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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Buddhist items	Rebecca	Saturday, January 26, 2013
Question: Hi I have fallen away from the church now for good reasons(A 10 year realtionship with a priest turned vicar general then it was publicized via my counselor, long story). I was subjected to humiliation, despair, and lonliness as this priest was all I had in life. That being said, I turned to Buddhism. I gained faith thru my friend. I also got reoccuring past life dreams, etc, which I know sound silly but they felt very real. I am ready to give up all my buddhist items, statues, and get rid of it forever due to some bad experiences/sensations. But, i am not somebody whom can just throw away religious objects. There is not a Buddhist temple anywhere near. Please advice on what to do with these objects (and my faith) thanks
Question Answered by Dear Rebecca: I am so sorry that a priest hurt you so. I do not know the story, but a counselor revealing things about you is a violation of professional ethics top which he can lose his license, and perhaps a violation of law. In any event I am so sorry that these things have happened to you. Please remember that the Church did not do these things to you. It was the sins of individuals that hurt you. The Church, which is the Bride of Christ, loves you as Christ loves you. Our Lord wants you to return to Him in the Eucharist and in the Sacraments of His Church. As for dreams, remember that there is no such thing as "past lives." Dreams can seem very real, but they are only dreams. God clearly tells us that we have one life and then the judgment, (Hebrew 9:27) "And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment." That means that we have one life to live and then we enter the afterlife, that is eternity. I praise God that you are now ready to leave Buddhism and to regain your faith. As for the Buddhist objects, you can throw them away. There is no sacrilege or disrespect in doing throwing them away. They are just objects. They have no holiness to them as they are objects of a religion that is not of the True God. They are just objects like any other ordinary object. As for returning to the faith, you need to contact a local parish priest and tell him that you wish to return to the Catholic Faith. If there is any instruction needed, he will let you know what you need to do. Otherwise, the next step is to attend to the Sacrament of Confession to confess all your sins since the last time you made confession, no matter how long ago that was. Do the best you can to remember your sins. Any sins you have legitimately forgotten will be forgiven with all the rest when the priest absolves you. But, do not hold back any sins, do not be embarrassed at confessing any sin. God is waiting for you to come to Him and when you confess He will wash your soul clean (1 John 1:9). Then, you may begin to live again the Christ-life in His Church. We will be praying for you, Rebecca. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Buddhist items

Rebecca

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Question:

Hi

I have fallen away from the church now for good reasons(A 10 year realtionship with a priest turned vicar general then it was publicized via my counselor, long story). I was subjected to humiliation, despair, and lonliness as this priest was all I had in life.

That being said, I turned to Buddhism. I gained faith thru my friend. I also got reoccuring past life dreams, etc, which I know sound silly but they felt very real.

I am ready to give up all my buddhist items, statues, and get rid of it forever due to some bad experiences/sensations. But, i am not somebody whom can just throw away religious objects. There is not a Buddhist temple anywhere near.

Please advice on what to do with these objects (and my faith)

thanks

Question Answered by

Dear Rebecca:

I am so sorry that a priest hurt you so. I do not know the story, but a counselor revealing things about you is a violation of professional ethics top which he can lose his license, and perhaps a violation of law. In any event I am so sorry that these things have happened to you.

Please remember that the Church did not do these things to you. It was the sins of individuals that hurt you. The Church, which is the Bride of Christ, loves you as Christ loves you. Our Lord wants you to return to Him in the Eucharist and in the Sacraments of His Church.

As for dreams, remember that there is no such thing as "past lives." Dreams can seem very real, but they are only dreams. God clearly tells us that we have one life and then the judgment, (Hebrew 9:27) "And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment." That means that we have one life to live and then we enter the afterlife, that is eternity.

I praise God that you are now ready to leave Buddhism and to regain your faith. As for the Buddhist objects, you can throw them away. There is no sacrilege or disrespect in doing throwing them away. They are just objects. They have no holiness to them as they are objects of a religion that is not of the True God. They are just objects like any other ordinary object.

As for returning to the faith, you need to contact a local parish priest and tell him that you wish to return to the Catholic Faith. If there is any instruction needed, he will let you know what you need to do. Otherwise, the next step is to attend to the Sacrament of Confession to confess all your sins since the last time you made confession, no matter how long ago that was. Do the best you can to remember your sins. Any sins you have legitimately forgotten will be forgiven with all the rest when the priest absolves you. But, do not hold back any sins, do not be embarrassed at confessing any sin. God is waiting for you to come to Him and when you confess He will wash your soul clean (1 John 1:9). Then, you may begin to live again the Christ-life in His Church.

We will be praying for you, Rebecca.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.