BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Catholicism Catholicism vs. Non Denominational Christianity

What is the difference between Catholicism and Non-denominational Christianity. My bf for almost 4 years, whom we had plans to marry and everything, decided, out of the blue that my religion was wrong and just not true. he within the last year switched to a new church, a mega church and he has changed entierly. He came over one night, started going off on it, and then broke it off with me the next day. He is hurting bad too,as if he was forced to do so. He cries when he sees me and misses me dearly. Is there anything I can do to help???

I would say "No, there is nothing you can do to help." except I don't know what kind of help you are talking about.

Do you mean help renew your relationship with this fellow?

Do you mean to just 'help' this fellow in general? Help him do soomething specific other than come back to you?

Do you mean do something to help yourself? Help yourself do what?

Something else entirely?

A couple of questions about you: Are you Catholic?

Were you actually engaged or did you just have "plans to marry and everything."?

How old are you?

I am a practicing Roman Catholic and I am 23 years old. I have talked to the munk at my college and was told that his "church" is almost like a cult. They suck in individuals that are not sure what they are and they dont leave them alone, they make them feel as if they are wrong and a bad person and they put on the guilt trip. As of right now our relationship is over, but he is too good of an individual to let this happen to. He does not know who he is nor does he really know what he wants. He has a tendancy to be like others and follow others if he is unsure. I want to help him realize that what he is getting into is not safe for his well being and help him understand that being Catholic is not a bad thing.All he can say is that there are religious differences. Yes and many people learn to get arouind them. I know that somehow he was "convinced/threatened" that he must break up with me. I need to know how to talk to him and tell him things and what to do.

Im not Catholic but...are you sure you really want to get married to a man that is so easily convinced you are wrong/ bad/ evil/whatever?

he sounds like a leave in the wind tossed about here and there with no... wil/ mind/ oppnion of his own!! I would question weather this is a healthy relationship! I am 27 and I have dated this type of person and you may be able to change his mind today but tomorrow it will be something else that changes it to something else until you loose yourself in his foolish adventures and trying to save him is not your job its Gods.... I dont know the whole story but IMO get out now while the getting is good...if and when this boy grows up then maybe try again but I would not wait for him to do so!!

I am sorry you have to go through this and I know it is tempting to play God or hero and try to save him but he will never grow up if you keep saving him from this or that! I will pray for you!

Thank you for your wise words. I have been speeking with him and doing my own research. There is not much difference amoungst religions and I know that there is something else going on. Believe it or not, I hung out with him lat night, as if nothing ever happend and we were able to talk and it was just like the first time we started hanging out/dating. He still thinks and believes that down the road there will be us again. I am giving him is space and time, and being a very supportive friend. I have spoken to my parents multiple times through this, he as a matter of fact helps my father with his other business. So I do not know if this was his way to just tell me he needed time off or what. But, if it does not work out I have a very good friend.

mmm...i dated a guy like this and it dont not turn out good... he would get mad and change his mind and i am wrong and he was right type of thing where I had to change or he would leave and then he would be like nothing happened at all and everything was great like it had been before.... I later found out he had a girl friend about to have his kid we had dated for about a year so.... plus I resently found out he had another girl friend also pregent about the same time.....

I thought he was being open and honest at first then I thought oh he has been hurt and there is something going on and he needs me to be understanding....then I thought he had some sort of mental problem like bi polar or something because he would make me feel like trash and then he would get depressed and act like a whip pup because I would tell him to back off or cry so I wouned up feeling guilty for getting mad or crying and upsetting HIM!!!!

he was the master at turning things all about him and manipulating me so everything was my fault and to my shame....

anyways I hope your guy is not like this and I wish you the best but I am still going to pray that God gives you wisdom!!!

free

Thank you for your prayers. I appreciate it and could use them.
My guy was never like that, luckly. I would see him every night 7 days a week and even on Holidays. We were like a married couple. We were always happy, yes we had our ups and downs like most couples do. This just came up and hit me like a rock out of no where. When I saw him, it was like nothing ever happened and that he see's us together again down the road. He is a very nice friend, and I like seeing him as that. I am not expecting more at all, unless he does something good or bad. He would not tell me what to do or anything. It was always full of love, happiness and just so nice. Thats why I am still so confused where this would come from. I know his friends and he does not have another girl. Nor do I know when he would have time when I would see him around 5-7pm till about 3 am every single day/night. I just do not understand where this came from out of the blue. I wish I knew how to word it better so I could ask him better. I asked last night but it was still the difference and that he didnt quite know.

Hello Friends!!
�
I would like to present a few thoughts and ideas to you that could bring greater harmony between people of various religious backgrounds. In the past contentions between these people have caused confusion and sometimes enmity. Would it not be an advantage to eliminate these religious difficulties. The world could be so much more peaceful if this were to occur.

At one time in history Abraham was considered a Messenger or Manifestation of God. At that time the population of the world was vary different. Cities were few and far apart. There was ample space for all without crowding. Transportation was very slow compared to today. After the passage of time Moses was known as a Messenger or Manifestation of God. Those who believed in Moses accepted Abraham as a Messenger of God. Further along in history Christ became known as the Son of God. The Christians accepted both Moses and Abraham as Messengers of God. For me it is peculiar that the Jews do not accept Christ as a Messenger of God and keep their ancient rituals. Next, Muhammad was accepted by many as a Messenger or Manifestation of God. Muhammad is known for subduing the wild Arab tribes who continually warred against each other, stealing women, robbing caravans and burying girl children alive. Again it is strange for me that neither the Jews nor the Christians accept Muhammad as a Messenger of God for His accomplishments. Then in the year 1844 a Messenger known as the Bab or Gate announced in Persia that soon another Manifestation of God would appear. True to His prediction a Manifestation of God, Baha�u�llah, announced His mission in the year 1863. Shortly after Baha�u�llah�s announcement the world populous began to marvel at the rate in which modern tools, new and efficient processing procedures and new modes of transportation, including aircraft, began to appear and make our lives easier.

Let us accept for the present that what I have said is the truth of the matter.

Unfortunately, instead of the populous accepting the various Manifestations of God, the followers of these Manifestations began debating who was the most righteous of all these Manifestations. Today the Jews reject Christ and Muhammad, the Christians accept Jews and the Manifestations before the advent of Moses but do not authenticate the advent of Muhammad. The Arabs accept Christ and the Prophets before Christ but do not accept Baha�u�llah. In addition the Arabs are now quarreling with the Jews. Are any of these contentions of use to the world we live in? I believe not and hope you agree.

There were great differences of thought and action in past epochs. In earlier times the marriage of a son to his mother was condoned by religion. At another time a brother could marry his sister. Later the marriage of a son to his mother was forbidden, as was the marriage of a brother to his sister. The rules had changed as a series of Prophets altered the religious concepts in pace with the circumstances of the world such as the low populations that existed worldwide sometimes due to deaths caused by little understood sicknesses and diseases. Scientific knowledge confirmed the changes made by these Prophets and uncovered information concerning how people should live in accordance with the times and avoid weaknesses and disease. That is why we do not marry our mothers or sisters today.

History tells us that after the appearance of a Manifestation or Messenger of God great changes took place in the lives of world inhabitants. The news of the appearance of a new Manifestation of God lent impetus to the spread of the teachings of the new Manifestation. The peoples of the world became more civilized. The raw nature of man became increasingly more humane. Great houses of worship and cities were built in honor of the New Manifestation. Great leaps of advancement in the sciences and arts took place. The harsh punishments of the past were softened by the words of the New Prophet. During the period of the Crusades, why did the Christians, who were living in Europe during the Dark Ages, attack the Muslims in their homes when the people of other nations were eagerly seeking enlightenment in Muslim schools? Algebra, so useful today, was invented by Arabs. Before the start of the Crusades, Europe was locked in the Dark Ages. After the Crusades Europe emerged from the Dark Ages into the Age of the Renaissance. When the Christian Crusaders arrived for battle in Muslim territory they saw lighted streets and other amenities of life that were absent in Europe, they brought the news back to Europe and the Renaissance began in Europe. Check the History books for the dates of the Crusades and the date when the European Renaissance began. The belligerence of the Christians was contrary to the teachings of Christ Who advocated meekness and condemned violence. The dates of these occurrences may be found in history books. From these dates it seems evident the Renaissance in Europe was sparked by what the Crusaders saw in the territories of the Muslims. It was the Muslim sciences and arts that dispelled the Dark Ages in Europe. The Christians have never acknowledged this Source of the Renaissance.
�
Recently, great changes in our world have taken place. Two hundred years ago human transportation depended primarily on beasts of burden such as horses, donkeys, mules, camels, oxen and the like. We were traveling in the dust. After a very short passage of time � 161 years � we are now racing through the atmosphere and space, transporting people and cargo in rockets and aircraft, living in satellites that circle earth, taking pictures on distant planets. Miracles!! Where is the Manifestation of God who has provoked such scientific advancement? God�s Manifestations surely triggered the great advancements of the past. Did Abraham, Moses, Christ or Muhammad return to spark these fantastic happenings of today? Some say Joseph Smith was a Manifestation, but he was a follower of Christ. Have any of the previous Manifestations of God ever returned to this planet after their Ascension? Not to my knowledge! God has His own way of doing things. Our fantasies are no match for His Wisdom. However, many times it is our fanatical loyalty to tradition or our �comfort zone� that blinds us to the Will of God. We seem to be afraid to accept a new Manifestation of God. We have no control over our Supreme Creator. He does what He pleases. He has never sent a Prophet with the same name back to this earth during thousands of years. On the other hand God has sent, from time to time, Messengers with updated information to guide us during the periods in which humans have lived.
�
Within all of the books written or dictated by the Manifestations of God I have never read or heard that humans ever had the leave of God to add or detracting from the Holy Writings. Pardon me for saying so but a survey to determine the preference of any human being for one religion or another could not be a basis for choosing which Faith to follow because it would leave the choice to a human being. God has never given us a choice of Who will appear as a Manifestation of Himself nor has He given us leave to accept or reject any part of any Holy Book of the past or of the future.

Thought #3: History tells us that after the appearance of a Manifestation or Messenger of God great changes took place in the lives of world inhabitants. The news of the appearance of a new Manifestation of God lent impetus to the spread of the teachings of the new Manifestation. The peoples of the world became more civilized. The raw nature of man became increasingly more humane. Great houses of worship and cities were built in honor of the New Manifestation. Great leaps of advancement in the sciences and arts took place. The harsh punishments of the past were softened by the words of the New Prophet. During the period of the Crusades, why did the Christians, who were living in Europe during the Dark Ages, attack the Muslims in their homes when the people of other nations were eagerly seeking enlightenment in Muslim schools? Our Algebra stems from Arabic. Before the start of the Crusades, Europe was locked in the Dark Ages. After the Crusades Europe emerged from the Dark Ages into the Age of the Renaissance. When the Crusaders arrived in Muslim territory and saw lighted streets and other amenities of life that were absent in Europe, they brought the news back to Europe and the Renaissance began in Europe. Check the History books for the dates of the Crusades and the date when the European Renaissance began. The dates of these occurrences may be found in history books. From these dates it seems evident the Renaissance in Europe was sparked by what the Crusaders saw in the territories of the Muslims. It was the Muslim sciences and arts that dispelled the Dark Ages in Europe. The Christians have never acknowledged this Source of the Renaissance.
�
Thought #4: Recently, great changes in our world have taken place. Two hundred years ago human transportation depended primarily on beasts of burden such as horses, donkeys, mules, camels, oxen and the like. We were traveling in the dust. After a very short passage of time � 161 years � we are now racing through the atmosphere and space in jet aircraft, transporting people and cargo in rockets, living in satellites that circle earth, taking pictures on distant planets. Miracles!! Where is the Manifestation of God who has provoked such scientific advancement? God�s Manifestations surely triggered the great advancements of the past. Did Abraham, Moses, and Christ or Muhammad return to spark these fantastic happenings of today? Some say Joseph Smith was a Manifestation, but he was a follower of Christ. Have any of the previous Manifestations of God ever returned to this planet after their Ascension? Not to my knowledge! God has His own way of doing things. Our fantasies are no match for His Wisdom. However, many times it is our fanatical loyalty to tradition or our �comfort zone� that blinds us to the Will of God. We seem to be afraid to accept a new Manifestation of God. We have no control over our Supreme Creator. He does what He pleases. He has never sent a Prophet with the same name back to this earth during thousands of years. On the other hand God has sent, from time to time, Messengers with updated information to guide us during the periods in which humans have lived.
�
Within all of the books written or dictated by the Manifestations of God I have never read or heard that humans ever had a say in adding to or detracting from the Holy Writings. Pardon me for saying so but a survey to determine the preference of any human being for one religion or another could not be a basis for choosing which Faith to follow because it would leave the choice to a human being. God has never given us a choice of Who will appear as a Manifestation of Himself nor has He given us leave to accept or reject any part of any Holy Book of the past or of the future.

�
Send us email at ljbeinc@msn.com
�
World Unity Advocates

I think maybe I am haveing deja vu because I have got a Pm that reads like this post and there is a post in the Spirituality forum and there is a post here that reads the EXACT SAME WAY!!!

Anyone else got deja vu too?

To get back to the original post, "non-denominational" Christianity tends to be extremely authoritarian. This is because instead of following a written dogma that is created in an orderly fashion (like traditional Christian denominations) the "non-denominational" churches rely on a specific pastor for leadership and spiritual decisions. Usually they claim to be biblical literalists, but since there is always interpretation, and the pastor does the interpretation, it's that pastor that controls everything. You can see this on the mega-churches that have the pastor's name on the outside (sometimes as large as the church name!)

My girlfriend left me under very similar circumstances. She had a negative view of herself, to the point that she didn't see how I could honestly be in love with her. The mega-church, with its twin messages of condemnation and acceptance appealed to her.