u/4chananonuser

There was a Facebook reel I commented on a few days ago posted by a non-denominational Christian claiming that every denomination has errors that steer away from genuine Christianity as expressed in the Bible. This was a response to a young Catholic college student. I stated that Catholicism is pre-denominational, that Christ did not want denominations but one Church and that the non-denominational form of Christianity is essentially just watered down Protestantism.

Well, I got one reply today from a guy close to my age. He claimed Catholicism is a cult. I asked him why. He then gave me a handful of mischaracterizations of the Catholic faith I've heard a thousand times before that by any academic understanding of a cult simply misses the mark. I knew from past experiences that a comment chain on a post or reel will never convince any Protestant that Apostolic Christianity is true, so I encouraged him to DM me. Even if there was still genuine disagreement and moral reservations from his part, I hoped the discussion would at least help him understand the Catholic position better.

Instead, he accused me of knowing the truth as expressed in the Bible, but still willingly wanted to remain in idolatry (worshiping Mary, angels, priests) to justify sin. To be clear, we do justify our sins all the time, or at least I do before I accept humility to repent. But why would I genuinely know what Christ taught yet worship Mary as if she was a god? What do I have to gain from that?

I haven't replied to him yet and I don't know if I should. It's just simply bizarre to me. I even offered an olive branch and wished him a blessed day if he declines to DM me, but then he hit me with that response. Is there more that I should have done or still can do? It discourages me that so many otherwise good Christians are so hostile to Catholicism simply because they were taught this by someone else who has no idea what the Catholic Church actually teaches. It's all the more frustrating as these questions have been answered so many times by Catholics who know Scripture like the back of their hand. This is not esoteric knowledge. Just Google it or go on Catholic Answers or something.

At 15, I more or less stopped practicing the Catholic faith. By 22, perhaps by God’s grace, I returned. Now, I’m a month away from 29. Am I any happier? No, I don’t think so. I’m just glad I no longer am as deep in sin as I used to be. That’s good, I guess. Has that led me anywhere? No. Despite healing from spiritual wounds and discerning the priesthood which led me to applying for seminary in my diocese, I was refused. When I was affirmed at my highest in college and by family and friends, I was denied any level of legitimacy immediately afterwards.

Now after three years later I have nothing to show. My position at work which I no longer enjoy let alone make much money after months and years ends in a few weeks, but I have no job prospects open. Dating has been dismal. No woman has shown interest to me in person, despite my best efforts. All my friends keep getting married or leaving my area and have no time for me. I don’t want to go back to my parents at 29. I want to be married and have kids. Or become a priest and use my gifts to serve God and others. But no one irl is able to help me so I guess I’m here now, asking for support from strangers.

If you can’t help me, keep me in your prayers. Quantity over quality at this point as I clearly can’t be happy from my spiritual director’s prayers alone. Or perhaps the idea God wants us to be happy is a lie. Was Job happy when he lost his family and home? No, I don’t think I believe God wants us to be happy anymore as so many priests claim. That’s a modernist notion, responding to the Prosperity Gospel of Protestants. But I do want my life to be meaningful, to be worth it all. It’s not, at least now. So what’s next?