Hi all.
It's been a while since I posted on here, and now I'm back I thought I'd post to ask for some advice on an issue that has shook my faith in the previous wee while. I'm a religious moderate, quite moderatly left-wing, enviromentalist, vegetarian, etc, etc. I was raised in the Catholic church, rebelled when I was a teenager and only rediscovered my faith when I was in my twenties, something I'm am continuing to struggle with to this day. I haven't decided on a denomination, and to be honest don't see this as particularly important. But anyway, onto what's troubling me...
I had recalled recently an event from my past that began to trouble me, and although it is something I have repented of now in confession, and I feel I am forgiven, I may end up attending a church outside of the Catholic one. Anyway, when was about 14, i rebelled, with all the black makeup and nail varnish I could find. And as such i developed a naive interest in the occult, specifically satanism. I didn't practice this long, and it involved a contract, and defacing the bible, etc, etc. And even when I was older and at uni a Gnostic interest in satanism has come up. But now I have repented, both to God by myself, and God in the confessional (just in case). The priest told me (what many others seem to say)- that you cannot sell your soul because it isn't yours, Jesus bought it on the cross, that no such deal can exist by proxy, and that all sins are forgiveable with sincere repentance.
What are your opinions on this subject? I was sincerely worred for a while, and all sorts of thoughts went through my head - am I lost? Can I no longer be saved? But I know now, nothing can make me unreachable from God's mercy and love.
It's been a while since I posted on here, and now I'm back I thought I'd post to ask for some advice on an issue that has shook my faith in the previous wee while. I'm a religious moderate, quite moderatly left-wing, enviromentalist, vegetarian, etc, etc. I was raised in the Catholic church, rebelled when I was a teenager and only rediscovered my faith when I was in my twenties, something I'm am continuing to struggle with to this day. I haven't decided on a denomination, and to be honest don't see this as particularly important. But anyway, onto what's troubling me...
I had recalled recently an event from my past that began to trouble me, and although it is something I have repented of now in confession, and I feel I am forgiven, I may end up attending a church outside of the Catholic one. Anyway, when was about 14, i rebelled, with all the black makeup and nail varnish I could find. And as such i developed a naive interest in the occult, specifically satanism. I didn't practice this long, and it involved a contract, and defacing the bible, etc, etc. And even when I was older and at uni a Gnostic interest in satanism has come up. But now I have repented, both to God by myself, and God in the confessional (just in case). The priest told me (what many others seem to say)- that you cannot sell your soul because it isn't yours, Jesus bought it on the cross, that no such deal can exist by proxy, and that all sins are forgiveable with sincere repentance.
What are your opinions on this subject? I was sincerely worred for a while, and all sorts of thoughts went through my head - am I lost? Can I no longer be saved? But I know now, nothing can make me unreachable from God's mercy and love.