Expert: Fr. Timothy Johnson - 1/19/2010

Question
Fr. Johnson,

Recently while having a discussion with my mother (I am 19 she is 48), she came to me with the idea that she wanted to take bible study classes at our local parish. The thing is, mom is a very religious lady, and beyond going to church nearly every day and being a Eucharistic minister, she also participates in charity work for the church regularly. While I highly regard her as a great person for these things she does, I thought I had a better idea.

Right now I am going through a non-religious "phase" (I guess you could call it that). And through this time, I have had a desire to learn about not Christianity, but religions of the world. So along with my Mathematics and Biology classes, I have taken some World Religions and Islamic study classes at my university. Being a thinker, I suggested to my mother that instead of doing more Christianity work, she take a couple of classes to learn about other religions.

Well, unfortunately this was an awful thing to say. She would hear none of that, and called it blasphemy that I should even have suggested something of the sorts (it has never been like her before to get that worked up). Through all my persistence that by learning what other believe, you could strengthen her own beliefs, she continued to "freak out".

To be quite honest here I don't really know what I did wrong. Is it not right to want to learn what other people believe? Is it not right to see the other side of the story? To educate yourself about Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and Atheism? What I am asking is was I wrong to suggest this, and if I am, why?

Answer
Hi, John:
Thanks for the question.
As you mention, you are "going through a non-religious "phase" (I guess you could call it that)".  The fruits of that, as I see it, is that you are complicating and weighing down the situation by getting a "smattering" of all kinds of "other" religions when you are not even secure within the Catholic Faith you were raised in.  Perhaps your mother's reaction was somewhat over-the-top; but I believe that she is merely concerned for you.  There is a real tendency "out-there" for Catholics and the general population to undertake looking into a bunch of things, and just "picking-and-choosing" among things, and try to piece together their own personal version of religious expression and practice.  Often times, especially in the areas of moral reasoning and practice, people are looking for the "easy way" and do not want to know and have the firm foundations and clarity to follow true principles objectively, and follow Jesus Christ as He declares Himself to be "the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
I would recommend that you take more time to study the Catholic Faith, and even more importantly, foster a deep devotional and prayer life.  Look deeply to discover the things in your life right now that are obstacles hindering your way with Jesus Christ in His Catholic Church.

Fr. Timothy JOhnson