Is this an Evangelical thing?

[Lady Bug]

Hi, please bear with me, I may be wrong on this and I'm not in the mood to explain why I'm asking this.

Say you're struggling with something and someone tells you "Only God can fill in that void..."

No offense to anyone but I can't stand this statement anymore and if it weren't for me being already friends with someone who said this, I'd remove them from my life completely. I can't handle this statement anymore. If this is the best statement that someone can come up with instead of actually solving the problem, then I don't know what to do anymore.

This statement is bleeding into Catholic circles.

I may regret making this thread, later, but once I hit that Post Thread thingy, oh well.

 

[caffeinated hermit]

(Posting in fellowship as a former Evangelical who enjoys Thomas Merton)

Yes, that's a very Evangelical thing. Tackle complex, emotional issues with platitudes that make the solution seem simple and basically "your fault" if your faith isn't magically fixing everything. Maybe Catholics have their own, comparable platitudes, but that sounds quite Evangelical to my ears.

Possible solution : I've learned to not share many painful, personal things with people who seem to not "get it". I stick to sharing with people who have been through similar things and / or don't rush to "help" by inadvertently making me feel worse.

 

[Lady Bug]

(Posting in fellowship as a former Evangelical who enjoys Thomas Merton)

Yes, that's a very Evangelical thing. Tackle complex, emotional issues with platitudes that make the solution seem simple and basically "your fault" if your faith isn't magically fixing everything. Maybe Catholics have their own, comparable platitudes, but that sounds quite Evangelical to my ears.

Possible solution : I've learned to not share many painful, personal things with people who seem to not "get it". I stick to sharing with people who have been through similar things and / or don't rush to "help" by inadvertently making me feel worse.

Does Thomas Merton have anything to do with this topic? I ask because RileyG recommended Merton's book and I was thinking about it.

 

[caffeinated hermit]

Does Thomas Merton have anything to do with this topic? I ask because RileyG recommended Merton's book and I was thinking about it.

Not on purpose, but you should still definitely consider reading him. He's awesome.

 

[Lady Bug]

Not on purpose, but you should still definitely consider reading him. He's awesome.

I'm considering it. I just have so many books in which I could barely finish even a quarter of them. That's how I get with books, I don't know why.

The only book lately that I've been able to finish is "The Four Last Things" by Father Martin Von Cochem. Ironically, his book is one of the most unpleasant I've read, lol, and yet this has been the only book in maybe 20 years that I have been able to finish with momentum.

 

[caffeinated hermit]

I'm considering it. I just have so many books in which I could barely finish even a quarter of them. That's how I get with books, I don't know why.

The only book lately that I've been able to finish is "The Four Last Things" by Father Martin Von Cochem. Ironically, his book is one of the most unpleasant I've read, lol, and yet this has been the only book in maybe 20 years that I have been able to finish with momentum.

"New Seeds of Contemplation" is really good, and very pleasant.

 

[Lady Bug]

"New Seeds of Contemplation" is really good, and very pleasant.

I heard that he became more controversial later on, but I won't ignore the good stuff.

 

[Lady Bug]

ps. how does it compare to Seven Storey Mountain?

 

[caffeinated hermit]

ps. how does it compare to Seven Storey Mountain?

Haven't gotten through Seven Story Mountain yet (my book budget is fairly limited), but New Seeds of Contemplation is a very deep, yet gentle book. Good if you're interesting in contemplative prayer and faith as a thoughtful, healing process. Worth reading. I need to read more Merton, should probably use the public library.

 

[ChubbyCherub]

My mom and sister-in-law do this and I view both to be uneducated, or limited education, lacking in attention span and life experience.

As you say, it is annoying to people including myself and my brother.

As someone else suggested, don't confide in these people. They will only annoy you and make you angry, even if they think they are being helpful in their limited way, so seek to confide in peers for problem solving or write in a journal for emotional venting.