My cousin asked me to be the godmother of her son Tommy. I accepted the duty and am thrilled to be someone "important" in Tommy's young life. We're a big family of Catholics so he'll be baptized Catholic. Thing is, I think I'm one of the worst Catholics there is. I can't tell you the last time I went to the Catholic church. So I'm just nervous I'll do something wrong or just something will happen to show my poor Catholicism. \n\nI can't back out--the baptism is this Sunday and I wouldn't be able to change my mind anyway, that's not right. I made a commitment and I intend to keep it. \n\nCan anyone offer some advice or words of wisdom to help ease my mind?
200516
Your cousin is part of your family, and knows and loves you for what you are, including the fact that you are not a dedicated Catholic. Despite that, she chose you to be his godmother. Relax, you'll do a great job!
388586
It is obvious that the seeds sown in your spirit by the catholic church are not as easy to get rid of as you supposed. I am amazed that for someone who does not believe in God,he takes a great proportion of your thought and your writings. I personally think you should change your stance to, God if you exist please reveal yourself to me or help me discover if you are real. Seekers of God always find him. I checked your questions over fifty percent are about God to spend that much time on someone you don't believe in is to have a pretty miserable life. Please do not take this as an attack if I hate someone I defintely want to stay away from them or the thought of them as much as possible. Wake up please leave God alone and truly move one with you life if it is possible to have one without God.
601242
dont pressure him but let him know that you think you're ready to spend the rest of your life with him and that you guys have 2 beautiful children.  he should know what to do and what's right especially when you guys got saved.  good job on that, it feels good to have god doesn't it?!  best wishes for your family's future!!
657728
YES,  I would like to say welcome into the family.  I have been water baptized years ago, but I have been speaking in my heavenly language for a few years now.  It is the one true way you can talk to God and no one else knows what you are saying but Him.  It is your inter most thoughts and feelings about your wants, needs and desires.  Make it a point to do so everyday to stay connected to Him in a special way.
449100
I was born and raised Southern Baptist.  I never felt at home in that faith.  I always felt like an outsider looking in.  I went to church Sun morn, Sun eve and Wed eve every week without fail for my entire childhood.\n\nI graduated from high school and moved out on my own.  After a period of staying out of churchs completely, I felt empty in my heart.  After a lot of soul searching I figured out that the emptiness in my heart was due to my being out of the will of God.  In order to fill that emptiness I had to reconcile myself to God. \n\nI tried going back to the Baptist Church, but I still never felt like I was a part of that.  At the time I worked with two Catholics.  They had a peace about them that I wanted in my life!  They talked openly about being Catholic, they weren't ashamed of it.  And I could tell that being Catholic was a big part of their entire life--not just a trip to church twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday nite.\n\nSo I did some more research.  I liked what I read about the Catholic faith.  And I began to take instruction in the Catholic faith.  This has been one of the hardest things I've ever done in my whole life.  All my life as a Baptist I was taught that Catholics were going to hell because they worshipped Mary and the Saints.  That they prayed to statues.  That the Roman Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon mentioned in the Book of Revelation.  That you ask Jesus to forgive you, not a man---even if the man is a priest.  And so on and so forth, ad infinitum ad nauseum.\n\nIt took a lot of study and prayer to find the answers to all those bogus notions I'd been taught.  Catholics don't worship Mary or the Saints--we venerate them.  We don't pray to statues---that's just dumb.  I don't believe the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon.  Jesus gave the power to forgive sins and cast out demons in his Name to his disciples.  And its ok to confess your sins to a priest.  \n\nI took instruction for about six months.  I joined the Catholic Church about 25 years ago and I've never regretted a minute of it.  I finally feel at home in a church.  I'm active in my local Church--I help out at Mass and I teach in our Parish School of Religion.  \n\nI have a peace in my heart and soul that I never felt when I was Baptist.   And I still hear the same bone headed things that I heard as a kid about Catholics.\n\nHas this cost me anything?  Yes.  My father, a die-hard Baptist, never accepted my conversion.  Until his dying day he still would not talk about it.  That hurt a lot.\n\nBut I have a church home now--and a solid faith in my Lord Jesus--who saves me from my sinful nature by his Grace alone.  I can't earn my salvation--its a gift from the Lord.  \n\nWould I do it over again?  Yes---although I probably would've not drug my heels so much and made the conversion much sooner.
247394
This is really a decision only you can make, no matter how much advice you receive from all of us.\n\nHaving said that, this is a little of my story to help you out.\n\nI am from a very strict Catholic family, my father was a cop, my brother is a security guard and at the time I was working in Federal Government Security as well. Basically Law Enforcement down the line. All very strict, uptight and all that cr@p. Lots of derogatory talk about gays and lots of gay jokes all the time and all the while I was sinking further and further into my dark little closet.\n\nOn the outside I was this wonderful, cheery, jolly bloke, the life of every party - on the inside I just wanted to take my service revolver and blow my head off to stop the pain.\n\nI ended up "coming out" and do you know what happened? Nothing! Big anti-climax! The world didn't stop turning, I didn't get dis-owned, Mum gave me a hug and a kiss and told me she would always love me no matter what. Dad gave me a hug but had a tear in his eye, and my brother, who I thought would just punch my lights out, gave me the biggest hug and said I never thought you would have the balls to do it. When I asked him what he meant he told me that he had always known he just never said anything.\n\nIt is your decision to come out, only you know when, where, how and to whom first. Good luck and God Bless.
624589
Isn't it amazing how little people know about our faith? You will hear a lot of anti-Mormon stuff from a lot of very ignorant people. Get used to it. Satan works very hard against the true church.\n\nDon't worry about your past. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ you can be completely forgiven! All you have to do is to repent and be baptised by one holding the authority to perform this ordinance.\n\nYou will indeed have some discussions with the missionaries so that you know all about what it means to be a follower of the saviour. They will probably require you to commit to follow the word of wisdom (give up smoking, drinking, tea and coffee) before your baptism, and of course you will be covenanting to live the law of chastity in future. Don't worry, they can advise you of everything you need to know.\n\nAnd don't worry; the boys in the church will love you for you. There is a great single adult programme, and your past will be washed away with your baptism. \n\nMy ten-year old daughter just told me to tell you "It's the best experience of your life and you'll never regret it". We are converts, and I have to say that is quite true. If you want me to help further, please feel free to write to me.
324187
if you think of it that way, realize that your not following your heart, how God wants you, but your following this thing called the bible, the church, its RULES.\n\nim catholic, very religious, im not the type who attends church every single sunday, but i pray every night before going to bed and daily i keep my mind set in the faith i have in God. im 23 and i live here abroad with my bf of 4 years. all the issues of sex before marriage i never believed it but i did keep my restrictions well set. meaning i never went around having sex different guys thinking every time 'oh! he is the love of my life!' thats just crap people think every time they see a guy they like and i thank god i never fell for that trap. i always kept my virginity even after having a 2 year bf in the past. \n\nwhen you know its right, when the moment is ok, you let it go and it doesnt matter whether your getting married or not, you just  have to know it when you are ready and God WILL be happy for you because you were following your heart.\n\nill tell you something wierd that happened to me after the first day i had it. yes it was with the bf iam still happily together with today. it had happened, we were all ok, just kinda wierd since it was our first time for the both of us. the next morning it was a sunday and we went for a walk in the center of florence (im studying abroad in florence, italy) as we noticed there was this little cute church hidden in one corner, we went inside and realized there was a mass just starting, so we decided to stay and attend it. (he is also a catholic). you know how in every mass there is a subject to talk about, so as we sat there to listen, we realized that the priest began talking about sex. yes pure, love, sex. he began to talk about love and how people shouldnt be restrained to show their love to others truthfully and that sex is OK ASLONG as you know 100% what you are doing. i rememeber the priest got the bible and dropped it on the floor, i was like, what does he mean??? (i didnt understand the italian that well but my bf told me) the priest had said that bible isnt the rule of thumb that everyone should follow, that in this situation it is the issue of YOU and GOD not YOU and the BIBLE. \n\nthats not all, so as the priest kept on talking about sex and love, he comfessed one thing that shocked me. he told us that in the past when he was young (at the time he looked over 60) he was actually as he stated that day, a 'playboy'. im seriouly not kidding, he told us his story of how he was a wild guy, how he went from one women to another not giving a damn about life. i dont want to get to the issue of how he brought himself to become a priest, but it was a real interesting point of view.\n\nso we left the mass that day really really 'moved'. it was like God told me that day, 'Gaby you did the right thing, you did it from your heart, you have waited this long, and you shouldnt be ashamed of it, i love you and i am happy for you.'\n\nanyways, i hope my experience helps ya and makes you think of it from a different point of view.
171920
Too bad the Catholic casts doubt on that which has not happened to him/her.    When I was 12 I was confirmed in the Lutheran church.   It meant that I had to stand before the congregation and answer a whole bunch of questions.  I was sacred silly and devoid of answers.\n\nMy pastor took our class down into the basemant and prayed for us.   All of a sudden the fear completely left me and I felt powerful and taller than everybody else.   I had always been very shy and timid like my father.  \n\nThe feeling left after the ceremony but I wanted to find it again but didn't know how.   I searched for 29 years for that power and boldness till I walked into a small pentecostal church and found it again and was baptized in the Holy Spirit for good.\n\nMy speaking in tongues gift is now the ability to perform in music and to speak and testify about my love for Jesus boldly and without fear.   I thank God for a true born again experience.\n\nGod works in mysterious ways and be very careful putting down others for the way they act when filled with the spirit.   Running, screaming, laughing are all things that God has given to us to express ourselves.   Don't put the Holy Spirit in a box.. Seek Him and He will set you free.   Would you jump and shout like the cripple in the Book of Acts Chp. 3?    Why not???
266111
You ought to be ashamed of yourself for going behind your sister's back. Innocents don't need baptizing and you  violated your sister's trust in you by having the children baptized without her consent. You might consider it for the best, but she doesn't and God doesn't require it. Shame on you.
76605
Hello The Great an... :)\n\nI was not raised in a Chrisitan home..my dad was an alcholic..my mom used to abuse us with a belt..If I listened to my mom and my dad, I would still be an atheist..\n\nI was not afraid of going to hell (I did not believe it existed)..I did not believe that heaven existed either (God was not real to me)..\n\nI tried the Wiccan religion..it had no answers for my drug addiction..or for taking away the feeling of loneliness..I did not like the idea of any god or godesses'..for if they were real, my life would not have a hell here on earth..\n\nI also tried Buddism..it said you have to find yourself within to change..that was the problem I was having..I could not change my self..No matter how much I tried.. :(\n\nI could not have followed the marjority..because before I asked Jesus into my heart, I did not even know that Christians were the marjority..I did not even want to know..I hated Christians..because they were sicky sweet..telling everyone that Jesus Loved them..they did not know how to have fun in life, they lived boring lives..\n\nThen one day, I just could not take life anymore (I was going to kill myself that day)..\n\nMy brother came over on Sundays to take my children to Church..he asked me if I wanted to go..I told him I was not dressed, he said he would wait for me..So I went to the Jesus Freaks Church (that is what I called them)..I cursed the Pastor..all he did is tell me that he Loved me and so did Jesus..I said I would be coming back next Sunday to curse him out again..\n\nThe following Sunday before I was able to say anything the Pastor asked if anyone wanted to be baptised that afternoon..before I knew what I was doing, my arm went up into the air..I was baptized that afternoon..\n\nThe next morning I was quoting scriptures from the Bible (I had never even read it before)..my oldest daughter came down the stairs and I said to her, I Love you and for the first time in my life, I felt Love for my little girl, she came running to me and we hugged each other, I was crying, because you see, I used to abuse my little girl.. :(\n\nI was immediately set free from drugs, greed, hatred, anger, self pity, lust, and fear of what tomorrow may bring..\n\nNo one, had ever able to give me total peace within my heart..or given me a reason to live..nor have they ever been able to fill the emptiness within..\n\nUntil that one day on August 28, 1978..when I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life and forgive me of my sins..for if one asks with a sincere heart, your sins will be washed away and you will feel as clean and as white as snow..a veil shall be lifted from your eyes..then and only then will anyone believe that:\n\nJohn 3\n\n16  ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.\n \n17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.\n \n===========================================================\n\nThank-you for asking this question.. :)\n\nIn Jesus Most Precious Name..\nWith Love..In Christ..
612262
I'm 21, my father's a priest, and I just started reattending church. I haven't gone to church since I was 13. My parents of course didn't agree with that at first, but my father realized that I had to find God in my own time. He knew I would come around, and he was good enough to be patient. Sadly he had to wait 8 years, but at least I got there. And my belief is that eventually your son will too. But he's 16 and right now everyone around him is very influencial, friends, family, television, video games. I think the only thing you can do is just pray for him every day and have the faith in God that God will bring him back to church.  Plus you do know that just because he doesn't attend church, doesn't mean that he rejects God. Because even though I didn't go to church all those years, I knew he was still there for me, and I still believed in him and always will. Hope this long response helps. God Bless.
320729
God has sustained you and your family, my sister. To find out more of this I lead you to The king James Bible to find out why He saved you! You believe in Him, I can see that. Perhaps you can build a new life around this faith and maybe even change your screen name to something less provocative for a Christian???LOL I hope you find more faith and turn you and your daughter's lives into something meaningful before our God. God bless you.
319378
Please go together if possible, but if not, then YOU go and tell the elders! You know that what you are doing is wrong or you wouldn't be on here asking what to do!! When something is right, you don't have to ask. The elders will talk to you and try to guide you back to a healthy place spiritually, and although you may have to pay a price for the mistake, you are not beyond reach..you are reaching out for help by asking on here what to do!! Do what you know is the right thing and speak with someone in the congregation! Is there perhaps a strong sister in the congregation that you trust that you could approach and ask to go through this with you?  Please remember that you are in my prayers tonight, and you can contact me if you'd like to let me know what you decided to do, OK?  Doing the right thing is not always the EASY thing to do, but it will ease your concience and make things better in the longrun.  Good luck to you, sugar.
243716
Hi Tari,\nI met the ChristopherBetchel once, a few weekends ago. I was walking to the corner market for a loaf of bread when I had to pass by a neighborhood church. I was somewhat acquainted with the structure as it was always mentioned in the newspaper's community section. Known as "The loft," folks would gather there on Thursday evenings for poetry readings.\nHowever, this day happened to be a Saturday afternoon and a pair of gentlemen greeted me as I walked by. They invited me inside to sample an hour of their presentation. Ok, I went inside and found myself to be a prospective new recruit for their brand of religion.\n\nMost of the pews were filled with hooded monks chanting a haunting rhythm. There were others who like me, were wearing their regular denims. The service began like most others that church-goers would be familiar with. A grand master of ceremonies led the group through some songs and gave a sermon. Near the end of the hour it was time for their ritual of "laying on of the hands." Some of the parishioners would come forward and ask for prayers for their ailments or for a sick grand mum who fell down in the tub. All the hooded dudes whose faces could not readily be seen would all place a hand on the person and their combined energies were presumed to have a strength and expedite a solution to the problem.\n\nOK now, there was another new guy in the pews who was watching eagerly. I recognized ChristopherBetchel from a wanted poster viewed earlier at the post office. When he saw a chance, he approached the ring of conspirators and described how he was always moving around and never able to settle down. The hooded goons closed in upon him, all to make a physical connection. The master of ceremonies began a prayer, a dogmatic mix of logic and pure hocus-pocus. I immediately saw the effects of the procedure as the tension went out of ChristopherBetchel's body. When the beseeching was near an end, the master asked, "Are the brothers ready?"\n\nA suspenseful few moments passed until he almost shouted, "NOW!"\n\nOn that cue, the brothers began to pummel their hapless victim. Continually delivering blows over head and to the solar plexus until ChristopherBetchel was down on the floor getting stomped. After another minute, the grand Pooh-Bah decided the treatment administered was sufficient to induce a relaxing calm that would assuage the nervousness of ChristopherBetchel for a long, long time.\n\nI can't say for certain if ChristopherBetchel got the comeuppance he deserved as I had a loaf of bread to buy and some other errands to do that day. I hope for you Tari, that you do find a sense of closure to this difficult episode of life.\n\n-Justin
249396
Here's the text of the ceremony, which may differ slightly from priest to priest.  http://www.carr.org/~meripper/faith/baptism.htm Your part is towards the end.  You might also be asked to light a candle or hold the child, but the task of main importance is the vows.  After Baptism, your role is to be a religious role model for the child and to help ensure that he grows up in the faith.  You should also be someone to whom he can turn to with questions or advice later in life.  It's a serious responsibility, and even if you should move way at some point, you ought to always keep in touch.
217859
First, I will pray for you. \n\nKnowing that he is with her you will never be truly happy, unless you leave. I know it will be hard like you I have 3 kids. But I will never allow anyone to hurt me like that and to do it out in the open. You will survive as a Christian you know God will provide for you. Be strong don't take his shit, you are not a door mat so don't treat yourself as that.