wrong. No other way for me to put it. Give some serious thought to the purpose of religion. A good starting point might be to actually listen and give some thought to what Fr. Barron had to say; after all, it seems to me that it is his comment that called forth your statement. As a Catholic I need my fellow parishioners to support me in my faith life. I need to celebrate Eucharist with them.
@Teachering I think you misunderstood my comment. Religion is important for your spiritual formation, as I said, quote: "because to get somewhere a map is always helpful". What I meant by my comment that your "religion doesn't matter" is that you can be saved as long as you live in grace, no matter what religion you practice. The best way to get to the truth is by integrating the knowledge from more than one religion in order to understand what it takes to live in grace. God Bless.
@dejesusluisx I have given careful thought to your response, dejesus, but on the whole disagree with and reject your argument. I agree that it is helpful to have knowledge of other major religions; in fact I used to teach a course in world religions and benefitted from the experience. Nonetheless, the Church provides all that is required to attain perfection.
@Teachering So, you think a devout Muslim, who don't commit a sin, will go to hell? I suggest you get some references first, because this matter was already settled by the Church.
@dejesusluisx "What I meant by my comment that your "religion doesn't matter" is that you can be saved as long as you live in grace, no matter what religion you practice"
Too bad the majority of relgions dont belive that..
@dejesusluisx Religion is indispensable. Without a firm guidepost on what is right and wrong. We can believe in God, but if one day we believe this about Him and the next day that, what do we really believe in? If we think that Christ isn't the same one day from the next, we run the risk of being swayed by all sorts of strange teachings. (Heb 13:9)
@dringwa "Religion is indispensable" your argument is in favor of objective moral values, not religion, and I do agree with the fact we need objective moral values. My point is that 100 different religions can all show the objective moral values God taught us, which are (in summary) rejecting our selfish animal instincts. So, it doesn't matter which one you choose, as long as you live in grace and follow God's plan. Heb 13:9 is actually an argument against religion, not in favor of it.
Dialogue among people of different religious traditions and denominations can be genuinely enriching and instructive. It most certainly does not necessitate abandoning the Church, although some unfortunately do. However, if one is rooted deeply in the Sacramental life of the Church, learning about other traditions can be an advantage, not a distraction. It can help us to understand our brothers and sisters of other faiths, and can help us to appreciate the riches of our Church more fully.
@Liminalitea Perhaps some souls who are not as established in the faith as you when inquiring about other faiths forget that the point is to become clear about their errors in order to redirect them to the inerrant truth which you so fortunately have in your possession thanks to Holy Mother Church. So many become dazzled by the exotic claims of other faiths which are only a mere shadow of what God's one true and humble church has to offer mankind.
The apostles and the prophets you mentioned were religious drifters too. You wouldn't say that their drifting was due to ignorance. You don't say that people drift to Catholicism due to ignorance. You say they were called by God. Don't you suppose every person who drifts to another denomination feels that they've been likewise called?
I agree and disagree. I agree that not all religions are the same The experience of being chosen is not limited to Christians though In Islam you have Mohammed being chosen by God Interestingly he experienced doubt for some time In a sense then even if one has the experience of being chosen one still has to choose to believe that the experience of being chosen is genuine and not delusional. Even the chosen have to choose to obey! You can't escape the ego! PS I am not a Muslim but an atheist.
Its been a great week here in Ireland. Our new priminister finally gave the pope a proper going over re: the lies, cover ups, and ongoing abuses of the catholic church in relation to innocent children. Telling him that the rule of law supercedes canon law. Not being from Ireland, you would never appreciate the control the church had on all levels of government, the police, and everyday people. The church was never questioned and we have a history of destroyed lives because of blind faith!
@bigguitar22 Are you actively pursuing truth? or are you still at a stage of atheism where your life is filled with temporary ends such as relationships, money, or anything solely related to self? Relationships come and go, their directions forever changing. Money comes and goes, its use forever changing. Your passions and desires change at the whim of the sensitive appetitive. Have you searched for an ultimate end, one which need not be replaced?
The Bishops of America are to blamed for wanton ignorance. Ted Kennedy had a Roman Catholic funernal. A pro abortionist !!! Catholic bishops gave a pass to the Govenor of NY in creating a law for perverts to get a civic wedding licence. Its the bishops of America who giving Roman Catholics a permissive attitute to the cafeteria catholics.
This is an interesting area of discussion, Father Barron. It makes me think of my own past exposure to the new-agey "spirituality" of Alcoholics Anonymous with its bizarrre syncretist and indifferentist religiosity. "Spirituality" is now a very loaded and misused word. It is often used to reduce any consideration of the profoundest questions about faith and truth to mere ciphers in a relativistic post-modern word game. All this in the guise of tolerance, open-mindedness and ecumenism.
The problem is that most religions claim to be the true religion, the one that God supports. Even if you go to the Bible, you find different interpretations. Do we stone the adulteress as in the old testament or tell her to sin no more. Do we demand an eye for an eye or do we turn the other cheek?
In the end each person must make his own choice about what beliefs to hold and what actions to take.
The faith weakened by all of this innovation. Now we are going to have a new translation of that de-emphasizes the Penitential Rite and the Eucharistic Rite and distorts and over emphasizes the Liturgy of the Word thus Protestantizing the Mass. Even the elevation of the Sacramentary has the effect of competing with the elevation of the Eucharist. Putting the Scripture on the same level as the Eucharist itself. This weekend I stopped a man from walking off with the Eucharist at communion.
I hadn't given this idea much thought, the fact that in the Bible, God often chooses the individual not vice versa and that the individual is often, at least initially, reluctant to submit to God's Will. God bless you, Father Barron
I have a little Penny Catechism which contains all the catholic faith and can be read in 1 hour. Why aren't catholics catechized properly today. It's all wishy washy today. The liberals run the Church and it's going one way, down hill.
@modomnoc1010 --The Penny Catechism is only a brief intro to the faith; I have been back in the church 10 yrs and have not finished reading all there is to study !!!
@TheDesertProphet454: There is much to study, but we need to build the foundations e.g. in the holy eucharist we receive the body, blood, soul and divinity under the appearance of bread and wine, substantially, really and truly in a non-bloody way. To be Catholic you believe this or you are a heretic. But today even priests and bishops deny this. What chance do we have?
@TheDesertProphet454: There is much to study, but we need to build the foundations e.g. in the holy eucharist we receive the body, blood, soul and divinity Jesus under the appearance of bread and wine, substantially, really and truly in a non-bloody way. To be Catholic you believe this or you are a heretic. But today even priests and bishops deny this. What chance do we have?
WASHINGTON – The Jesuit order has agreed to ay more than $166 million to the more than 500 victims who suffered sexual abuse when they were kids in Catholic schools in five states of the U.S. northwest, the victims’ attorney said.
Most of those affected are Indians who suffered abuse at the hands of priests in what is known as the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, which includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana, according to the local press.
@jimon82262 - "Ignorance of the Church's teaching is why I left for 35 years" Me Too! I think the media distorts alot of the Pope's teachings which leads to a gross misunderstanding against the RCC. I see it on YouTube everyday...
The opposite of this would be the situation in post-Christian modern Europe....where people are indifferent to Crhstianity. In the Netherlands, the Dutch have lost their moral compass with euthanasia. Look at the nordic countries, Lutheranism no longer has a cultural influence. The situation in Scandinavian countries has allowed Catholics the opportunity to evangelize. If a religion or particular denomination does not have a pay-off (salvation and fulfillment), shouldn't we look elsewhere ?
God has given us the freedom to choose the path we wish to follow. The dogmas, the teachings, the culture and so on, are what from which people drift from. And there is nothing wrong with it!
But there are bad dogmas and good dogmas. There are false dogmas and true dogmas. That is where people should be careful when deciding on their choices. Those who seek God's assistance will find it. Slowly but surely.They are willing to change as well unlike those who remain imprisoned in Tradionalism.
People change...a liberal in their 20's may become quite conservative in their 40's.
Churches change...many main line Protestant denominations no longer look like the church they did even 40 years ago.
Historically kingdoms in Europe became Christian when their rulers accepted Christianity. The subjects were forced to follow.. In modern times, you have to make the choice. And, there are many choices to choose from. Overall, I felt the video was Calvinistic.
So much for freewill. How can you presume that your god works only through your "holy book"? No one had a choice of where they were born or who their parents were. Perhaps a child born in the Middle-East was put there because god wanted that child to be Muslim. I thought god had a "divine plan" for everyone? Which by the way IF is true, sorta destroys the whole "freewill" thingy doesn't it? Since he's "omniscient" he already knows who he's letting up stairs and who he's not.
OMG folks Fr. Barron preached a sermon about how all religions most definitely do NOT teach the same thing. Go to iTunes and subscribe to his sermon podcast. The Word on Fire Radio archives has it there too. I wish I could remember what sermon number it was. But they are great.
with so many religions today, religions in the past that is now considered myths and so a lot of "sacred scriptures"; how do we know who is right among them? It is not possible that they are all correct but it is possible that they are wrong.
One might answer that God accepts them all, but that will eliminate the need for organized religion for anyone can do as he saw fit.
I agree with what you say from 3:25 to 4:00 about the US. However I think that way of thinking many times works FOR religion. Take the case of fundamentalists that don't believe in evolution. In any other developed country that has a certain level of rationality, general knowledge and respect of science, etc. you would never expect to find such high percentages of people thinking: "Evolution doesn't make any sense to me. No matter what all these scientists say, I don't buy it".
I think people move away from religion because they are better informed about religion and how irrational it is. They wake up and realize that everyone of the 4300 religions can't all have the truth. and everyone else is not going to hell...how ridiculous....and by the way the bible is not infallible and the pope is clearly not infallible....it becomes ridiculous to believe it.
@Cousinsjay I find people are poorly informed and judge without knowing what religions say about themselves.I hate to put you on the spot but you, and many many others,say religion is irrational. Well, if that were the case, I would abandon religion immediately and I think our friend Fr Barron would do the same. The concerns about papal infallibility etc...are actually justified in very rational manner. I think the greatest irrationality is to think that Faith and Reason are incompatible.
@Cousinsjay Another thing. If Catholicism is really irrational then I think the the whole of Western intellectual tradition is in real trouble because I don't think it's too controversial to say that the Church's contribution to rational thought in the West has been Immense. In fact, many atheists agree with that (see for example, Umberto Eco). Are we supposed to believe that the great Heroes of reason and thought of the last 2000 years of Catholicism are irrational? I don't think so.
I think people move away from religion because they are better informed about religion and how irrational it is. They wake up and realize that everyone of the 4300 religions can't all have the truth. and everyone else is not going to hell...how ridiculous....and by the way the bible is not infallible and the pope is clearly not infallible....it becomes rediculous to believe it.
There you go again! "god is a person" - earlier you said he was invisible and not of this world. I wish you would make up your mind. What atheists and heathens need is solid incontrovertable proof - an e-mail to all of us simultaneously or a major miracle would suffice. But no, that's too simple - we have to wade through a sea of liquid concrete and psychobable to find the "hidden pearl of god's message." Can you not see how crazy this all appears to people not trapped within it as you are?
@bigguitar22 A person is a being endowed with intellect, will, and freedom. You don't have to be a denizen of this world to be a person. If you're looking for magic shows, you're not taking religion seriously. God is not to be toyed with or manipulated. In point of fact, his existence is on display everywhere in both the beauty and contingency of the universe, if you have the eyes to see.
@wordonfirevideo "God is not to be toyed with" sounds ominous! A god who stands by whilst humanity suffers the most horrific natural and man made atrocities for millennia, who is powerless(or indifferent to) the suffering of millions of innocents is about to get angry with me for not believing he exists. Typical! If god exists at all then I see no evidence of his power or willingness to intervene in our affairs let alone worry about my tiny criticisms of the way his supporters go about things?
@bigguitar22 Humanity suffers because of it's own perversion; when people choose evil then evil comes to them, and affects everyone in it's path. It is, in itself, a mystery. Why does God permit evil?, perhaps to try to bring out a greater good; but it is because of our freedom that bad things happen and affects everyone.
BTW a God who "stands by"?.. that's ludicrous, God came down to earth AND SUFFERED all the mysery of the human race for US, are we supposed to be let free from suffering?
I was born without religion. Managed to shake off the cultural Christianity of my upbringing and have never been happier since. I am moral, by anyone's standards - I enjoy life and I work hard, I love and and respect other people and my child and expect to die an atheist having made my own choices not wishing to please an imaginary man in the sky. Dont swop religions - ditch the whole sorry lot and live your life fully. You have a human moral compass which is not of any god. Love and enjoy!
@wordonfirevideo Theology is akin to joining the Magic Circle in MHO. Members struggle earnestly with their craft - learn its secrets and dogma, some progress to its higher eschelons and develop skills which are dazzling to people outside of that elite body of knowledge. However, none of this craft and artifice make the fundamental principle of magic "real" in any objective sense. So it is with your arguments. I dont claim your level of theological expertise. None of that however makes it true!
@bigguitar22 Come on, friend, please drop the melodrama and the overheated rhetoric. I offered an argument for God's existence based upon the contingency of the world. I proposed this to you because you claim to be an atheist, and we have to establish, at the very least, God's existence before we can move on to other religious matters. Please engage that argument. Tell me where it's flawed. To date, you've just vented your spleen against a caricature of real religion.
@wordonfirevideo No we do not have to establish God's existence! You may feel you have to. I dont know if there is a god or not time may tell. That's the difference between us - I acknowledge the fact that Idont know. I do not claim to be an atheist - I am, I live my life unaccountable to a deity and the human imposed dogma that surrounds it. I believe but dont know there is no god - yet you seem to know he exists? Your arguments as they are based on age old falsehoods - not proof - not logic.
@bigguitar22 Well, once again, why don't you actually engage my argument and not just throw sticks and stones?! I would suggest you drop your prejudices and just take the argument from contingency step by step.
@wordonfirevideo Swell isn't it? My arguments are suddenly deemed to be "prejudice." Is not a belief in god a prejudice in that it shapes your view of everything - for the worse in my opinion? As I have explained several times now, contingency gets us nowhere - neither of us can demonstrate that god either exists or doesn't. My belief that it probably doesn't is based on the clear lack of observable evidence. Your position seems to be that god exists because the bible says he does - blind faith?
Could you say something about the religious / ideological roots of American culture as a whole though? The received wisdom outside of the US is that Americans see themselves somehow as a "chosen people" already. Maybe this is more pop-sociology, but certainly a lot of the ordinary original immigrants who made up the early US came from Protestant groups that saw themselves as specially called.
"Neither living nor lifeless faith remains in a heretic who disbelieves one article of faith.
[I]t is manifest that he who adheres to the teaching of the Church, as to an infallible rule, assents to whatever the Church teaches; otherwise, if, of the things taught by the Church, he holds what he chooses to hold, and rejects what he chooses to reject, he no longer adheres to the teaching of the Church... but to his own will."
"Neither living nor lifeless faith remains in a heretic who disbelieves one article of faith.
[I]t is manifest that he who adheres to the teaching of the Church, as to an infallible rule, assents to whatever the Church teaches; otherwise, if, of the things taught by the Church, he holds what he chooses to hold, and rejects what he chooses to reject, he no longer adheres to the teaching of the Church... but to his own will."
Part of the problem is that so many Catholics are not just phenomenally ignorant about their faith, but don't even realize that there is more to be known.
Another part is that so many have been surrounded by lukewarm Catholics all their lives and think that is what Catholicism truly is.
Lukewarm Christians make Jesus want to barf (Rev 3:15-16).
So many leave without any idea what they are leaving.
Not new thinking is it? We explore new religions and spiritual experiences - BECAUSE THE TRADITIONAL ONES ARE RUBBISH PERHAPS? You are fighting a losing battle Fr. Barron. People are wiser to the nonsense than they were. Drifting is perhaps no bad thing. By drifting people will come to the realisation that all religions are simply social control mechanisms.
I’m curious whether you’re acquainted with Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, and if so I would most appreciate your reactions to the story of Abraham’s sacrifice and the author’s idea of “faith” treated as a subjective entity inexpressible to anyone but God and the person. *a video on this subject would be most enjoyable*
Personally I am not against knowing the teachings of other religions as this will always allow for empathy and informed discussion but when one gets to the point of thinking that one can choose from a "grocery list" of beliefs what you want then you are really in danger of falling for the devil's trick of believing that you can become God. Catholic Christians need to learn that they need the whole package of teachings. It is NOT multiple choice.
So would you be against adopting or appreciating aspects of Budist spirituality despite the fact that one remains Catholic and Christian, and what would you say to those who are non- denominational, simply Christians and nothing else?
@BiffaTW Hello, and God bless you! Every religion has aspects of the Truth, otherwise there could be no appeal to them. But not everything that glitters is gold, and this we must remember. We're looking for gold. Buddhism's heart is detachment to reach nirvana. Christianity also teaches profound detachment, but goes one step further. It fills the vacuum of detachment with the Infinite Love of God. For those outside the Church, I would invite them to dive into the fullness of Love, of Christ.
i think that the good priest is in denial about the study. the study showed that Catholicism has been the fastest shrinking religion in usa for the last 40 years. ouch. "evangelicals converting to Catholicism would have been seen as a really big deal, but today its like changing you breakfast cereal". i would disagree and for Catholics to convert to protestantism is seen now as easy. for most evangelicals converting to the church is a much more difficult (and less common) step.
We like to tell ourselves that we make bad choices for good reasons, that we are honestly seeking truth. Unfortunately that's usually a comfortable lie. Christianity as father says, calls us to die to ourselves, it's a hard pill to swallow. I don't pretend to know everybody's thought process personally, but I do know my own and that is what I see within myself.
Steve Turner did a wonderful satire of our modern beliefs It's called "Creed."
Sunday is the holy day to worship the Christian sun god, Jesus Christ. Christian tradition in general, represent motifs from older astrotheology and solar mythology, specifically reflecting legends and myths regarding the sun gods of antiquity.
...continued If I don't believe something the church teaches, that is uncomfortable for me, but it would be more uncomfortable to lie to myself and God and say I believe something I don't. My desire for truth is a desire for God and I refuse to sever that, even if it makes me say (uncomfortably) that I don't agree with all church teaching.
God gave us free will so ultimately he did leave it up to us.
Also, there is a difference between picking and choosing, which is capricious, and thinking hard about an idea before saying you don't agree with it. continued.
I do yoga. I say the Rosary as part of my meditation sometimes. In some meditations you're suppose to pray or chant; so I say the Rosary. One of the central themes of yoga is "The Third Eye" which is suppose to be a single eye that exists just above the nose and between the eyebrows. Some people who practice yoga used this line out of the Gospel; insinuating Jesus may of been teaching this form of meditation in some form. The quote comes from Matthew 6:22-23 ASV also Luke 11:34-36 ASV
Speaking of drifting, it seems the Papal boat is drifting into some pretty stormy waters, on both sides of the big pond. Perhaps you will do a video on these latest revelations, given the pope's direct involvement in the intensifying tempest.
I just stumbled upon you resulting from your comments on 'The Stoning of Soraya M.' In short order, I have learned much from you. Thank you very much. I am probably one of your 'drifters.' Thank you for making me think about that more deeply. I consider myself a Christian. Nothing more, nothing less other than I fall FAR FAR FAR short of the target. The 'where two or more are gathered in my name' kind of thing. If a church is not filled with love and is not seeking His truths, I leave.
@SamuelCyrus Continue to search for the truth, for Jesus says, "Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find." Although humans will fail, God will never fail. When a Christian wrongs you, though, turn the other cheek. Why? Because love is the most powerful force in the universe; it conquered death and evil. It may be your cross to bear. Just remember the 2 spiritual principles: "Without Me (Jesus), you can do nothing" and therefore with Him, you can do all things. Everything is a gift.
@richgr1123 Beautiful. Thanks for sharing your fundamental truths with me and those who greatly benefit from Father Barron speaking God's word to us. Most sincerely! Vaya con Dios!
I love the way your videos get me thinking. It occurred to me that the "drifters" may actually be following the teachings of Jesus as close or more closely than others. Have they not left the safety of their "home" in search of the Truth? They are not content to sit still if unfulfilled, and many have left their parents and siblings, in a sense, suffered rejection as a result, but felt compelled to search out the Truth as they are led nonetheless. Is this not commitment to God? Who judges?
@TELEMACUS800 I respect that you have, but this is obviously not true for all. Many have found what you speak of in other ways, by their report. I am not to judge.
@pisumalu This is a hunger for God, not a commitment to finding him. If there were a commitment to finding God, they would find some kind of orthodoxy. They have only the commitment to searching for him, and so they fall short.
... sorry for the triple mailing. For some reason Youtube posted my comment three times, I had to delete two.
As for the content -- I'm not trying to bug anyone, just trying express what ideas this video brought in my mind. Father Barron is very good and clear thinker, I have nothing against him.
People can now choose for themselves, so authorities react by saying that they are misinformed and ignorant.
What is so great about Mahayana Buddhism is that the teachers always tell you to analyze the usefulness of the dogma. If my teachings do not help you, says dalai-lama, you should not believe in them. No mention of "drifting" there.
The problem with Catholicism is that there is always someone else closer to the God than the average Joe. I see this as a deep distrust toward humanity.
The lack of knowledge also exists in many other aspects of America. The one that always pop up in my head is the fact less the 50% of Americans can point to China on a world map. In general Americans don't look beyond what we are familiar with.
Fr. Barron, I can only hope that you and other priests like you look upon those of us who wander with patience and love. We aren't perfect, and some of us feel like we've been so hurt by Christian people that we have to leave and go elsewhere. Some of us have faced serious spiritual abuse and really can't stay in that place any longer. Pray for us in love anyway, as we wander. Can you do that, Father?
Lucky you, that you've found your place and are happy there.
@chalicechiq I can pray for you. And I can ask the Blessed Mother of God and all the Saints to pray for you in love and hope because every human is precious in the eyes of God. God's so-called children may not always treat you with love, but God always will. Where every human interaction fails, God will never fail. If your heart ever feels empty, God is ready to fill it with His love and warming presence. "Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find...."
Father I enjoy very much your vids. May God bless you on your Catholic Project and on all your endeavors. Much of what you talk about relates the the catechesis we give at our church. I was wondering have you ever come upon the NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY and the amazing evangelization that is going on?
Strange that Fr. Barron doesn't mention the disaster of Vatican II, which fully established indifferentism, individualism, "religous liberty, and, in short, the dictatorship of relativism we see today. Vatican II is, briefly, responsible for the ruin of millions upon millions of souls. And this is not in spite of its teachings, but because of them. When did the Church embrace Modernism? Vatican II. What was the Third World War, and the most destructive of all, infinitely? Vatican II.
There was not anything extremely wrong with Vatican II. It's all these liberals that distorted the language and meaning in order to promote their own twisted agenda.
For instance, the teaching on religious liberty was not meant to suggest that other religions spreading around is a good thing intrinsically.
It only opposed the opposite, which is for the Church to forcefully oppress all religious groups. This would not lead to charitable dialogue, if the Church is silencing you.
@Jitpring Friend, I can't agree with you here. Vatican II itself is not the problem, though the implementation of Vatican II, especially in our country, was certainly ambiguous and in some cases downright problematic. The great influence on Vatican II was the so-called nouvelle theologie, which was not modern in inspiration, but Biblical and Patristic.
@Jitpring What disaster? Its easy to make unsubstantiated claims (about all we ever hear from the cynical skeptic) In many ways it brought the Church into the 20th century & put EUCEMINISM firmly on the agenda. It also put bibical exegesis and theology firmly in the minds of the laity. Mind u I must concede that after 2000yrs we still have a long way to go, as no doubt the next 2000yrs of history will show, assuming humans r still around.
Yoga is actually more than just a bodily exercise. It has strong Buddhist theological overtones associated with it, and so it is to be rejected by all Catholics.
(Look up yoga on wikipedia to immediately see what I'm talking about.)
However, if you strip all the religion away from yoga, and just leave the exercise, then it is alright.
@September. That is very surprising, given that the known history of Yoga predates the birth of the Buddha by about 2500 years. Actually, Hatha Yoga, the yoga we here in the West are most familiar with, is part of the Hindu tradition. Buddhism of course developed in India, and the Buddha was raised Hindu, which may account for your confusion... or possibly a very quick reading of a single source ; )
Once again, I never said that the exercise alone was wrong. I am simply talking about the type of yoga which employs these religious theologies in the exercise.
That is also what father was talking about. Many yoga instructors today teach these theologies alongside with the yoga lesson, since yoga is not just a bodily exercise, but a "spiritual" work-out as well.
Anytime you deal with the spiritual, you deal with the Church. So that is where you must make sure everything checks out
@September ~ I was simply speaking to your statement that Yoga has "strong Buddhist theological overtones", when in fact Hatha Yoga precedes the birth of the Buddha by about 2,500 years and has its origin in the Hindu tradition.
A detail, yes, but seeing that one of the major points addressed in the video is that according to Prothero a majority of Americans are illiterate in their knowledge of world religions, I felt it might be a detail worth mentioning. In fact, your statement was a pretty clear illustration of that very fact.
While a lot of people "drift", and you are probably right about many of the causes (ignorance, willfulness, consumer mentality), I would guess that most religious people "choose" their faith by being born into a family of that faith.
Would you say, then, that people should stay in the denomination they are born into?
You seem to contradict yourself, because you suggest it really matters what faith people observe, but you also look askance on people shopping around for the "right" faith.
The Dalai Lama, a logical man, spoke about pick-and-choose religion in 2003: "Some people start Christian, follow Islam, then Buddhism, then nothing." he said. "Like the New Age. They take something Hindu, something Buddhist, something, something. That is not healthy." A believer who chooses elements from multiple religions really is making himself the permanent authority. It's fitting that he says so, because Buddhism teaches the unimportance of the self. [Zenit:10/8/03]
Could you comment on the difference between "drifting" and ecumenism. Today, more than at any other time in recent history the Pope and the Church seem to be pressing for increased unity among the various Christian denominations. This is a great thing, but it seems to be in some tension with the idea of "drifting."
Kinda odd seein this video and then tryin to imagine how Jesus woulda dealt with drifters. I may be way off, but seems to me love and compassion woulda been the response. I mean, it usually was, be it whores or tax collectors, and what little venom the Lord vented seemed shot directly at those who were shouldering folks with a bunch of shoulds and shouldn'ts. Nothin' seemed to piss Him off more than sombody claimin' to know the will of God. Course, that's just a simple persons take on things
@TheCrazyFish1 Take a look at the story of the woman at the well. It will tell you a lot about how Jesus dealt with "drifters." Of course he always reached out with compassion, but he certainly didn't leave people in a vague or confused spiritual state. He drew them toward communion with him. Compassion is not "letting the other be;" it is willing the good of the other.
@wordonfirevideo I'm quite familiar with the woman at the well, and that was pretty much my point son. Listening to your video, I get more the feeilin of somebody pointing a finger down than reaching a hand out.
@TheCrazyFish1 You don't think that Jesus, in his conversation with the woman at the well, is pointing her in a very definite direction? Your dichotomization between finger and hand is way too sharp.
What a joke. You come on here tellin folks their honest search for more meaning in there life is nothin but repugnant uncommittment to God, then like a spoiled child remove comments from folks willing to go toe to toe with you. You just keep on preachin your judgments to the choir son, and I'm sure you'll have a lot more drifters to complain about in future.
@TheCrazyFish1 Friend, take a look at the 150 or so videos I've done and at the literally thousands of conversations I've had with people and tell me honestly that I'm not willing to engage my opponents. I removed your post, because I found it disrespectful, much like this most recent one in fact. I mean, I spoke to you calmly and respectfully, but you haven't answered in kind.
Yes in the American religion the primacy is on the individual's relationship to the divine, whatever you take the divine to be. This is because America is a country which values the individual. Roman Catholicism is a EUROPEAN phenomenon, with its long history of state and party worship, Europe has always been a haven for the beureaucratic apparatus of the Church. It will never find in the United States such a haven if we can only reclaim the republic from the crypto fascist empire builders
@powereddrive Oh my! Your post is a very good indication that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice. Friend, how do you explain the fact that Catholicism is flourishing in America, while, relatively speaking, it is languishing in Europe. There are 70,000,000 Catholics in America, making us, by far, the largest single religion in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Part of the reason has to do with the fact that the US is a religiously extremist society comparable to Iran and Saudi Arabia, on a cultural level though thankfully not a constitutional level. Catholicism is languishing in Europe because all religion, except for Islam, is wavering in Europe. In the US, Catholicism is a more cultural than than religious way of identifying oneself, more than half of Catholic woman support Roe v. Wade and more than half of Catholics voted for Pro-Choice Obama
As for Catholicism in the US being the greatest sufferer of persecution, I suggest you talk to young latino boys and girls in East LA who have witnessed ICE teams come in the middle of the night and rip their parents out of their beds, leaving them all alone, a comment on youtube does not compare
@powereddrive I'm not sure what that comment has to do with. I was talking about the anti-Catholicism that is still an acceptable form of prejudice, even in the high culture.
@powereddrive Well that's a nice attempt to dodge a massive fact that you'd prefer were not the case. Studies have consistently shown that American Catholics believe in God, the divinity of Jesus, Mary the Mother of God, the real presence in the eucharist and life after death. All of those beliefs are mentioned in the creed as the central markers of Catholic identity. I'm not happy about pro-choice Catholics, but supporting Obama doesn't de-Catholicize them!
@seriouslymatsteele in the christian religion however Jesus came saying that he was the son of god. Buddha never claimed anything other than simply being finally awake. And that anyone else could achieve it through hard work. He said multiple time that HE was not the way to enlightenment. Only through SELF efforts could one achieve what he did. And to believe otherwise would only further you from your goal.
1 a : the state of a religious a nun in her 20th year of religion b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
LOL You also need to read a dictionary. We use a dictionary because idiots like you try and redefine words to fit your needs at the time.
Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. Christianity has 3 gods (god, jesus, and some sort of ghost thing they call the holy) so they cannot be Atheist. What a moron.
@seriouslymatsteele and how you said that how "following the teachings of ancient writings from a spiritual leader" lol he was enlightened. he wasnt a spiritual leader until someone gave him that tittle. Thats like saying then that every engineer or even every person whos ever been to school follows the religion of Isac Newton since we all follow his ancient writings on the laws of gravity. lol your so sensitive about a simple mistake someone who is not buddhist made in regards to buddhism.
@seriouslymatsteele Buddhists are not concerned with the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, only the weakness' of the mind and how by DAILY practice of now scientifically proven methods of mental training one can get past these short comings. In Buddhism one does not pray to Buddha. One meditates in order to weed out ones weakness'. A Buddhist does not believe in sin. Only weakness. Not the Devil but the frailty of the mind.
@seriouslymatsteele what Buddhists really are. Thats like me saying that christianity is scientific because the Vatican educates some of their priests in science these days.. an over simplified opinion based off of an inability to see that something may not really just be the way i see it..
@seriouslymatsteele since when do supernatural forces classify something as religious? A religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. Buddhism is more of a psychology or perhaps more so a philosophy with a dash of metaphysics thrown into it if you really want to get specific. The only thing that a BUDDHIST follows are the words of the first Buddha IF they apply to his common sense as it applies to the times. You clearly have a misconception concerning
Surely Christians should believe in astrology. The Magi were clearly did.
djhalling 3 weeks ago
@djhalling The Magi were not there to tell Christians they should believe in astrology or astronomy or the like. While Magi were likely Zoroastrian in their background, they were placed in the story to show that Jesus came as a Universal Saviour, if only you would acknowledge and worship him. They do serve a purpose, just not the one you so blithely and sarcastically proclaim. Study the scriptures, don't just quote them.
RainBirdLori 3 weeks ago
@RainBirdLori But they were described as 'wise men' because they followed the star to Bethlehem. I would have thought that meant it was wise to follow astrology.
djhalling 3 weeks ago
@djhalling No... they were called wise men because they were priests in the Persian religion. At the time, it was a common assumption that magi (title used for these Persian priests) had more than human knowledge. They were called wise men because they were pretty smart. Another common assumption was that new stars appeared at the birth of important people. The Gospel writer of Matthew, however, believed JESUS himself was the star... hence the Magi follow the star that IS Jesus.
RainBirdLori 3 weeks ago
@djhalling yah and Lot slept with his daughters so what?
philosophizer149 3 weeks ago
I see what you are saying, Father Barron, but in the examples you give of God calling individuals, it seems this call was not mediated by a denominational authority. What then, would be the answer to what you call religious drifting? Must a person stay in the denomination (if any) her family was in? Maybe God calls some of us along a path with many turns. But it is heartening to be reminded that it is not all up to us, that God calls us. And I agree that denominational differences matter.
roxykattx 1 month ago
There is a lot of wiggle room when someone says they are chosen by God, Joseph Smith could say he was chosen by God for the two angels spake unto him in the forest.
People who convert to Catholicism, do so as a result of a long process of research into church history etc and a lot of rational critical thinking along that same line. They don't hear a booming voice from the sky "choosing" them. It's the result of a personal journey and their own free choice.
ThePaphnutius 1 month ago 2
I had a friend who was a Tibetan Bhuddist Lama, and he took me to a lot of T.B. ceremonies, empowerments and teachings, and the more he taught me about T.B., the more it strengthened my Catholicism, and the more precious Jesus and Our Lady and the Saints became to me.
SunsetSix 1 month ago
The answer to this video is simple. People stopped surrendering their reason, logic and critical thinking to god or gods, because they now know better.
TheEpicion 2 months ago in playlist Fidei
@TheEpicion Sorry friend, that's not simple; it's simplistic.
wordonfirevideo 2 months ago 15
@wordonfirevideo To over complicate simple matters is seen to be devious. I stand by what I said, one should take things at face value, rather than imagine a world of delusion and subside within it.
TheEpicion 2 months ago
Don't leave your religion they got to eat too
Bill99Cass 2 months ago
America has never encountered a heresy it didn't like. It is a literal marketplace of ideas, and Americans are consumers of a religious product. Some like the Evangelical Christian brand, some like the New Atheist brand. Coke, Pepsi.
CoryTheRaven 2 months ago
Thank you Fr. Barron, this is a very good site to visit anytime! It feeds my soul!
gayamaruyama7129 2 months ago
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ADayWithoutYesterday 2 months ago
Your religion doesn't matter, all that matters is that you become one with the Lord, that you are in His same wavelength, living in grace. Religion is a tool to know God, not a goal. You can get to the same place without religion, although might take you more time and effort. Jesus was brought as a means to facilitate that journey, a role model, a message, the incarnated verb. Religion is important because to get somewhere a map is always helpful, but not indispensable if God guides you.
dejesusluisx 4 months ago
@dejesusluisx The only reason that you know about the Lord is that a religion taught you!
wordonfirevideo 4 months ago 15
@dejesusluisx At last we have found somebody who God has given the real message to, So many people claiming that God has given them the right message and so hard to know who to believe. I am so glad that you have cleared that up for all of us. You must feel very special :-)
zearro53 2 months ago
@zearro53 I feel blessed. We might never know why God gives some people some knowledge over others, but one thing is for sure, God gives all of us talents, and the people that are not given messages, are given other talents that people transmitting messages need in order to rely those messages. We all need each other. When you realize that, you have realized God's plan.
dejesusluisx 2 months ago
@dejesusluisx yes, I see that you feel blessed to be a deliverer of God's message. He never seems to speak to me. But obviously it is a special moment when you have realised God's plan as you humbly take on the role of messenger. Do you have anything special from the Lord that he wishes to reveal to us during these terrible dark times
zearro53 2 months ago
@zearro53 ""Do you have anything special from the Lord that he wishes to reveal to us during these terrible dark times"" Reject your selfish animal instincts, that's the road towards the light.
dejesusluisx 2 months ago
@dejesusluisx. Some Jain munis & elderly have been known to starve themselves to death. In this way all selfish needs are extinguished. Could you ask the lord if this is what he wants or is he happy for us to just rein in those selfish animal instincts. Could you get some clarification please, thanks.
zearro53 2 months ago
@zearro53 "Could you ask the lord if this is what he wants" fasting is an excellent way of rejecting your selfish instincts, a restrictive caloric diet had been proven to reduce the incidence on many illnesses, Google it if you don't believe me, in addition, saves money and purifies your soul. You body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so you shouldn't harm your body in the process. Fasting one day per week hasn't killed anyone.
dejesusluisx 2 months ago
@dejesusluisx I can see that will help with the instinct for food but if I am still eating isn't the desire to eat being encouraged. One day a week sounds like playing at spirituality Surely a permanent fast is better? Also what would you recommend for anger, lust, jealousy and coveting?
zearro53 2 months ago
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@zearro53 ""Surely a permanent fast is better?"" No, because you'll neglect maintaining the temple of the Holy Spirit. While you deny your selfish animal instincts you need to maintain a balance between your temporal needs and your spiritual goals. Anger is counter with love and patience, lust with chastity or abstinence, jealousy with detachment and forgiveness, and coveting with denying materialism by being generous and unbound to earthly needs.
dejesusluisx 2 months ago
@dejesusluisx Re: your comment of 2 months ago - "Your religion doesn't matter..." Your comment is wrong. No other way for me to put it. Give some serious thought to the purpose of religion. A good starting point might be to actually listen and give some thought to what Fr. Barron had to say; after all, it seems to me that it is his comment that called forth your statement. As a Catholic I need my fellow parishioners to support me in my faith life. I need to celebrate Eucharist with them.
Teachering 2 months ago
@Teachering I think you misunderstood my comment. Religion is important for your spiritual formation, as I said, quote: "because to get somewhere a map is always helpful". What I meant by my comment that your "religion doesn't matter" is that you can be saved as long as you live in grace, no matter what religion you practice. The best way to get to the truth is by integrating the knowledge from more than one religion in order to understand what it takes to live in grace. God Bless.
dejesusluisx 2 months ago
@dejesusluisx I have given careful thought to your response, dejesus, but on the whole disagree with and reject your argument. I agree that it is helpful to have knowledge of other major religions; in fact I used to teach a course in world religions and benefitted from the experience. Nonetheless, the Church provides all that is required to attain perfection.
Teachering 2 months ago
@Teachering So, you think a devout Muslim, who don't commit a sin, will go to hell? I suggest you get some references first, because this matter was already settled by the Church.
dejesusluisx 2 months ago
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@dejesusluisx "What I meant by my comment that your "religion doesn't matter" is that you can be saved as long as you live in grace, no matter what religion you practice"
Too bad the majority of relgions dont belive that..
badpanda84 1 month ago
@dejesusluisx Religion is indispensable. Without a firm guidepost on what is right and wrong. We can believe in God, but if one day we believe this about Him and the next day that, what do we really believe in? If we think that Christ isn't the same one day from the next, we run the risk of being swayed by all sorts of strange teachings. (Heb 13:9)
dringwa 2 months ago
@dringwa "Religion is indispensable" your argument is in favor of objective moral values, not religion, and I do agree with the fact we need objective moral values. My point is that 100 different religions can all show the objective moral values God taught us, which are (in summary) rejecting our selfish animal instincts. So, it doesn't matter which one you choose, as long as you live in grace and follow God's plan. Heb 13:9 is actually an argument against religion, not in favor of it.
dejesusluisx 2 months ago
@dringwa "If we think that Christ isn't the same one day from the next, we run the risk of being swayed by all sorts of strange teachings"
You mean strange teachings like women have right and slaverly is not ok.
OR that the worlld revolves around the sun ( and not the other way around)
badpanda84 1 month ago
Dialogue among people of different religious traditions and denominations can be genuinely enriching and instructive. It most certainly does not necessitate abandoning the Church, although some unfortunately do. However, if one is rooted deeply in the Sacramental life of the Church, learning about other traditions can be an advantage, not a distraction. It can help us to understand our brothers and sisters of other faiths, and can help us to appreciate the riches of our Church more fully.
Liminalitea 4 months ago
@Liminalitea Perhaps some souls who are not as established in the faith as you when inquiring about other faiths forget that the point is to become clear about their errors in order to redirect them to the inerrant truth which you so fortunately have in your possession thanks to Holy Mother Church. So many become dazzled by the exotic claims of other faiths which are only a mere shadow of what God's one true and humble church has to offer mankind.
zearro53 2 months ago
The apostles and the prophets you mentioned were religious drifters too. You wouldn't say that their drifting was due to ignorance. You don't say that people drift to Catholicism due to ignorance. You say they were called by God. Don't you suppose every person who drifts to another denomination feels that they've been likewise called?
quantumystery 5 months ago
I agree and disagree. I agree that not all religions are the same The experience of being chosen is not limited to Christians though In Islam you have Mohammed being chosen by God Interestingly he experienced doubt for some time In a sense then even if one has the experience of being chosen one still has to choose to believe that the experience of being chosen is genuine and not delusional. Even the chosen have to choose to obey! You can't escape the ego! PS I am not a Muslim but an atheist.
zearro53 6 months ago
Nostra Aetate states "we do not deny that which is true in other religions." Those of us who have not yet been called still have lots to learn.
greatbookie 6 months ago
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Its been a great week here in Ireland. Our new priminister finally gave the pope a proper going over re: the lies, cover ups, and ongoing abuses of the catholic church in relation to innocent children. Telling him that the rule of law supercedes canon law. Not being from Ireland, you would never appreciate the control the church had on all levels of government, the police, and everyday people. The church was never questioned and we have a history of destroyed lives because of blind faith!
newfrontier01 7 months ago
@bigguitar22 Are you actively pursuing truth? or are you still at a stage of atheism where your life is filled with temporary ends such as relationships, money, or anything solely related to self? Relationships come and go, their directions forever changing. Money comes and goes, its use forever changing. Your passions and desires change at the whim of the sensitive appetitive. Have you searched for an ultimate end, one which need not be replaced?
sweetwithmymusic 7 months ago
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zearro53 2 months ago
The Bishops of America are to blamed for wanton ignorance. Ted Kennedy had a Roman Catholic funernal. A pro abortionist !!! Catholic bishops gave a pass to the Govenor of NY in creating a law for perverts to get a civic wedding licence. Its the bishops of America who giving Roman Catholics a permissive attitute to the cafeteria catholics.
vkorchnoifan 8 months ago
This is an interesting area of discussion, Father Barron. It makes me think of my own past exposure to the new-agey "spirituality" of Alcoholics Anonymous with its bizarrre syncretist and indifferentist religiosity. "Spirituality" is now a very loaded and misused word. It is often used to reduce any consideration of the profoundest questions about faith and truth to mere ciphers in a relativistic post-modern word game. All this in the guise of tolerance, open-mindedness and ecumenism.
MrTobytwirl 8 months ago
The problem is that most religions claim to be the true religion, the one that God supports. Even if you go to the Bible, you find different interpretations. Do we stone the adulteress as in the old testament or tell her to sin no more. Do we demand an eye for an eye or do we turn the other cheek?
In the end each person must make his own choice about what beliefs to hold and what actions to take.
RowsbyW 8 months ago
God still calls people today. But I doubt if he calls them to sit in pews.
UknowLORD 8 months ago
The faith weakened by all of this innovation. Now we are going to have a new translation of that de-emphasizes the Penitential Rite and the Eucharistic Rite and distorts and over emphasizes the Liturgy of the Word thus Protestantizing the Mass. Even the elevation of the Sacramentary has the effect of competing with the elevation of the Eucharist. Putting the Scripture on the same level as the Eucharist itself. This weekend I stopped a man from walking off with the Eucharist at communion.
avyanez 10 months ago
I hadn't given this idea much thought, the fact that in the Bible, God often chooses the individual not vice versa and that the individual is often, at least initially, reluctant to submit to God's Will. God bless you, Father Barron
raimundhejduk 10 months ago
I have a little Penny Catechism which contains all the catholic faith and can be read in 1 hour. Why aren't catholics catechized properly today. It's all wishy washy today. The liberals run the Church and it's going one way, down hill.
modomnoc1010 11 months ago
@modomnoc1010 --The Penny Catechism is only a brief intro to the faith; I have been back in the church 10 yrs and have not finished reading all there is to study !!!
TheDesertProphet454 11 months ago
@TheDesertProphet454: There is much to study, but we need to build the foundations e.g. in the holy eucharist we receive the body, blood, soul and divinity under the appearance of bread and wine, substantially, really and truly in a non-bloody way. To be Catholic you believe this or you are a heretic. But today even priests and bishops deny this. What chance do we have?
modomnoc1010 11 months ago
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@TheDesertProphet454: There is much to study, but we need to build the foundations e.g. in the holy eucharist we receive the body, blood, soul and divinity Jesus under the appearance of bread and wine, substantially, really and truly in a non-bloody way. To be Catholic you believe this or you are a heretic. But today even priests and bishops deny this. What chance do we have?
modomnoc1010 11 months ago
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WASHINGTON – The Jesuit order has agreed to ay more than $166 million to the more than 500 victims who suffered sexual abuse when they were kids in Catholic schools in five states of the U.S. northwest, the victims’ attorney said.
Most of those affected are Indians who suffered abuse at the hands of priests in what is known as the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, which includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana, according to the local press.
goinghomesomeday1 11 months ago
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Ignorance of the Church's teachings is why I left for 35 years. Im glad to be back
jimon82262 11 months ago
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Ignorance of the Church's teachings is why I left for 35 years. Im glad to be back
jimon82262 11 months ago
Ignorance of the Church's teachings is why I left for 35 years. Im glad to be back
jimon82262 11 months ago
@jimon82262 - "Ignorance of the Church's teaching is why I left for 35 years" Me Too! I think the media distorts alot of the Pope's teachings which leads to a gross misunderstanding against the RCC. I see it on YouTube everyday...
zztestenglish 11 months ago
The opposite of this would be the situation in post-Christian modern Europe....where people are indifferent to Crhstianity. In the Netherlands, the Dutch have lost their moral compass with euthanasia. Look at the nordic countries, Lutheranism no longer has a cultural influence. The situation in Scandinavian countries has allowed Catholics the opportunity to evangelize. If a religion or particular denomination does not have a pay-off (salvation and fulfillment), shouldn't we look elsewhere ?
Will4fun 11 months ago
God has given us the freedom to choose the path we wish to follow. The dogmas, the teachings, the culture and so on, are what from which people drift from. And there is nothing wrong with it!
But there are bad dogmas and good dogmas. There are false dogmas and true dogmas. That is where people should be careful when deciding on their choices. Those who seek God's assistance will find it. Slowly but surely.They are willing to change as well unlike those who remain imprisoned in Tradionalism.
ETworldjone 1 year ago
People change...a liberal in their 20's may become quite conservative in their 40's.
Churches change...many main line Protestant denominations no longer look like the church they did even 40 years ago.
Historically kingdoms in Europe became Christian when their rulers accepted Christianity. The subjects were forced to follow.. In modern times, you have to make the choice. And, there are many choices to choose from. Overall, I felt the video was Calvinistic.
Will4fun 1 year ago
So much for freewill. How can you presume that your god works only through your "holy book"? No one had a choice of where they were born or who their parents were. Perhaps a child born in the Middle-East was put there because god wanted that child to be Muslim. I thought god had a "divine plan" for everyone? Which by the way IF is true, sorta destroys the whole "freewill" thingy doesn't it? Since he's "omniscient" he already knows who he's letting up stairs and who he's not.
melowar78 1 year ago
What if God is calling one to explore other religious traditions?
oracleofaltoona 1 year ago
OMG folks Fr. Barron preached a sermon about how all religions most definitely do NOT teach the same thing. Go to iTunes and subscribe to his sermon podcast. The Word on Fire Radio archives has it there too. I wish I could remember what sermon number it was. But they are great.
hollyhayes33 1 year ago
with so many religions today, religions in the past that is now considered myths and so a lot of "sacred scriptures"; how do we know who is right among them? It is not possible that they are all correct but it is possible that they are wrong.
One might answer that God accepts them all, but that will eliminate the need for organized religion for anyone can do as he saw fit.
OGthegame 1 year ago
I agree with what you say from 3:25 to 4:00 about the US. However I think that way of thinking many times works FOR religion. Take the case of fundamentalists that don't believe in evolution. In any other developed country that has a certain level of rationality, general knowledge and respect of science, etc. you would never expect to find such high percentages of people thinking: "Evolution doesn't make any sense to me. No matter what all these scientists say, I don't buy it".
cristianfcao 1 year ago
I think people move away from religion because they are better informed about religion and how irrational it is. They wake up and realize that everyone of the 4300 religions can't all have the truth. and everyone else is not going to hell...how ridiculous....and by the way the bible is not infallible and the pope is clearly not infallible....it becomes ridiculous to believe it.
Cousinsjay 1 year ago
@Cousinsjay I find people are poorly informed and judge without knowing what religions say about themselves.I hate to put you on the spot but you, and many many others,say religion is irrational. Well, if that were the case, I would abandon religion immediately and I think our friend Fr Barron would do the same. The concerns about papal infallibility etc...are actually justified in very rational manner. I think the greatest irrationality is to think that Faith and Reason are incompatible.
equitemcroce 1 year ago
@Cousinsjay Another thing. If Catholicism is really irrational then I think the the whole of Western intellectual tradition is in real trouble because I don't think it's too controversial to say that the Church's contribution to rational thought in the West has been Immense. In fact, many atheists agree with that (see for example, Umberto Eco). Are we supposed to believe that the great Heroes of reason and thought of the last 2000 years of Catholicism are irrational? I don't think so.
equitemcroce 1 year ago
I think people move away from religion because they are better informed about religion and how irrational it is. They wake up and realize that everyone of the 4300 religions can't all have the truth. and everyone else is not going to hell...how ridiculous....and by the way the bible is not infallible and the pope is clearly not infallible....it becomes rediculous to believe it.
Cousinsjay 1 year ago
There you go again! "god is a person" - earlier you said he was invisible and not of this world. I wish you would make up your mind. What atheists and heathens need is solid incontrovertable proof - an e-mail to all of us simultaneously or a major miracle would suffice. But no, that's too simple - we have to wade through a sea of liquid concrete and psychobable to find the "hidden pearl of god's message." Can you not see how crazy this all appears to people not trapped within it as you are?
bigguitar22 1 year ago
@bigguitar22 A person is a being endowed with intellect, will, and freedom. You don't have to be a denizen of this world to be a person. If you're looking for magic shows, you're not taking religion seriously. God is not to be toyed with or manipulated. In point of fact, his existence is on display everywhere in both the beauty and contingency of the universe, if you have the eyes to see.
wordonfirevideo 1 year ago 38
@wordonfirevideo "God is not to be toyed with" sounds ominous! A god who stands by whilst humanity suffers the most horrific natural and man made atrocities for millennia, who is powerless(or indifferent to) the suffering of millions of innocents is about to get angry with me for not believing he exists. Typical! If god exists at all then I see no evidence of his power or willingness to intervene in our affairs let alone worry about my tiny criticisms of the way his supporters go about things?
bigguitar22 1 year ago
@bigguitar22 Humanity suffers because of it's own perversion; when people choose evil then evil comes to them, and affects everyone in it's path. It is, in itself, a mystery. Why does God permit evil?, perhaps to try to bring out a greater good; but it is because of our freedom that bad things happen and affects everyone.
BTW a God who "stands by"?.. that's ludicrous, God came down to earth AND SUFFERED all the mysery of the human race for US, are we supposed to be let free from suffering?
JesGabBreMar 1 year ago 2
@bigguitar22 What do you want? Like, for God to raise someone from the dead or something?!
CoryTheRaven 2 months ago
I was born without religion. Managed to shake off the cultural Christianity of my upbringing and have never been happier since. I am moral, by anyone's standards - I enjoy life and I work hard, I love and and respect other people and my child and expect to die an atheist having made my own choices not wishing to please an imaginary man in the sky. Dont swop religions - ditch the whole sorry lot and live your life fully. You have a human moral compass which is not of any god. Love and enjoy!
bigguitar22 1 year ago
@bigguitar22 Engagement of arguments, please.
wordonfirevideo 1 year ago
@wordonfirevideo Theology is akin to joining the Magic Circle in MHO. Members struggle earnestly with their craft - learn its secrets and dogma, some progress to its higher eschelons and develop skills which are dazzling to people outside of that elite body of knowledge. However, none of this craft and artifice make the fundamental principle of magic "real" in any objective sense. So it is with your arguments. I dont claim your level of theological expertise. None of that however makes it true!
bigguitar22 1 year ago
@bigguitar22 Come on, friend, please drop the melodrama and the overheated rhetoric. I offered an argument for God's existence based upon the contingency of the world. I proposed this to you because you claim to be an atheist, and we have to establish, at the very least, God's existence before we can move on to other religious matters. Please engage that argument. Tell me where it's flawed. To date, you've just vented your spleen against a caricature of real religion.
wordonfirevideo 1 year ago
@wordonfirevideo No we do not have to establish God's existence! You may feel you have to. I dont know if there is a god or not time may tell. That's the difference between us - I acknowledge the fact that Idont know. I do not claim to be an atheist - I am, I live my life unaccountable to a deity and the human imposed dogma that surrounds it. I believe but dont know there is no god - yet you seem to know he exists? Your arguments as they are based on age old falsehoods - not proof - not logic.
bigguitar22 1 year ago
@bigguitar22 Well, once again, why don't you actually engage my argument and not just throw sticks and stones?! I would suggest you drop your prejudices and just take the argument from contingency step by step.
wordonfirevideo 1 year ago
@wordonfirevideo Swell isn't it? My arguments are suddenly deemed to be "prejudice." Is not a belief in god a prejudice in that it shapes your view of everything - for the worse in my opinion? As I have explained several times now, contingency gets us nowhere - neither of us can demonstrate that god either exists or doesn't. My belief that it probably doesn't is based on the clear lack of observable evidence. Your position seems to be that god exists because the bible says he does - blind faith?
bigguitar22 1 year ago
Could you say something about the religious / ideological roots of American culture as a whole though? The received wisdom outside of the US is that Americans see themselves somehow as a "chosen people" already. Maybe this is more pop-sociology, but certainly a lot of the ordinary original immigrants who made up the early US came from Protestant groups that saw themselves as specially called.
mhopwood1 1 year ago
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"Neither living nor lifeless faith remains in a heretic who disbelieves one article of faith.
[I]t is manifest that he who adheres to the teaching of the Church, as to an infallible rule, assents to whatever the Church teaches; otherwise, if, of the things taught by the Church, he holds what he chooses to hold, and rejects what he chooses to reject, he no longer adheres to the teaching of the Church... but to his own will."
—Summa Theo. II-II:5:3
vcmollica 1 year ago
"Neither living nor lifeless faith remains in a heretic who disbelieves one article of faith.
[I]t is manifest that he who adheres to the teaching of the Church, as to an infallible rule, assents to whatever the Church teaches; otherwise, if, of the things taught by the Church, he holds what he chooses to hold, and rejects what he chooses to reject, he no longer adheres to the teaching of the Church... but to his own will."
—Summa Theo. II-II:5:3
vcmollica 1 year ago
Part of the problem is that so many Catholics are not just phenomenally ignorant about their faith, but don't even realize that there is more to be known.
Another part is that so many have been surrounded by lukewarm Catholics all their lives and think that is what Catholicism truly is.
Lukewarm Christians make Jesus want to barf (Rev 3:15-16).
So many leave without any idea what they are leaving.
thoughtadventure 1 year ago
Not new thinking is it? We explore new religions and spiritual experiences - BECAUSE THE TRADITIONAL ONES ARE RUBBISH PERHAPS? You are fighting a losing battle Fr. Barron. People are wiser to the nonsense than they were. Drifting is perhaps no bad thing. By drifting people will come to the realisation that all religions are simply social control mechanisms.
bigguitar22 1 year ago
@bigguitar22 Well friend, you keep asserting this. I've offered arguments for the rational coherency of religion. I would invite you to engage them.
wordonfirevideo 1 year ago
I’m curious whether you’re acquainted with Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, and if so I would most appreciate your reactions to the story of Abraham’s sacrifice and the author’s idea of “faith” treated as a subjective entity inexpressible to anyone but God and the person. *a video on this subject would be most enjoyable*
philomypillow 1 year ago
Personally I am not against knowing the teachings of other religions as this will always allow for empathy and informed discussion but when one gets to the point of thinking that one can choose from a "grocery list" of beliefs what you want then you are really in danger of falling for the devil's trick of believing that you can become God. Catholic Christians need to learn that they need the whole package of teachings. It is NOT multiple choice.
gisellebaptiste21 1 year ago
So would you be against adopting or appreciating aspects of Budist spirituality despite the fact that one remains Catholic and Christian, and what would you say to those who are non- denominational, simply Christians and nothing else?
BiffaTW 1 year ago
@BiffaTW Hello, and God bless you! Every religion has aspects of the Truth, otherwise there could be no appeal to them. But not everything that glitters is gold, and this we must remember. We're looking for gold. Buddhism's heart is detachment to reach nirvana. Christianity also teaches profound detachment, but goes one step further. It fills the vacuum of detachment with the Infinite Love of God. For those outside the Church, I would invite them to dive into the fullness of Love, of Christ.
richgr1123 1 year ago
i think that the good priest is in denial about the study. the study showed that Catholicism has been the fastest shrinking religion in usa for the last 40 years. ouch. "evangelicals converting to Catholicism would have been seen as a really big deal, but today its like changing you breakfast cereal". i would disagree and for Catholics to convert to protestantism is seen now as easy. for most evangelicals converting to the church is a much more difficult (and less common) step.
ned262626 1 year ago
We like to tell ourselves that we make bad choices for good reasons, that we are honestly seeking truth. Unfortunately that's usually a comfortable lie. Christianity as father says, calls us to die to ourselves, it's a hard pill to swallow. I don't pretend to know everybody's thought process personally, but I do know my own and that is what I see within myself.
Steve Turner did a wonderful satire of our modern beliefs It's called "Creed."
ocja0201 1 year ago
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Sunday is the holy day to worship the Christian sun god, Jesus Christ. Christian tradition in general, represent motifs from older astrotheology and solar mythology, specifically reflecting legends and myths regarding the sun gods of antiquity.
Psalms 84:11
For the LORD God is a sun and shield
mymojorisin 1 year ago
...continued If I don't believe something the church teaches, that is uncomfortable for me, but it would be more uncomfortable to lie to myself and God and say I believe something I don't. My desire for truth is a desire for God and I refuse to sever that, even if it makes me say (uncomfortably) that I don't agree with all church teaching.
Jugglable 1 year ago
God gave us free will so ultimately he did leave it up to us.
Also, there is a difference between picking and choosing, which is capricious, and thinking hard about an idea before saying you don't agree with it. continued.
Jugglable 1 year ago
Didn't Thomas Merton try to mix buddhism with his Catholicism, or is that a misconception?
HyperNessie 1 year ago
I don't fully understand....Are you saying a person should not choose a religion/Catholicism until they feel/receive that summoning by God?
Awesomesome 1 year ago
I do yoga. I say the Rosary as part of my meditation sometimes. In some meditations you're suppose to pray or chant; so I say the Rosary. One of the central themes of yoga is "The Third Eye" which is suppose to be a single eye that exists just above the nose and between the eyebrows. Some people who practice yoga used this line out of the Gospel; insinuating Jesus may of been teaching this form of meditation in some form. The quote comes from Matthew 6:22-23 ASV also Luke 11:34-36 ASV
PAX
Oliver1456 1 year ago
Speaking of drifting, it seems the Papal boat is drifting into some pretty stormy waters, on both sides of the big pond. Perhaps you will do a video on these latest revelations, given the pope's direct involvement in the intensifying tempest.
pisumalu 1 year ago
Excellent!
bdeaner 1 year ago
I just stumbled upon you resulting from your comments on 'The Stoning of Soraya M.' In short order, I have learned much from you. Thank you very much. I am probably one of your 'drifters.' Thank you for making me think about that more deeply. I consider myself a Christian. Nothing more, nothing less other than I fall FAR FAR FAR short of the target. The 'where two or more are gathered in my name' kind of thing. If a church is not filled with love and is not seeking His truths, I leave.
SamuelCyrus 1 year ago
@SamuelCyrus Continue to search for the truth, for Jesus says, "Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find." Although humans will fail, God will never fail. When a Christian wrongs you, though, turn the other cheek. Why? Because love is the most powerful force in the universe; it conquered death and evil. It may be your cross to bear. Just remember the 2 spiritual principles: "Without Me (Jesus), you can do nothing" and therefore with Him, you can do all things. Everything is a gift.
richgr1123 1 year ago
@richgr1123 Beautiful. Thanks for sharing your fundamental truths with me and those who greatly benefit from Father Barron speaking God's word to us. Most sincerely! Vaya con Dios!
SamuelCyrus 1 year ago
I love the way your videos get me thinking. It occurred to me that the "drifters" may actually be following the teachings of Jesus as close or more closely than others. Have they not left the safety of their "home" in search of the Truth? They are not content to sit still if unfulfilled, and many have left their parents and siblings, in a sense, suffered rejection as a result, but felt compelled to search out the Truth as they are led nonetheless. Is this not commitment to God? Who judges?
pisumalu 2 years ago 4
@pisumalu Except that in Christ, they found the consummation and fulfillment of their searching- they were no longer "drifting".
TELEMACUS800 2 years ago
@TELEMACUS800 I respect that you have, but this is obviously not true for all. Many have found what you speak of in other ways, by their report. I am not to judge.
pisumalu 2 years ago
@pisumalu It isn't commitment to God. It's the hunger for God.
benabaxter 1 year ago
@pisumalu This is a hunger for God, not a commitment to finding him. If there were a commitment to finding God, they would find some kind of orthodoxy. They have only the commitment to searching for him, and so they fall short.
benabaxter 1 year ago
... sorry for the triple mailing. For some reason Youtube posted my comment three times, I had to delete two.
As for the content -- I'm not trying to bug anyone, just trying express what ideas this video brought in my mind. Father Barron is very good and clear thinker, I have nothing against him.
Utumies 2 years ago
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People can now choose for themselves, so authorities react by saying that they are misinformed and ignorant.
What is so great about Mahayana Buddhism is that the teachers always tell you to analyze the usefulness of the dogma. If my teachings do not help you, says dalai-lama, you should not believe in them. No mention of "drifting" there.
The problem with Catholicism is that there is always someone else closer to the God than the average Joe. I see this as a deep distrust toward humanity.
Utumies 2 years ago
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Utumies 2 years ago
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Utumies 2 years ago
The lack of knowledge also exists in many other aspects of America. The one that always pop up in my head is the fact less the 50% of Americans can point to China on a world map. In general Americans don't look beyond what we are familiar with.
quangjd 2 years ago
Fr. Barron, I can only hope that you and other priests like you look upon those of us who wander with patience and love. We aren't perfect, and some of us feel like we've been so hurt by Christian people that we have to leave and go elsewhere. Some of us have faced serious spiritual abuse and really can't stay in that place any longer. Pray for us in love anyway, as we wander. Can you do that, Father?
Lucky you, that you've found your place and are happy there.
chalicechiq 2 years ago
@chalicechiq I can pray for you. And I can ask the Blessed Mother of God and all the Saints to pray for you in love and hope because every human is precious in the eyes of God. God's so-called children may not always treat you with love, but God always will. Where every human interaction fails, God will never fail. If your heart ever feels empty, God is ready to fill it with His love and warming presence. "Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find...."
richgr1123 1 year ago
Father I enjoy very much your vids. May God bless you on your Catholic Project and on all your endeavors. Much of what you talk about relates the the catechesis we give at our church. I was wondering have you ever come upon the NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY and the amazing evangelization that is going on?
242am 2 years ago
I have Prothero's book and I think he does make a very valid point, that a LOT of Americans are very religiously illiterate. It's a sad thing.
sterlingrose33 2 years ago
Strange that Fr. Barron doesn't mention the disaster of Vatican II, which fully established indifferentism, individualism, "religous liberty, and, in short, the dictatorship of relativism we see today. Vatican II is, briefly, responsible for the ruin of millions upon millions of souls. And this is not in spite of its teachings, but because of them. When did the Church embrace Modernism? Vatican II. What was the Third World War, and the most destructive of all, infinitely? Vatican II.
Jitpring 2 years ago
Are you a sedevacantist?
Childinfaith 2 years ago
No, just a realist.
Jitpring 2 years ago
@ Jitpring
There was not anything extremely wrong with Vatican II. It's all these liberals that distorted the language and meaning in order to promote their own twisted agenda.
For instance, the teaching on religious liberty was not meant to suggest that other religions spreading around is a good thing intrinsically.
It only opposed the opposite, which is for the Church to forcefully oppress all religious groups. This would not lead to charitable dialogue, if the Church is silencing you.
SeptemberCatholic18 2 years ago
@Jitpring Friend, I can't agree with you here. Vatican II itself is not the problem, though the implementation of Vatican II, especially in our country, was certainly ambiguous and in some cases downright problematic. The great influence on Vatican II was the so-called nouvelle theologie, which was not modern in inspiration, but Biblical and Patristic.
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago
@Jitpring What disaster? Its easy to make unsubstantiated claims (about all we ever hear from the cynical skeptic) In many ways it brought the Church into the 20th century & put EUCEMINISM firmly on the agenda. It also put bibical exegesis and theology firmly in the minds of the laity. Mind u I must concede that after 2000yrs we still have a long way to go, as no doubt the next 2000yrs of history will show, assuming humans r still around.
dashan091 1 year ago
Fr. Barron, just out of curiosity, do you oppose yoga?
MetaphysicsAddict 2 years ago
@MetaphysicsAddict
Yoga is actually more than just a bodily exercise. It has strong Buddhist theological overtones associated with it, and so it is to be rejected by all Catholics.
(Look up yoga on wikipedia to immediately see what I'm talking about.)
However, if you strip all the religion away from yoga, and just leave the exercise, then it is alright.
SeptemberCatholic18 2 years ago
@September. That is very surprising, given that the known history of Yoga predates the birth of the Buddha by about 2500 years. Actually, Hatha Yoga, the yoga we here in the West are most familiar with, is part of the Hindu tradition. Buddhism of course developed in India, and the Buddha was raised Hindu, which may account for your confusion... or possibly a very quick reading of a single source ; )
pisumalu 2 years ago
@pisumalu
Once again, I never said that the exercise alone was wrong. I am simply talking about the type of yoga which employs these religious theologies in the exercise.
That is also what father was talking about. Many yoga instructors today teach these theologies alongside with the yoga lesson, since yoga is not just a bodily exercise, but a "spiritual" work-out as well.
Anytime you deal with the spiritual, you deal with the Church. So that is where you must make sure everything checks out
SeptemberCatholic18 2 years ago
@September ~ I was simply speaking to your statement that Yoga has "strong Buddhist theological overtones", when in fact Hatha Yoga precedes the birth of the Buddha by about 2,500 years and has its origin in the Hindu tradition.
pisumalu 2 years ago
@pisumalu
Details details. My only point was that when it incorporates other theologies, it becomes wrong for a Catholic.
SeptemberCatholic18 2 years ago
A detail, yes, but seeing that one of the major points addressed in the video is that according to Prothero a majority of Americans are illiterate in their knowledge of world religions, I felt it might be a detail worth mentioning. In fact, your statement was a pretty clear illustration of that very fact.
pisumalu 2 years ago
@MetaphysicsAddict Not as a physical practice. I'd be suspicious of adopting it as a substitute religion.
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago
While a lot of people "drift", and you are probably right about many of the causes (ignorance, willfulness, consumer mentality), I would guess that most religious people "choose" their faith by being born into a family of that faith.
Would you say, then, that people should stay in the denomination they are born into?
You seem to contradict yourself, because you suggest it really matters what faith people observe, but you also look askance on people shopping around for the "right" faith.
jontv 2 years ago
The Dalai Lama, a logical man, spoke about pick-and-choose religion in 2003: "Some people start Christian, follow Islam, then Buddhism, then nothing." he said. "Like the New Age. They take something Hindu, something Buddhist, something, something. That is not healthy." A believer who chooses elements from multiple religions really is making himself the permanent authority. It's fitting that he says so, because Buddhism teaches the unimportance of the self. [Zenit:10/8/03]
chonak1 2 years ago
Fr Barron:
Could you comment on the difference between "drifting" and ecumenism. Today, more than at any other time in recent history the Pope and the Church seem to be pressing for increased unity among the various Christian denominations. This is a great thing, but it seems to be in some tension with the idea of "drifting."
jtblaw 2 years ago
Is it really a function of ignorance or of indifference?
If one does not believe any faith has the truth then why not explore to see which religion makes me the most fulfilled.
wood9670 2 years ago
Kinda odd seein this video and then tryin to imagine how Jesus woulda dealt with drifters. I may be way off, but seems to me love and compassion woulda been the response. I mean, it usually was, be it whores or tax collectors, and what little venom the Lord vented seemed shot directly at those who were shouldering folks with a bunch of shoulds and shouldn'ts. Nothin' seemed to piss Him off more than sombody claimin' to know the will of God. Course, that's just a simple persons take on things
TheCrazyFish1 2 years ago
@TheCrazyFish1 Take a look at the story of the woman at the well. It will tell you a lot about how Jesus dealt with "drifters." Of course he always reached out with compassion, but he certainly didn't leave people in a vague or confused spiritual state. He drew them toward communion with him. Compassion is not "letting the other be;" it is willing the good of the other.
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago
@wordonfirevideo I'm quite familiar with the woman at the well, and that was pretty much my point son. Listening to your video, I get more the feeilin of somebody pointing a finger down than reaching a hand out.
TheCrazyFish1 2 years ago
@TheCrazyFish1 You don't think that Jesus, in his conversation with the woman at the well, is pointing her in a very definite direction? Your dichotomization between finger and hand is way too sharp.
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago
What a joke. You come on here tellin folks their honest search for more meaning in there life is nothin but repugnant uncommittment to God, then like a spoiled child remove comments from folks willing to go toe to toe with you. You just keep on preachin your judgments to the choir son, and I'm sure you'll have a lot more drifters to complain about in future.
TheCrazyFish1 2 years ago
@TheCrazyFish1 Friend, take a look at the 150 or so videos I've done and at the literally thousands of conversations I've had with people and tell me honestly that I'm not willing to engage my opponents. I removed your post, because I found it disrespectful, much like this most recent one in fact. I mean, I spoke to you calmly and respectfully, but you haven't answered in kind.
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago 24
Yes in the American religion the primacy is on the individual's relationship to the divine, whatever you take the divine to be. This is because America is a country which values the individual. Roman Catholicism is a EUROPEAN phenomenon, with its long history of state and party worship, Europe has always been a haven for the beureaucratic apparatus of the Church. It will never find in the United States such a haven if we can only reclaim the republic from the crypto fascist empire builders
powereddrive 2 years ago
@powereddrive Oh my! Your post is a very good indication that anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice. Friend, how do you explain the fact that Catholicism is flourishing in America, while, relatively speaking, it is languishing in Europe. There are 70,000,000 Catholics in America, making us, by far, the largest single religion in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago
Part of the reason has to do with the fact that the US is a religiously extremist society comparable to Iran and Saudi Arabia, on a cultural level though thankfully not a constitutional level. Catholicism is languishing in Europe because all religion, except for Islam, is wavering in Europe. In the US, Catholicism is a more cultural than than religious way of identifying oneself, more than half of Catholic woman support Roe v. Wade and more than half of Catholics voted for Pro-Choice Obama
powereddrive 2 years ago
As for Catholicism in the US being the greatest sufferer of persecution, I suggest you talk to young latino boys and girls in East LA who have witnessed ICE teams come in the middle of the night and rip their parents out of their beds, leaving them all alone, a comment on youtube does not compare
powereddrive 2 years ago
@powereddrive I'm not sure what that comment has to do with. I was talking about the anti-Catholicism that is still an acceptable form of prejudice, even in the high culture.
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago
@powereddrive Well that's a nice attempt to dodge a massive fact that you'd prefer were not the case. Studies have consistently shown that American Catholics believe in God, the divinity of Jesus, Mary the Mother of God, the real presence in the eucharist and life after death. All of those beliefs are mentioned in the creed as the central markers of Catholic identity. I'm not happy about pro-choice Catholics, but supporting Obama doesn't de-Catholicize them!
wordonfirevideo 2 years ago
Another great and thought provoking discussion. Thanks for posting it!
KaiseRex42 2 years ago
@seriouslymatsteele in the christian religion however Jesus came saying that he was the son of god. Buddha never claimed anything other than simply being finally awake. And that anyone else could achieve it through hard work. He said multiple time that HE was not the way to enlightenment. Only through SELF efforts could one achieve what he did. And to believe otherwise would only further you from your goal.
desicuellar 2 years ago
Religion:
1 a : the state of a religious a nun in her 20th year of religion b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
Buddhism fits that quite nicely.
seriouslymatsteele 2 years ago
Buddhism is another form of atheism.
john2000young 2 years ago
Christianity is another form of theism.
seriouslymatsteele 2 years ago
@seriouslymatsteele
LOL You also need to read a dictionary. We use a dictionary because idiots like you try and redefine words to fit your needs at the time.
Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. Christianity has 3 gods (god, jesus, and some sort of ghost thing they call the holy) so they cannot be Atheist. What a moron.
mymojorisin 2 years ago
@ mymojorisin
Read the comment again. Maybe you misread a word.
Moron.
seriouslymatsteele 2 years ago
@seriouslymatsteele
LOL Okay I did misread your statement I apologize.
mymojorisin 2 years ago
Your point?
TheCrazyFish1 2 years ago
@john2000young
LOL You need to read a dictionary. We use a dictionary because idiots like you try and redefine words to fit your needs at the time.
Atheism is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. Buddhist have many gods so they cannot be Atheist. What a moron.
mymojorisin 2 years ago
@seriouslymatsteele and how you said that how "following the teachings of ancient writings from a spiritual leader" lol he was enlightened. he wasnt a spiritual leader until someone gave him that tittle. Thats like saying then that every engineer or even every person whos ever been to school follows the religion of Isac Newton since we all follow his ancient writings on the laws of gravity. lol your so sensitive about a simple mistake someone who is not buddhist made in regards to buddhism.
desicuellar 2 years ago
@seriouslymatsteele Buddhists are not concerned with the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, only the weakness' of the mind and how by DAILY practice of now scientifically proven methods of mental training one can get past these short comings. In Buddhism one does not pray to Buddha. One meditates in order to weed out ones weakness'. A Buddhist does not believe in sin. Only weakness. Not the Devil but the frailty of the mind.
desicuellar 2 years ago
@seriouslymatsteele what Buddhists really are. Thats like me saying that christianity is scientific because the Vatican educates some of their priests in science these days.. an over simplified opinion based off of an inability to see that something may not really just be the way i see it..
desicuellar 2 years ago
@seriouslymatsteele since when do supernatural forces classify something as religious? A religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe. Buddhism is more of a psychology or perhaps more so a philosophy with a dash of metaphysics thrown into it if you really want to get specific. The only thing that a BUDDHIST follows are the words of the first Buddha IF they apply to his common sense as it applies to the times. You clearly have a misconception concerning
desicuellar 2 years ago