Would I be considered catholic ?

[XIX]

It should be mentioned that there is no sin where you are honestly following your conscience. That's not to say that you shouldn't educate your conscience as much as possible--to do otherwise would be a sin because you are neglecting your conscience.

So if you don't know that missing Sunday Mass is a sin and that's the only reason you miss, then you are fine. Missing the Ecuharist, even out of ignorance, would be a disorder that still prevents you from recieving the Body and Blood of Christ.

As for being in dissent with some of the Church's teachings--again, your conscience may tell you that's the case, so it wouldn't be your fault. But that would only be because your conscience is pointed in the [b]wrong[/b] direction...then you would owe it to yourself and to Jesus to educate your conscience. We are bound by the Church's teachings, because it is the Church that Jesus established and she cannot err in matters of faith and morals.

However, you only have to believe the infallible teachings of the Church. It is not a sin to believe in an apparition that the Church has not apporved, for example. Such approvals are considered fallible, and while you should still look to the Church for guidance on such matters, know that some things are not considered dogma or doctrice, etc.


Lemme be obnoxious for a second now...

[font="Arial"][color=red][b]I WILL NOT TELL YOU WHETHER YOU ARE IN MORTAL SIN. TO DO SO WOULD BE A VERY SINFUL JUDGEMENT ON YOUR SOUL.[/b][/color][/font]


That is something you will hae to examine for yourself. I know that certain actions can pretty much indicate mortal/not mortal, but here it seems too iffy for me to even take a guess, really. Grave matter? Absolutely. Mortal sin? Depends on whether you had full knowledge that these things were grave matters. And full consent of will. Mortal sin is a conscioud decision.


One more thing...please do not get discouraged if you find yourself frustrated in your faith journey. EVERYBODY goes thought a lot of obstacles, and it usually takes a ton of baby steps to go from one spiritual plane to another. If you are constantly trying to grow closer with God and trying to improve, I'd say your golden.

Edited February 2, 2005 by XIX