Religion - a respectful discussion, for those interested

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"Hope gives us courage (because we know we can overcome all obstacles by the power of the risen Christ), perseverance (because we know Christ has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us in his Kingdom where we long to be), and joy (because we know that someday by God's grace we will possess the eternal joys of heaven for which we were made)." ~Fr. Apostoli, "Fatima for Today"

See, here's the thing about religion, and the faith that allows us to fully realize its tremendous benefits: when you truly believe these things, it transforms your entire life; it fills you with hope, confidence, and joy where previously there was doubt, insecurity, and sadness. Not that life is perfect from then on; we still have our earthly struggles and challenges. But we now have the confidence to overcome these challenges, knowing that if we try to live a moral life, stay close to God, and do our best to keep His commandments (which are for our own benefit), we will not only be happier in this life, but we can have the hope and joy that comes from knowing there is an eternal life waiting for us! From my experiences in life, and those of other people I have known, I have become confident in my faith, and that has greatly enhanced my entire life beyond what I can express in words! I know that God exists, and that the Catholic Church is the fullness of His revelation to us, but even if these things were not true, the tremendous practical benefits of this faith would make it extremely valuable anyway! I would still want to be Catholic, and have my faith, even if God did not exist, and I would want my children to have this tremendous gift as well to help them throughout their lives!

 

We all have that one pesky sin that we just can't seem to shake, that keeps us from being the best version of ourselves each day. We may be able to live a pretty good life, but sin holds us back from living a truly great, heroic life each day. It's the way the devil interferes in God's plan to make the world a better place through us. It's also why the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is so important, and such a wonderful gift from God. We can be relieved of not only the guilt of sin, but we receive graces to overcome it, freeing us to maximize our potential for greatness each day! ...one example would be those who are addicted to porn. In addition to having psychological effects on us, it is, at the very least, a terrible time-waster. I used to be caught in its trap myself, as I've mentioned before. It would take up time that I could have been using productively to do good things in my life. It slowed me down. Now that I am free of the addiction to that sin, my life has gotten a whole lot better! I'm a normal, heterosexual man, so I still succumb to its temptation from time to time, but just like recovering addicts of any kind, I have learned to substitute healthy activities to keep my mind away from the harmful trap of pornography. Sin of any kind is like that, it becomes a bad habit, an addiction, that robs us of our freedom to live the way we really want to when we are thinking clearly.