Guidance sought

[MillieMallard]

Have namechanged. I’m a Catholic and am active in my church. I go to Mass regularly. I abide by the teachings. I have been listening to faith leaders from my own and other denominations and faiths online for some time now. I also have friends with other faiths, Christian denominations and general outlooks.

I need to talk to someone because I need to discuss some faith questions but I can’t talk to my priest. The reason for this is that I know him very well which sounds contradictory but as he is embroiled in my whole life, I need neutrality. Also, he is always so busy that I don’t want to be an inconvenience. There’s lots more to this but I don’t want to out myself. A key area though is that my friend’s partner is a leader in another faith and believes I am not saved because I am Catholic. I’ve listened to information from so many avenues that I’ve been overloaded in my quest for an answer and just would like someone neutral with some theological knowledge to talk to. Any ideas? Also I haven’t come in here to be slated by atheists as seems to happen on so many other forums. Please help with any useful suggestions. I feel desperate. I just don’t know where to turn.

You're back on that book again! What about other books, could I take your same suggestions and apply them? I like the idea of the invisibility cloak in Harry Potter. How much good I could do and harm I could prevent. If I like these outcomes and start to believe in the cloak, will it be true? Would you accept my belief as worthy of consideration?

Jason, we were having a discussion religious belief so a consideration of the teachings contained in a religious text is not such a leap, now, is it? As for Harry Potter and the invisibility cloak, although it is a work of fiction and doesn't purport to be anything else some of the ideas are rooted in witchcraft, folklore and Pagan beliefs. If you have a look at the witchcraft threads, invisibility is even mentioned. As for myself, I don't believe it is necessarily not possible but for me the practice of witchcraft is not desirable.

@Jason118

In my opinion, if you remove the mind from the person, you are left with a zombie

Switch it round for a minute. What if your mind has created some sort of Zombie?

The leap from emptying your 'self' of your mind to then reach some exalted state of being, I just don't get it

Who said it was exalted? It is simply just being your true self and not the body mind creation you believe yourself to be.

In my opinion, my mind does define who I am

This mind you believe in, has never been your own mind. It has been programmed and conditioned since you took your first breath.
If this mind had been born in Tibet how would you define you? It is still human, It still has a brain and all the senses. How would Jason118 be defined then?
Like I said up thread. Don't believe anything. Experience it for yourself. The video was to show you that when the mind is still, there is something else. Don't define it. Don't label it, Don't be frightened of it Just simply recognise that it is there and experience it. No-one is asking you to give up Jason118, your lifestyle, your job, your marriage, your kids, your family, your home. No-one is asking you to move to India and live on an ashram or live in a cave on a mountain eating rice for the rest of your life.
Just simply asking to recognise and experience This

And just for the record.

This is not religious.

Thank you for all the helpful advise here and the PMs. To those suggesting faith is a mental illness or that it’s indoctrinated, I am in my mid thirties and was brought up by two atheists. I chose myself to become baptised. Also I have no mental illness. I was ‘indoctrinated’ into atheism if anything. Now I am free.

Also some of the posters posting negative comments about Christianity are involved in activities that Christians would not approve of and in the case of one particular poster, neither would the law.

You can Google their names yourself.

Think you've posted on the wrong thread?

Don't feed trolls. Just saying.