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“Ask a Priest: Is It OK to Explore Other Religions?”

May 29, 2020 / Ask a Priest, Other Faiths

Q: What does the Bible say about exploring other religions? I don’t want to put it out like I’m questioning God and his glory, but I’m curious as to what else is out there. And I’ve also realized my willingness to hear about others and their faith. I just want to know if this is normal and if the Bible speaks on this at all? – K.C.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: The Old Testament certainly dissuaded the Israelites from getting involved in the pagan cults around them. Messing with pagan religions brought immense problems to Israel.

Yet, Our Lord himself was willing to enter into dialogue with the Samaritan women (John 4), whose own beliefs differed from the Judaism of her day.

Catholics aren’t absolutely excluded from studying other religions. Various Catholic scholars, for instance, have become experts on Islam and Buddhism and other religions.

The important thing here is that you don’t expose yourself to things that will make you doubt your own faith. Is there a reason you are “curious as to what else is out there”? As Catholics we have an obligation to protect and nourish the gift of faith.

If you feel compelled to study other religions, it might be good to do so through the works of Catholic writers who are solid in their own faith and who can put things in perspective.

A few examples: Inside Islam, 111 Questions on Islam, On Islam, “Comparing Christianity and Islam,” “Comparing Christianity and Buddhism,” and “Comparing Christianity and Hinduism.”

The Catechism gives perspective on other faiths. Two numbers are worth quoting here:

No. 843. The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as “a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.”

No. 844. In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them: “Very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.”

Also helpful might be a forthcoming book from my colleague Father Bartunek, “Spiritual but not Religious: The Search for Meaning in a Material World.”

I hope some of this helps.

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“Ask a Priest: What If I Feel My Faith Fading?”

May 31, 2016 / Ask a Priest, Prayer and Spiritual Growth

Q: This is probably the fourth letter I have sent to you guys, but to be honest, I just feel like you are the people to turn to sometimes. For nearly a month, it feels a bit like my faith is declining. I think it might be because of how much religion is portrayed negatively on the Internet. But to be honest, I don’t even know anymore if God even listens to me. I have been trying to keep my faith, no matter how hard it seems, but really, I feel like he doesn’t respond to me. I know this might have another meaning or something, but to be honest, I don’t want to keep living this way, since at this point, it now feels like all these ways to calm me down are just excuses to keep me believing in God. I do want to keep my faith no matter what happens, but in the meantime, is there anything else I should know? -C.T.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: Faith is a gift that we need to guard and protect, as well as try to nourish through prayer and the sacraments.

You touch on a big problem: the Internet. There are all kinds of wild things on the Internet, which is why we need to be careful about what we expose ourselves to.

It might be good, then, to limit your time on the Internet to good things. The Vatican website is a great treasure of papal and magisterial documents. Lots of other sites, such as Catholic Answers and Discerning Hearts and our own RC Spirituality.org, offer material that helps build the faith.

We live in a very secular age, and that reality won’t change quickly. So we need to be prepared for the long term. This doesn’t mean living in a bunker. Rather, it means looking for ways to help share the faith with others around us. The more we share the faith, the stronger our own faith grows.

If you feel up to it, you can engage people in dialogue on the Internet. But — and this is a big but — you need to prepare yourself well in apologetics. That is where ongoing study of the faith could help (the Catholic Answers site has a lot of good resources).

As for God responding to you, he might be communicating in all kinds of ways. His ways can be very subtle, however, and we can miss the clues.

A few observations might help you. First, one way to gauge the Holy Spirit’s work in you is your life of charity. Are you more sensitive to the needs of those around you? You are growing in patience and mercy? Those are signs that God’s grace is at work in you.

Second, God might be allowing you to go through a dry period. On the positive side, he might be inviting you to have even more faith in him, to persevere in prayer even when you don’t see the fruits of it right away.

On the less positive side, you might be feeling some of the fallout of having exposed yourself too much to the wrong kinds of things on the Internet for too long. Just as ocean waves beating against a rocky cliff will eventually cause part of it to crumble, the nasty things on the Web can weaken our faith and our spirit of Christian optimism. Hence the recommendation to stick to positive things on the Internet.

You might want to look for a good regular confessor or spiritual director who can help you navigate through the rough waters. A three- or four-day retreat might be helpful too. If you can’t get to a live retreat, perhaps the “Cure for Discouragement” online retreat could suffice in the meantime.

Be confident that the Holy Spirit will help you. Stay close to the Blessed Virgin Mary. And keep up the prayer life and sacramental life. Those essentials will serve you well.

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“Ask a Priest: Isn’t Moral Ignorance Blissful?”

May 10, 2016 / Ask a Priest, General

Q: Why does God hold those with more grace or the Catholic faith to a higher standard? How can a person not envy the ignorance of unbelievers? -I.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: In some way it is understandable if we are a bit jealous of the ignorance of others. We can feel that way when we look at children and see how simple they are. Their ignorance of the big, bad world can make us nostalgic for childhood.

But the better way to think about your question is this: We need to appreciate the gift of faith that God gives us. If he gives us a lot, in terms of grace and our Catholic faith, it is a sign of his love. It is not a burden.

The problem might be that you see these gifts in your own life and realize that you aren’t living up to them. Here you need to be more humble, to rely more on God, to not be afraid to use your gifts for his glory and the benefit of souls.

It might be good to meditate on Matthew 25:14-30. If God has given you five or ten talents, there is no changing that. You need to make the decision to use those talents. How you use them will help define the woman you become. None of us can simply hide our talents as if they didn’t exist. Jesus makes that very clear in the parable.

You might not want to cast too covetous an eye on the state of non-believers. Yes, there are many who lead upright lives. But there are also many who struggle with a sense of meaninglessness and despair. They are honest enough to see that, if there is no God, then life is ultimately absurd and pointless. Not a cheery conclusion.

On a positive note, you might want to cultivate your devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the Annunciation she said yes to God’s special favor, and her yes changed the course of history.

(To go deeper into the Annunciation you might consider taking our online retreat, “Welcoming the Word: A Retreat Guide on the Annunciation”).

Your yes can change the course of history … for at least a few souls.

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“Ask a Priest: What If I Still Disagree With the Church?”

December 26, 2014 / Ask a Priest, General

Q: I left the Catholic Church 50 years ago because I did not agree with many of its teachings. I still have the same misgivings but would like to return to the faith and have confession and the sacraments, because I am getting old and I have a terrible fear of dying and going to hell. Is it possible for me to do this, even if I cannot accept some of the Church’s actions? Thank you. -R.C.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It is good to hear that you want to return to the sacraments. You have a sense that when life draws to a close, and we focus on the more important questions, we are drawn to the Church. That is a sign the Holy Spirit is working in you and gently trying to bring you along.

Jesus wants you to spend eternity with him. That is why he gave us the Church, which is his mystical body. He gives us grace through the sacraments, and he gives us the magisterium to teach us. The Pope and bishops teach in the name of Jesus, so we can be sure that the essence of their message is solid and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Now, there might be different and better ways that certain things can be taught. That is to be expected.

I’m not sure what areas you have difficulties in. Nor do I know the depth of your difficulties. It is one thing to have difficulties with Church teachings. This is normal. All of us have had a difficulty at one time or another. It is another thing, however, to actively doubt an article of faith.

Here, I would say, if you have a difficulty or doubt about a particular issue, try praying about it. Try reading up on the issue, to understand what and why the Church teaches it. The Church doesn’t arbitrarily make up doctrine; rather, doctrine simply describes, unpacks, what God has revealed to us.

Since I’m not sure what areas you have difficulties with, I can only offer general advice. There is a hierarchy of truths in the Church, meaning that some things are more essential than others. If you believe in the basics — such as the efficacy of the sacraments — I would encourage you to go to confession, do your best, and explain to the priest any difficulties you have with the faith. There are confession guides online that could help.

Meanwhile, try spending time in front of a crucifix. Look at Jesus on the cross. See the suffering that he underwent for love of you. Is this a Jesus you can trust? And if you can trust him, can you trust the Church he gave us? Try praying for the grace of faith too. Faith is a gift, and it is something we want to guard and cherish.

Let me know if there any particular issues I can help you with. But by all means try to get to confession. Our Lord is waiting to help you. You will be included in my Mass intentions. God bless.

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“Ask a Priest: Is It OK to Explore Other Religions?”

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“Ask a Priest: What If I Feel My Faith Fading?”

“Ask a Priest: Isn’t Moral Ignorance Blissful?”

“Ask a Priest: What If I Still Disagree With the Church?”

Alex Kucera

Atlanta