I wonder if my depression is my punishment for going against catholic rules.

(I was raised Catholic.) But my guilty feelings come from the dynamic s of being raised in an alcoholic family.

(The alcoholic being raised prespiterian)

Sorry pentecostal, not prespiterian.(bad spelling, I know)

I was raised Catholic and spent some time around nuns that came to our school for religious Ed. They were nice nuns.
I have a lot if guilt. Part of it comes from the parenting supporting the fear of God breathing down our necks looking to punish us.
As a teen I left the church and went to an evangelistic meeting where I got the message of Christ's salvation clarified and personalized. It was glorious the difference it made in my life. I found reading the Bible enlightening, prayer came to life, guilt faded.
I have friends in the Catholic church and that same message is there but it didn't get to me for some reason. Maybe because of so much symbolism and ceremony vs just plain preaching?
Regardless, the point is changing our view of God as punitive and rather a God of mercy. Concentrate on His love of us. Cool thing happened to me the other day.
I was feeling really bad. Back in the pit or at least sliding down the embankment. I get a face book message from a friend that doesn't know my struggles and rarely pm's me and says they have a scripture that they felt impressed o give me. It was all about how God will strengthen me, loves me and is holding me in his right hand. Even though we may not feel it, it's a faith thing and it's encouraging to know God honors His promises and His word. That's what I love about it all is I am not good rather I rely on His goodness. My depression clouds even my faith at times but I believe God will be understanding and merciful to me because of this burden, not disappointed in me.
Hope that is of some help, Gordos.

I'm similar to Boog. Raised Catholic, went to church damn near every day. I lost religion when I was in high school. It just didn't add up to me.

I was also raised Catholic. My father converted to Catholism, my mom was born into it. I had the best nuns and priests in my life. Some of the nuns had taught my mother even. We were given a free education, and never lacked for clothing, which the nuns made sure we were well cared for and loved.

I'm 68 now, so it wasn't during a time of liberal thinking. My parents didn't need to be strict because we knew better. I think the nuns just reinforced good behavior thru their example. And I can't forget, most were barely out of school themselves.

I love my faith, never felt I was going to hell because of Catholic teachings. Contrary to that, I always felt I could be redeemed and still feel that way.

Maybe we have to just find what's best for us, discover what's really in our hearts .. and if it's not based on religion, than it can always be just on being a good person.

I was raised catholic, but also poor so I never went to a catholic school. Never the less, the fears and teachings you describe where there in my up bringing. More so cause my adopted mom who was raising us ( also a catholic ) was also a violent, abusive drunk. Not sure if I would of felt safer with the nuns to be honest. Anyways, as I got older, I became a drunk myself and rebelled again my mom and the catholic structure. All of us kids did that. It was my way of breaking free from the abuse and control that held my life in an emotional prison for so many impressionable years. Eventually I sobered up and now I am a non-catholic Christian. I dont hold anger or hate towards my mom. She was ( is ) who she was and is. I also dont hold anger or hate against catholics or the catholic faith. I just have my own Christian faith and prefer to embrace that to my comforts that work. I cant say I walked away with out emotional scares from my catholic up bringing. I have them, but I have healed them and moved on. I still have a St. Christopher medal in my car because it seems to work. Anyways...

Yes, unfortunately, I was raised Catholic. It was deemed a sin to touch my pee pee, and I was told I'd go blind. Happy to say, after decades of wanking, I'm not blind yet! I called God's bluff. I do see the spiritual death caused by lust though. Everything in moderation is key.

raised and attended Catholic school thru 6th grade. Yes, very much guilt associated with Catholic upbringing. Not the makings for a healthy love of self.

I hate organized religion. I rejected it a long time ago. The bible is full of **** Whoever wrote it was really stoned. However, I do have some spiritual beliefs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQf4ZQL1pzw

Lol Koolman

gordos4~~I too was raised Catholic, baptisted, first communion, dad's family was all Catholic. Great Uncle was a Monseigneur. He was lie the "God Father" of the family. We had to get approved to do almost everything. I understand the Catholic guilt. But, when I was about 13 I started to question the reason why we had to go to confession. I knew that we were told that God knows everything. So, why then did we have to tell out sins, to a man behind a curtain? I knew that God would punish us for our sins. How would saying Hail Marys and Our Fathers fix the sin? I was full of doubt. I started to enter other churches, which also was a big No-No!! I got married to a boy who was Baptist. we married in a Disciples of Christ church. I found that I really liked the people there. They were not stiff and the pastor seemed very nice and non judgmental. He counseled my husband and I and was very good to us. The church even helped us out financially. I had never seen such nice people before. We became very involved in the church. We felt very welcome and felt like we belonged there. They felt like family. I felt loved. To this day I feel very welcome in a Christian church, non-denominational. I was baptisted Southern Baptist in 2002 after I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I read the bible, which was restricted as a Catholic. That was only allowed by the priest. We could only read the misle. I still have mine. The bible tells me all I need for daily living. Nothing is confusing anymore. It's all in black and white. My life is whole now. I have married a man who is a baptist school scholar. He has taught me so much. We have been happily married now for 14 years.

I was raised catholic ..........my experance with my grandmother is very imbedded in me and a wounderfull .experance .........she was a very loving person ........her belif was ingrained in her ...she belived .....she neeled Dowen ..each night and each morning to say the rosery ....the hole rosery ...when I went to church with her the experance was ...so much more ..than...any other time I have ever gone to church ..it was like she had a connection ..to God that I could feel ...I loved going to church with her ..mostly I prayed and just let all the feelings of connection in and did not lisen to what was being preached ........because by the time I could understand what they were reaching in church and at school ....I knew they weren't talking about the God I knew ..........I knew ware I came from so I know ware I am going .......I also knew my god ...and the church huminised ..God and you can't do that .....there is nothing negative in God nothing God is not a punishing god ...God is pure love and light ....God is so big our tifney minds can't even imagin just how big ....so pure in love out brains can't find the measure of it ...God has so much love that God loves all of us all those that were all those that are and all those that will be .....God is all powerfull ....in gods love for us ..humanity ....there is no hell ...God would not alow or even have the thought of making such a place to cast some of us into ....there is no such place ......we are in school .....we came here of our owen free will ..to experance ..we dident come alone .....others came with us to come into our lives at diferant times to help with diferant experances ...most of all we come to learn to love ...to learn to love unconditionally .......so we chouice our subjects .....and than we all have free choice ...and that affects all of our experances .....when it is our time to go home we bring this all back with us ....God said that we were his children ....and we are ...just as our children carry our DNA in them and on Dowen the line ...we all have a pice of God in each of us witch is our higher self ..... I know this thinking is not for everyone ....this has been my experances ...that have guided my along with some knolage I was born with ....I don't ask you to belive just ....telling you what I belive and why I wouldent go to church ..even though there is a lot I do belive in the my fath ....there is to much of a divide for me to follow it on pure fath ...I also find that there is some truths in many religions ....in essence ...we came from the same place god bu what ever name they chouse to call god by ...and we all go back home to that same God ..........and it doesent mater how you chouise to belive ...just that you do ....for Maney of us need this .....there are those who chouice not to belive in a god ...and that's ok to ...what ever works ..they have belifes ..in them selves in others ......and for me they came from the same place I and all of us came from and they will go back to that same place when it is there time ..........so that is what I belive ..........I was tought to feel guilty ...ashamed ..not to like your self to much ...go to confession even when I dident think I had any sins to confess I had to realy think hard to come up with some ..I know more than one of us made up a few ...and that was a sin you couldent win ....all tought to me befor I new what happened ..to me ..and still hard to ..get away from so impeded ...because your parents would tell you all these things to ....and I think this negative way of thinking ...is not helpful if you are depressed ....this is also my experance .....so than comes the question what do I teach my children .....well I want them to know God ......and some of the stories in the bible ....so I would take them to church off and on ...and finaly stoped when they were around 11 ....and we do have discussions about God .................I rember a time when my youngest was 14 and the johava witness ....we're comming around and me and my h told them we were not interested ..and they started to come around to see my son when we weren't around ...I found there literature in his room ..I was so pised ...I weaited for them when they came back I had worked my self up so much ..I had to let my h take care of it or I might of punched someone ...because I had told them once to staway away from my son he was under age ..and I dident want them giving them there information it was my job at his age ...and him well he is a careter....he would take it and Read it ....and turn it around and give it back to them ......but that dident mater ..it was not there place ......so I don't agree with shoving your belifs Dowen others throughs ..but I do like to here others opinions ..and belifes ..because like I said I want to see that truth that is there ...and it is interesting ..I like to tell others my view because I don't think most people .have my point of view ..but I am not realy sure ....so you can let me know ....one thing I do know if there is to be peace in this world ....we are going to need a hole lot more of love in the world first .......good energie ....................we went to catholic school ..we had the meanest teachers ...if they did what they did than some of them would be in jail ......they tried to break you ...in grade 3 we had this woman teacher ..this one boy had big rats ..and she liked to pull everyone around by your ears or your hair ...this one boy she bullied him so bad and paraided him around by his ear calling him all kinds of names big ears ..it was terable ...she broke him ...he was never the same ....the other kids started to do the same ....me and my h were in the same class and neather of us likes that we put a stop to it finaly ....and I don't know that he had any other friends ........that is just one example ....in grade 8 ..out teacher use to through Chaco and blackboard erasers ..at us good thing we had those desks that lifted up ....slam the pointer on our desks ..make us neel on the pointers ...and the prist did the same things ..when he came ...and all through school ..I needed glasses and I would tell the teachers I needed to sit up front so I could see the bord but no they put me right in the back ...so I only learned what I could here and ..figure out for my self ...so I can't spell ....dident get glasses till I was in grade 7 .......after we went through school they fired most of the teachers ....because we went to high school and we had never even seen a microscope ...and hadent learned other things we schould of ...so they hired new teachers ..and put all the kids back a grad and tried to put my sister back two grades and my parents wouldent have it they got her extra help instead .......one time I managed to get the hole class to get the strap I was so upset ...but all the kids were so good to me ....I got it to .....we were sitting on our hands we had to be quiet ...so ..the boy in front of me his pencil roled off his table so I just with out thinking picked it up and put it on his deask and sat back on my hands and the teacher sent the hole class to the principals office for the strap ............that was school ...the teachers were the bullies .....this must be long sorry for that ....take care ...God bless

My Gran was educated by the Nuns and in the end demanded her way, or no way at all. Mum did spank me, but that's beyond the point. The fact is that most Catholic upbringings were abusive and f**ked up because the Priests and Nuns resented childhood. They were clandestine agents for the Godless Elites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgNfTx9pGzA

I was raised Catholic. I was sent to Catechism class out of obligation, but stopped in high school. I came back briefly as an adult and was confirmed. I stopped going to Mass when it seemed it wasn't helping my life. I got tired of people telling me my illness/suffering was bringing me closer to God and/or I only needed God, as they went about their happy lives full of supportive friends and families.Yet, you know that if you ask them if they would trade lives with you, they'd hesitate and run away. Come on, it's getting closer to God. Why are you running away? Occasionally, I visit Catholic boards and still see the ignorance about mental illness there.