a short testimony

my testimony is anything but short but I'll give the short version just the same

had a conversion experience as a teen

was good w/ Jesus for a couple yrs.. then sadly... didn't have guidance.. too young, etc... gradually fell away and fell into sin, which I did not look @ as being sin but it was objectively speaking not just sin but this one thing was serious sin

people suffer the ill effects of sin whether they think it is sin or not.. just reality

anyway... Some won't want to hear this @ all... but the Catholic Church helped me quite a bit in having a 2nd conversion experience.. well, it wasn't the Church per se but something from the Church... long story.. but people don't seem to w ant to hear anything good about the Catholic Church so I'll leave it at that..

See? I was correct (not t hat I didn't know that)

People don't want to hear anything good about the Catholic Church (they did not respond)

Oh well.. Jesus said there'd be days like t his..

The important thing is that you were washed clean. I've attended a lot of different churches in my lifetime and got something out of each experience because I was looking to Jesus for the answers. There were things I disagreed with in many churches, but I wasn't there for criticisms, I was there for learning/help/devotion. Mostly, I just read the Bible prayerfully; because of my isolated lifestyle. Your story touched me, and I am thankful that you were led to what you needed! God loves us even when we stumble.

hmmm... that was very helpful.. Thanks

Years ago, this friend of mine and I were talking and I explained some of the Catholic faith to her (a nonCatholic). She was open minded and as to the negative stuff I told her about she said: Take the meat, leave the bones

Back then I got rather annoyed and shrugged it off as just another anti-Catholic kind of comment... I didn't want to see any "bones" in my Church but OH MY

Did I ever experience some of those (the word Bones doesn't suffice)...

True, I do have experiences in the past that are unique to myself alone... but still...

Here's something all Catholics would probably have in common w/ yours truly: they aren't going to confession anymore, to speak of.

The reason: rude, uncaring priests. Not all priests are like that but TOO many are... (long stories...)

Sorry, haven't been here for awhile.. life happens.
Waaay back when I was a practising Catholic, I stopped going to confession because 1. I saw too much hypocrisy and 2. Because I came to believe that Jesus removes the sin, not the priests. Yes, Jesus said we are to confess our sin to one another, but it doesn't have to be a priest we open up to. For me, it's much more meaningful to speak with someone who knows me; it makes me feel much more accountable than speaking to a priest behind a shield with whom I don't have a close relationship and don't have to look in the eye!
If the Catholic church is where you find your spiritual food, then by all means you should stick with it while keeping an ear open for God's direction.

I was a practicing Catholic, and my mother still is. I never felt like I was really putting God first in my life during that time, since I felt that I was good to go as long as I followed church rules. It was hard for me to finally leave the church, but I had to because I didn't believe that the Eucharist was literally transformed, and that confession to a priest was needed for forgiveness. I couldn't continue attending since I would be lying to the church and to myself. I wouldn't be saved anyway if I didn't go to confession or received the Eucharist regardless whether I went to church every Sunday. My father was in a battle with cancer and I was lost. He stopped going to church when he had his first battle with cancer 20 years ago. I thought he stopped believing altogether. I had a convo about faith and to my surprise he truly believed in Jesus and spoke to me about the apostle Paul. It opened me up to start reading the bible, at which point I realized that the Catholic church was leaving out a bunch of things. I was relieved that I could still be saved, and so could my family (who rejected my calls to attend church). I thank the Catholic church and my mother for giving me a good upbringing and giving me a basic understanding of who Jesus was, but I was offended that they disregarded things in the Bible that are contrary to church teaching. After seeing many conspiracy theories become fact in American politics lately, it made me more open minded about the possibility that some institutions I had undeniable trust in, may be a lie. As a natural deconstructionist, I worked everything back to the most simple idea. The Bible is where everything starts, and it's the only truth we can depend on.

@JesusWhereRU Thank you for sharing your experience. It does not matter how insuccifient your experience maybe to others. This experience is what you can build on for the future. And eternal life or salvation is not find in the church. But Jesus said. I am the resurrection and the life. As long as you are following the example of Jesus and not the tradition of men. May God be your strength and shield. 🎊