This God Damned Heat

Well maybe that was a false memory or a projection based out of a desperate want not to have lost a grandmother?.

That moving statue was a God send....literally. In the middle of some crippling economic times, especially in that area, an attraction that dragged hundreds of thousands of people to see it was a great boon both spiritually and economically. Expect another "miracle" any time about now.

 

If I know them, you can chalk it up as 100% certain that it happened

A mate of mine was thrown out of his class for questioning the veracity of the Knock apparition.

 

I'd examine the idea that you did understand death better than you thought. At least you were receptive to the emotion and sense of loss. Perhaps that was a trigger for you to fill that void with something quite normal and quite usual. If people want to get comfort from that an place a religious significance on that then that is ok if that helps to get them through it.

 

At a relatively young age I haven't felt massive loss yet - although I've been very close, very recently.

During this time when I was looking for any help I could possibly get I did have a thought about turning to god, to be fair I would have tried anything at that point to prevent the loss - but just because I really didn't want something to happen didn't mean there is any proof of god.

If the worst had of happened I may very well had been comforted by the fact that my loved one was with god, but again gaining comfort from something does not prove it exists.

When the inevitable day comes where I do have that massive loss I will surely wish I had faith, as I imagine it would make coping much easier - but as much as it would help my state of mind to find faith - my desires for it to be true still won't make it true.

 

That is absolutely fair.

I was only referencing it as something that can bring comfort.

Someone close to me suffered the worst possible emotional trauma and loss that I could possibly imagine. This guy finds solace in sharing these things quite openly on his facebook and talking about it on a website akin to this one. He isn't even that open with his own family.

That isn't for me, but that is what gets him through. I can't be critical of that. The same with people finding solace from ghosts and reciting decades of the rosary every night. If it works for them, I can't be critical.

Ballinspittle is slightly different (for me) as it seemed so contrived and convenient. I recognise the comfort it brought at such a depressing time but was acutely aware of the Ballinspittle "industry" and found it somewhat distasteful. I recall that feeling very clearly, even though I was only very young and not particularly prone to questioning these sorts of things.

 

On the subject of proof, I am not an evangelist, nor have I ever evangelised on here (or anywhere else for that matter).

The burden placed on all Christians is to evangelise. Most don't. I do recognise that I am failing in that regard but I don't think there are many out there who have not heard of this guy called Jesus. For that reason I think that if people want to find him, they will.

I am not even a particularly good Catholic. That said, I am comfortable with what I believe and I am comfortable that others are too. The idea of "proving" what I believe has never troubled me because I don't have to prove anything. If I were an evangelist, then I can see why providing something more tangible might help their argument. But I'm not. When people evangelise to me, I think it extremely arrogant of them to assume that I am not already a believer. For that reason I **** with them too.

 

I dont disclose to them my denomination. I present them with biblical theology that promotes an altogether more liberal outlook. They bite like ****.