Questioner: Monica
Subject: multi-religion familyQuestion: John,
I am 28 years old and have been raised since birth by my mother to be Catholic. My dad was raised in childhood in the Pentecostal faith but stopped attending any church byt his teen years. I never questioned my religion once in these years until something happened. My dad was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney cancer 2 years ago. That day he called his Pentecostal aunt and asked if he could go to church with her. Long story short, he went, was baptized, and became a faithful and devoted Christian. His attitude and outlook changed and by a true miracle, he is now cancer free. We have visited with him as a family (there are four siblings) on several occasions and I really enjoyed his church. I began going more and more and am now to the point of a "one week Catholic/ one week Pentecostal" routine. I love all of the tradition and reverence of my mom's religion but also the excitement and spiritual rush of dad's.
My dad has recently been acting very depressed. He says he needs the family all together at church and is worried about our souls if we continue practicing as Catholics. How is it that a man who went without any religion for the majority of his life can now think we would just drop our faith and and convert to his? He tends to be quite fudemental at times and always talks down about our religion. Sometimes i feel like i want to convert just to make him happy. Sometimes I feel like I really do want to convert because of the way I feel when I leave his church. My mom will never convert. How do we all make peace in this situation?
Sorry so lengthy but I had to get it off of my chest--
- Monica
John of AllFaith's reply
Hi Monica,Thank you for sharing so much information about your situation. It helps me give a more focussed answer than had the question lacked the detail.
The history of the Church in all its many forms is long and varied. I wouldn't worry about any of it if I were you. To help you understand your father's concerns however I will share just a bit of history, some you may already know.
Around 1517 a group of Roman Catholic priests led their followers away from Rome and established what we today call Protestant Christianity. Many of the issues that led to the Reformation have yet been resolved to the satisfaction of many Protestants. Your dad's church is part of this greater Protestant movement. Some Protestants, apparently including your dad, believe Roman and Orthodox Catholics are not really Christians and some Catholics and Orthodox believe that Protestants are not really Christian (for instance Protestants are not allowed to take Catholic communion -- neither will you be if you formally leave the Church and join your fathers).
For the vast majority of Christians, whether Catholic or Protestant, this debate is little more than semantics. You have developed your own relationship with God and I would encourage you to develop it as God leads. There is a scripture that assures us:
- II John 1:27: "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
If you feel the presence of God in your Catholic church that's wonderful! If you feel the presence of God in the Pentecostal church that too is wonderful! God is not limited by denominational creeds!
As for your dad's healing, that's glorious! I too have witnessed a great many healings including my own heart murmur (a hole in my left ventricle) that was healed at the Calvary Chapel church (sort of a 'Pentecostal light') in Texas where I was ordained. In Honduras I was blessed to watch a man raised from the dead at a charismatic church! God is truly great!
People often allow themselves to get bogged down by things that simply don't matter. My advise, love God and your parents and attend services wherever you feel led. I'd tell your dad that you've prayed about it, which I'm sure you have, and that you don't feel led to join his church, but wish to attend their services from time to time. Maybe assure him that if God's puts it on your heart to join you will. Who knows, through your good example your dad may even realize that God is greater than he formerly suspected!
Hope this helps,
-
~John of AllFaith
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