Religion - a respectful discussion, for those interested

Yeah, EVERYBODY'S seen that...lol.

 

There's good news....there's still time for people to come to understand the truth. There's no shame in being in a different place in the journey that is life. We all learn and grow at our own pace.

After all, nobody is a saint until death. We continue to learn, to develop our human potential, and to grow in holiness until death, and even after death we have the beautiful gift of purgatory to cleanse our souls of any residual "dirt and debris" of sin, and to purify ourselves for the joys of heaven. As Yogi Berra would say, "It aint over til its over".

God desires our love, and so He leaves us free, for true love cannot be coerced. From the beginning, God created us with that radical freedom to choose Him, or to choose ourselves instead. (which ultimately leaves us isolated and alone, apart from heaven, in our own self-created state of hell). Remember that even today, over 90% of the world's population believes in God, and is progressing slowly but surely on the "practice field" of earth to be ready one day for the championship celebration in heaven!

We must choose the higher good that our souls crave: union with God's pure love, union with each other in love - over personal material possessions, monetary wealth, fleeting physical pleasures, earthy "successes", fame, etc. In the next life, where we are much more fully alive, more fully human, and more authentically ourselves, only love and community (communion with one another in love) matters. And God tells us that there will be "a new heavens and a new earth", and that we will have all the joys of this world with none of the pain and suffering that stems from sin. It will be the true paradise that the Garden of Eden was intended to be, before the devil tricked Adam and Eve with lies, causing them to abuse their freedom, choosing the one thing God forbade because He knew it would be harmful to them, leading them to slip into sin, pain, suffering, and ultimately death. Jesus ("the new Adam") has saved us from this fate, and He paved the way to salvation (through His perfect obedience to the Father, even to the point of death on a cross)

 

It all comes down to what's in your heart. Is your heart full of love, concern for others, good intentions, etc. If you try to "play" God by planning on sinning your whole life and then repenting at the end, do you really think you are going to trick God like that? If someone is a sinner and then truly has a change of heart, repents, realizes how wrong they were and dedicates themselves to changing their life, that is a true conversion and that's what God is looking for. Is your soul ready for heaven when you die, are you almost there, or have you hardened your heart, shut out God and His love, and become bitter, cynical, cold, and perhaps even hateful? ... That's how we will all be judged at the end of our lives.

 

smh ... not sure I'd recommend trying to play God for a fool.
I hope you are just joking with all that!

When you come back from your debauchery-filled romp, all that fun is over, and what are you left with? You still have the rest of your life to live, and the harmful side-effects to deal with down the road. If you think there's any chance that God is real and Heaven exists, then you are taking a HUGE gamble. I'm having a very enjoyable and fulfilling life without all that sex outside marriage, alcohol, drugs, etc....and I'm covered either way. Just google the famous "Pascal's wager". You can still have a ton of fun without all that sin, and in fact you will be more content and satisfied deep down (I know you won't believe this, but it's true). Once the passing pleasure of sin is over, you are left with the psychological scars that remain (and make no mistake, this happens for everyone!). You will keep groping for lustful sin after sin, in a futile attempt for happiness and joy, and then wonder why you are getting older and your life seems empty and unsatisfying. Just remember there is an alternative, all you have to do is choose it, and commit to trying it for awhile, give it an honest try. And it comes with a no-risk guarantee, if you don't like it you can always return it and get your misery back!

 

God Became Personal for Teens at Steubenville NYC

Catholic youths put their faith on display during the first Steubenville NYC conference, held on the campus of St. John’s University in Queens earlier this month, and many were rewarded with a transformative experience that brought them much closer to God.

The three-day retreat, Aug. 7 to 9, attracted an estimated 1,800 youths.

LifeTeen is known primarily for its program for high school teens used by Catholic parishes in 31 countries. LifeTeen believes Eucharist-based ministry has the power to transform teens, parishes and the culture at large.

We want them to know the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist not only through Mass but in Adoration, and we want them to have an experience so that they can transform their lives and then go out and make the world a better place.

One of the highlights of the weekend of prayer and fellowship, which featured engaging liturgies, inspirational music and informative workshops, was a Saturday morning Mass celebrated by Cardinal Dolan, who also delivered the homily.

“This is what Pope John Paul II spoke about regarding the New Evangelization in the Church bringing young people back,” Cardinal Dolan told the teens.

.....“I am so deep into my Catholic faith that I just feel amazing.”





http://cny.org/stories/God-Became-Personal-for-Teens-at-Steubenville-NYC,12967?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=God Became Personal for Teens&search_headline=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=&sub_type=stories&town_id=

The JOY-FILLED experiences of REAL CATHOLICS; no degrading, abusive debauchery or fornication needed! There's hope for our world after all! The Diverse, Universal, Worldwide Catholic Church!