Reddit mentions of Dark Night of the Soul (Dover Thrift Editions)

Sounds like a dark night of the soul. Consider reading this book. It may provide clarity.

Many saints have experienced the "dark night of the soul" (one even wrote a book about it).

This refers to "spiritual dryness, that state or condition of intimacy with God when the feeling of intimacy--the spiritual comforts that had been the promptings for and the rewards of prayer--are withdrawn in order that faith may be strengthened.

Just as in marriage, there are long periods of emotional dryness, when husband and wife find they're not consoled by the feelings of romantic love and attraction that once brought them together. Instead, their love is, more than ever, an act of the will which corresponds to the duty we have to fulfill our obligations and to keep our promises.

God's love for us isn't always an occasion for comfort and happiness, but those who are closest to God often times feel most abandoned by Him (notice, I said "feel").

But faith isn't about feeling. Neither is love. We don't keep faith (our promises) only when we feel like it. Nor do we love our children only when they make us happy. Often (I'm told) we struggle to feel love towards even our own children. (I haven't experienced that yet, my kids are all still too little and cute to inspire anything but the most affectionate feelings every time I look at them.)

And didn't Jesus himself cry from the cross,

>My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Bishop Sheen points out that in his passion, Jesus identified with everyone human being who had ever or will ever lived--even with atheists and with those who feel as though God has abandoned them.

All Christians experience this. Even Jesus had agony in the garden. It's a form of perfection. God's timeline is not our timeline. Souls experience darkness (or a feeling of God is not with them) to perfect their faith, love, and trust in God. It's easy to follow God when everything is going great and you're experiencing great consolation from God. However, we mature in faith when we have to follow him and do his will with no immediate spiritual rewards. Continue in prayer and you will grow from these experiences. Mother Teresa is a great example of someone who experienced a prolonged period of darkness or silence from God.

Try Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross. Free versions here and here and here but since it's a classical work it's pretty cheap and worth it to purchase.

The Dark Night of the Soul?

I felt the same way after I first rediscovered my Catholic faith. I read a lot by the Carmelite mystics, and I even thought about the Carthusians. As I continued to discern my vocation, I eventually saw my attraction to those orders as God growing my interior life rather than a vocation (I'm now happily married with my first child on the way!). Before diving right into St. John of the Cross or St. Theresa of Avila, I recommend reading Fr. Thomas Dubay.

Or better yet, if you have some theology or philosophy background already, read Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange or Fr. Adolph Tanqueray.

Carthusians: http://transfiguration.chartreux.org/
Benedictines in Norcia: https://en.nursia.org/
More Benedictines (I think): https://clearcreekmonks.org/
Fire Within by Thomas Dubay https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Within-Teresa-Gospel-Prayer/dp/0898702631/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486491394&sr=8-1&keywords=thomas+dubay+fire+within
Three Ages of the Interior Life by Fr. Garrigou Lagrange https://www.amazon.com/Three-Ages-Interior-Life/dp/1492390976/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1486491194&sr=8-3&keywords=garrigou+lagrange
The Spiritual Life by Adolphe Tanquerey https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Life-Adolphe-Tanquerey/dp/0895556596
Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Night-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486426939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486491335&sr=8-1&keywords=dark+night+of+the+soul
The Way of Perfection by St. Theresa of Avila https://www.amazon.com/Way-Perfection-Image-Classics/dp/0385065396

>What do you guys believe in?

Well, if you want to be technical...the main qualification is believing that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and that he was in fact a historical human being who was crucified and resurrected on the third day. Also check out The Nicene Creed, which is what most (or all, depending on who you ask) Christians have historically believed.

Besides that there is a heck of a lot of variance in other beliefs. There's not really a category to be placed in. In the US, most evangelical Christians believe in what they call a "personal relationship with Christ," which is usually taken to mean that they aim to "feel his presence" and let him "guide their life." Other, mainline denominations (while not ignoring that component) also add in a traditional liturgical attitude in worship. Worship is extremely variant.

>How do you have such a strong faith?

I would say that a lot of us don't. Christianity isn't about having a strong faith that can find answers to every single objection when it comes your way (perhaps some non-Christians say it ought to be). But a lot of people here would say that doubt is actually essential to faith. Check out St. John of the Cross' Dark Night of the Soul if you want to learn more about that. Most of us go into periods where God feels entirely nonexistent or like he's abandoned us. John can explain what that means in more detail than I have space for here.

>What does living like a Christian mean?

Again, tons of variance. In the US, a lot of people would say it means being a Democrat, while a whole lot of others would say it means being a Republican. The general consensus is that apart from the Nicene Creed, Christian ethics mostly come from the Bible. Jesus said the first two great commandments which summarize everything else are: love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Additionally, caring for the poor is essential to Christianity (different Christians just disagree on the best way to do that). Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Don't be proud or arrogant. Those are the essentials.

>How do you deal with all the science and other things trying to prove you wrong?

I guess I'm not really sure what you're talking about. If you're referring to evolution, as most people do when they ask this question, I'll refer you to the AMA on Theistic Evolution. If other things, I should also point out that many of history's greatest thinkers in science were Christians (such as Isaac Newton). The current director of the Human Genome Project is Francis Collins, a devout and committed Christian. The supposed conflict between science and faith is something that has only really been an issue for the past 200-300 years. Even those in Ancient Greece and Rome (aside from the Stoics), who made great scientific strides for their age, believed in some sort of divinity, albeit not a Christian one.