| I just read this post and literally one of my members send this email to me regarding her Catholic upbringing:BUT............. that is EXACTLY what I used to believe!! Well, before I got saved and started to read the Bible and go to Sunday school, I didn't understand much at all about Jesus. I didn't have Sunday school, I didn't have any type of Bible study, and the priest's short, little, dry, boring, over my head sermonette didn't teach me ANYTHING about Jesus.I only knew that Jesus died for our sins-- something that was just told, but not explained. And I knew the Catholic prayers, the sacraments, the Holy Days, rules about going to Confession, the rules and regulations of the ceremony of receiving your First Communion, and rote answers to Catholic religious questions-- Catechism.I KNEW how to make up sins when going to Confession. I said the same sins all the time: Father [the priest], forgive me for I have sinned... (something like): I disobeyed my parents, I said a cuss word, and I told a lie. Then the priest would say something about my sins, and then he'd give me my penance--my punishment: to say 2 Hail Mary's and 1 Our Father, and then I'd be forgiven.BUT...... I didn't truly understand sin, forgiveness, repentance, or ANYTHING about Jesus. I only remember learning about The mean and all-powerful Gawd! And that I had better NOT cross Him or I'd be doomed to hell (or purgatory).How I WISH that I had been told about JESUS and who He truly is! I would have loved and benefited greatly by hearing about Jesus' true love (of sinners and all people). I would have loved knowing about The Kind & Accepting & Loving Jesus.But I didn't. I wasn't told.I was preached AT and taught to repeat Catholic doctrine, BUT I wasn't given the true Jesus--the One who came to earth to die for our sins so that we could spend eternity with Him BECAUSEHELOVESUS!!!!!(Maybe that's why I have an EXTREMELY DIFFICULT time understanding and believing that God loves me!!I only see God as the Big Bad One Up There!----------The Catholic Church is REALLY missing it. They're wasting the time of the people. They're not teaching that God doesn't want us to sin, or that He won't TOLERATE sin!! They don't teach about how to get right with God.They don't EXPLAIN Jesus. They don't SHOW Jesus.I just want to SCREAM when I think of what Catholics are taught by the religious leaders and teachers of the law!! |