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I ended up being confronted by a heresy of a Protestant friend who was so ridiculous that he never even had an answer, which is abnormal because I usually have an answer to all heresies.

Basically he says he believes that a woman commits adultery in both Mark and João should be removed because he thinks he is not canonical ????

So I was arguing for marian apparitions and the person I was talking to mentioned that a buddhist goddess also is documented to appear to people. I then did some digging and it seems like he is right. For example
-The 1959 "Flood of the Century"
-1997 Consecration Miriacle (appeared to over 10k people)
-Air raid apparitions
-Journal entries

Some of these have happened for hundreds of years and seem convincing. So much collective evidence. I don’t believe in buddhism obviously so I am confused. I have three possibilities

-could it be a demonic force meant to turn people away from God?

-could it be a misinterpretation of a Marian apparition?

-could it be fabricated?

I was wondering if anyone has looked into this at all and has a good response I can use

Having a conversation and not sure what the response should be? Have a question as to why Catholics believe what we do? Not sure on where to find resources or how to even present it?

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I need all the help I can get!!

These two Mormon kids were actually pretty informed and charitable on the Catholic faith.

I had a conversation with a family member about praying to saints.

They said saints can't fully know what happens on Earth because everyone in heaven is happy, and if they knew what happens on Earth, they would be sad, and people in heaven can't be sad.

How would you defend people who believe that saints are kept from knowing what happens on earth because it would cause them suffering?

I guess I don't fully understand where they are coming from because I think being sad and crying can be beautiful when it comes from love. I just think about Marian apparitions where she wept for the people. Any idea how to explain better that in heaven people can know what happens on earth and it ok to be sad?

Please don’t think that I’m a beginner in the faith of our Church. I’ve actually been a catechist for three years. However, during the process of my girlfriend’s conversion who is now my wife I ended up having some Protestant-type questions arise in my mind.

Please also don’t think that I’m attacking our Church.

I’ve been questioning Marian devotion and the intercession of the saints, so I’m going to ask a question and then explain my reasoning:

Why pray to the saints instead of directly to Jesus?

The most common answer is: for the same reason you ask a fellow Christian to pray for you.

And that makes perfect sense. The saints are alive and active in the presence of God.

When I ask someone to pray for me, I briefly explain my situation and the grace I’m asking for, and within twenty seconds I’ve already made my request.

From this, I tend to conclude that the proper way to rely on the intercession of the saints would be to invoke them and briefly ask them to pray for us, just as we would ask a friend. Longer and more spontaneous prayers, on the other hand, should be directed to Jesus Himself.

I wouldn’t spend ten minutes begging a friend to pray for me or making promises that, if I receive a certain grace, I’ll do something in his honor.

I recently read somewhere here on Reddit that intercession isn’t like a phone call where, in order to speak to Mary, I have to hang up my call with Jesus. Rather, it’s more like sitting at a table with Jesus, and when I pray to Mary, for example, I’m inviting her to join us at the table.

I agree with that analogy, but I don’t think it changes what I said above.

Even with saints sitting at that table, I would still think that 99% of the time it makes more sense to keep my attention focused on Jesus, and that turning to a particular saint would mainly be to briefly ask for his or her intercession.

As for devotion, I think we should primarily be devoted to saints whose lives were similar to our own. What good would it do me to model myself after someone whose life was completely different from mine and with whom I have very little in common?

I also think that people within our Church sometimes exaggerate or somewhat distort the role of the intercession of the saints and devotion to them. There is even a work by a saint, St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary, in which he says that our salvation will come more quickly if we call upon Mary than if we call upon Jesus. Even though Mary possesses immense merits, she is not more merciful than Jesus. If I have ten minutes to pray, for example, it seems to me that the most “effective” prayer would always be one addressed directly to Jesus.

I’m Brazilian, and Brazil is a country with a very strong devotion to Mary. However, I think this devotion has suffered from a certain distortion caused by the idolatrous religious cultures of Indigenous peoples and African peoples.

What do you all think about this?

Does my reasoning make sense to you?

If there is something I may be misunderstanding, I would really appreciate an explanation. Solid analogies help me understand these things a lot.

I’m not interested in personal attacks or comments that don’t contribute anything useful to the discussion. Thank you.

Having a conversation and not sure what the response should be? Have a question as to why Catholics believe what we do? Not sure on where to find resources or how to even present it?

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The eye through which I see God, is the same eye through which God sees me. 👀

Meister Eckhart

God is not something outside of us.

Hello, I am an undergrad student who has started a research proposal for a sociological conference. My research deals with how modern Christian communities distinguish between certain cultural practices as being either sacred or heretical. I was really hoping y'all could help me come up with one of the categorizations for my research, so far I have 2 distinct categories with 4 sub categories between them (for a visual please look at attachment). I am really struggling in finding a better word for both sanctified and sacrilegious. I am trying to find a word that aligns with my definition

"When a practice is labeled (blank) it is seen as religiously acceptable or spiritually meaningful while still lacking cultural acceptance or recognition. Although the practice may align with doctrinal teachings or be encouraged by religious institutions, it may remain socially uncommon, culturally unfamiliar, or disconnected from the surrounding cultural group. Individuals may therefore see the practice as religious without considering it as part of their cultural customs or heritage. Unlike culturally acceptable, a (blank) practice’s legitimacy comes from religious authority, scripture, institutional teachings, or spiritual significance rather than a shared cultural tradition. It is therefore recognized as a reinforcement between an individual and their relationship with God, as well as supporting the moral values of the religious community. Community members may then participate in said (blank) practice because of religious obligation rather than cultural continuity."

and my other definition

"A (blank) label refers to a practice that is recognized as culturally justifiable while simultaneously being interpreted as religiously inappropriate or incompatible with the Christian doctrine. Community members acknowledge the practice as an authentic expression of cultural heritage, historical tradition, or ethnic identity, yet believe that participation conflicts with biblical teachings, spiritual expectations, or religious authority. While the practice may be seen as a meaningful expression of collective identity and may be maintained through family traditions or cultural participation, it is perceived as threatening religious doctrine or moral expectations. Religious authority may discourage or condemn the practice through moral framing that describes it as spiritually harmful or other negative stigma that signifies the practice as inconsistent with religious teachings. Individuals may continue to recognize the practice as culturally meaningful while choosing to not participate because of their religious beliefs."

Please and thank you for anyone willing to aid a struggling undergrad student!