A few questions...

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Hello. I am a confirmed 15 year old boy and I have a few questions regarding faith I would like to ask. Unlike so many of my catholic peers my age, I want to stay as close to the faith as I can.

First of all, why are so many things associated with sex such a big deal? As a teen in the middle of sexual development, It is becoming harder and harder to control my thoughts and actions. So my main questions associated with lust are: What is the church’s position on impure thoughts or desires? Is it a sin if it so hard to control them?
Why is masturbation such a big deal? It doesn’t seem to cause anyone harm, and would even seem to help one deal with urges (On a side note, I can gladly say I have refrained from this activity.)

Next, why is church required every week? In order to attend once a week, I would have to turn going out with friends, and skip out on weekend camping trips ect. Why is this such a steep requirement with a lack of exceptions?

And finally, sometimes it feels like catholicism is forcing me into a corner, with so many rules and laws, am I being disrespectful by feeling this way?

Thanks!
 
Random_Teen said:
Hello. I am a confirmed 15 year old boy and I have a few questions regarding faith I would like to ask. Unlike so many of my catholic peers my age, I want to stay as close to the faith as I can.

First of all, why are so many things associated with sex such a big deal? As a teen in the middle of sexual development, It is becoming harder and harder to control my thoughts and actions. So my main questions associated with lust are: What is the church’s position on impure thoughts or desires? Is it a sin if it so hard to control them?
Why is masturbation such a big deal? It doesn’t seem to cause anyone harm, and would even seem to help one deal with urges (On a side note, I can gladly say I have refrained from this activity.)

Next, why is church required every week? In order to attend once a week, I would have to turn going out with friends, and skip out on weekend camping trips ect. Why is this such a steep requirement with a lack of exceptions?

And finally, sometimes it feels like catholicism is forcing me into a corner, with so many rules and laws, am I being disrespectful by feeling this way?

Thanks!
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Hey, and welcome to CAF!

As a fellow fifteen-year olad boy, I can sympathize a little;) Check out this thread if you get the chance…forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=182142

Okay, let’s start with the Mass. God created you, did he not? Every week, God has given you 247 hours (168 hours), 247*60 minutes (10080 minutes), and he only asks you to spend an hour or so each week in exclusive worship of Him. Let’s say, theoretically, that Mass at your parish takes sixty minutes, and it takes ten minutes each way to get to church. That still elaves a total of 10000 minutes to do whatever else you want. Let’s say you sleep 8 hours a day (480 minutes/day, 3360 minutes per week), leaving you with 6640 minutes a week that you are awake & not at Mass. Let’s asy you are either at school or on your way to/back from school from 7:30 to 3:00 (8.5 hours, 510 minutes per day) for five days a week (2550 minutes per week). Even with all this, you have 4090 minutes of total leisure. Compared with everything else, Mass takes almost no time at all. Is 80 minutes a week out of 10080 so much to ask, since He has given you everything else?

As for the rules, they do no less than prepare us for Heaven. Nothing which is evil may enter Heaven. Thus, we must keep evil out of ourselves if we want to enter Heaven. Rules help keep us spiritually “in line” but even so, we have extraordinary freedom in virtue, if you examine it more closely. Just like in law, why do we have so many rules? Laws are supposed to be beneficial. Just so are the laws of the Church.

Sorry for bombarding you with so much at once, I just wanted to be thorough:blush: 😉
 
All of your questions are good ones…especially coming from someone your age.
Random_Teen said:
Hello. I am a confirmed 15 year old boy and I have a few questions regarding faith I would like to ask. Unlike so many of my catholic peers my age, I want to stay as close to the faith as I can.

First of all, why are so many things associated with sex such a big deal? As a teen in the middle of sexual development, It is becoming harder and harder to control my thoughts and actions. So my main questions associated with lust are: What is the church’s position on impure thoughts or desires? Is it a sin if it so hard to control them?
Why is masturbation such a big deal? It doesn’t seem to cause anyone harm, and would even seem to help one deal with urges (On a side note, I can gladly say I have refrained from this activity.)
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Sex is a big deal because of what it is. The procreative act is a marvelous gift of God. Not even angels can procreate and thus participate in bringing new life into existence. This life will be eternal. The seriousness and the power associated with sex is so significant that we cannot treat it lightly nor can we abuse this great gift of God. I would recommend getting Christopher West’s book, The Good News of Sex and Marriage. The book is, among other things, a primer on JPII’s Theology of the Body.

Masterbation is a big deal because it does not correspond to the proper use of the sexual gift. It is instead simply a self serving act of pleasure and is devoid of the principle reasons for the sexual act between a man and his wife.
Random_Teen said:
Next, why is church required every week? In order to attend once a week, I would have to turn going out with friends, and skip out on weekend camping trips ect. Why is this such a steep requirement with a lack of exceptions?

And finally, sometimes it feels like catholicism is forcing me into a corner, with so many rules and laws, am I being disrespectful by feeling this way?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The requirement to attend mass on Sunday is not a steep requirement. You are only asked for one hour. This is really very little time to offer to your Creator, your Lord, your Savior. Your relationship with the Lord comes before all other relationships. This includes the passing relationships that you have with your human friends. You can still participate in other activities, even camping, with your friends on weekends. Simply include attendance at mass as part of the trip. I have gone on many camping trips and never missed Sunday mass. I am 59 years old. If I could do this over the course of my life, then so can you.

Our faith really has few rules. The rules we live by are good for us and they protect us. If you find them burdensome, then I would expect you to be in full rebellion against the plethora of the federal, state, and local laws that dwarf the few requirements of our Church.
 
Whoops, missed your other questions!
What is the church’s position on impure thoughts or desires? Is it a sin if it so hard to control them?
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Jesus himself said that if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Being tempted is not a sin, giving in to temptation is, even if it is just in fantasies. Simply pray for the grace to better control your thoughts.
Why is masturbation such a big deal? It doesn’t seem to cause anyone harm, and would even seem to help one deal with urges
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Masturbation attempts to gain sexual pleasure outside of its proper context of marriage. It also becomes a habit, even an addiction, just as pornography is. Sexual pleasure is the side effect of the act, not the end in and of itself. Sex is the expression of the unity of a married couple with openness to the possibility of new life through that union. Any intentional pleasure derived from sex outsdie of marriage deviates from its true purpose.

Does any of this make sense?😛 :o
 
Tim,

You are wise and knowledgeable for fifteen. I wonder what you will be doing when you’re thirty.
 
Pax said:
Tim,

You are wise and knowledgeable for fifteen. I wonder what you will be doing when you’re thirty.
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Thank you!🙂
What I have I owe to my parents! They intentionally left religious magazines & such around the house. My oldest brother started reading those, and we younger brothers just followed him…🙂

And you are wise and knowledgable for 59! I wonder what you’ll be doing when you’re 118!😃 😉 👍 😊
 
I appreciate the feedback guys, that pretty much answers my questions. 😃
 
Random_Teen said:
Next, why is church required every week? In order to attend once a week, I would have to turn going out with friends, and skip out on weekend camping trips ect. Why is this such a steep requirement with a lack of exceptions?
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Actually, it’s not too steep. See this quote from the apologist’s forum: “But the Church does not require people to arrange occasional vacations so that they are never outside of an area where Mass is offered. If that were the case, one would hardly ever be able to camp or to travel in remote areas.”

It’s okay to go on an occasional camping trip. If a church is nearby, you may get to attend; but if not it’s not a sin. You can look up churches in different locations at www.masstimes.org. If you go with a friend’s family, you can ask them to take you to mass – that would be a great witness to them.
 
Tim_Kirchoff said:
Thank you!🙂
What I have I owe to my parents! They intentionally left religious magazines & such around the house. My oldest brother started reading those, and we younger brothers just followed him…🙂

And you are wise and knowledgable for 59! I wonder what you’ll be doing when you’re 118!😃 😉 👍 😊
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God bless you and your parents! You give us old timers hope for the future!
 
Random_Teen said:
Hello. I am a confirmed 15 year old boy and I have a few questions regarding faith I would like to ask. Unlike so many of my catholic peers my age, I want to stay as close to the faith as I can.

First of all, why are so many things associated with sex such a big deal? As a teen in the middle of sexual development, It is becoming harder and harder to control my thoughts and actions. So my main questions associated with lust are: What is the church’s position on impure thoughts or desires? Is it a sin if it so hard to control them?
Why is masturbation such a big deal? It doesn’t seem to cause anyone harm, and would even seem to help one deal with urges (On a side note, I can gladly say I have refrained from this activity.)

Next, why is church required every week? In order to attend once a week, I would have to turn going out with friends, and skip out on weekend camping trips ect. Why is this such a steep requirement with a lack of exceptions?

And finally, sometimes it feels like catholicism is forcing me into a corner, with so many rules and laws, am I being disrespectful by feeling this way?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
You have received a lot of incorrect teaching, teaching that only benefits one person. The Church

You are not required to go to church every week, you are encouraged to FELLOWSHIP but there is no scripture that talks about WHERE and WHEN that is something you really need to study.

God is more interested in your HEART issues than Traditions

"Jesus emphasized the inward sincerity of the heart and not the mere outward conformity.

Outward faithfulness to tradition, he said can maks inward unfaithfulness to God. Religious people can become " Whitewashes Tombs "

" The multitude of your sacrifices - what are they to me?" says the LORD " I have more than enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals, I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats… Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moon, Sabbaths and convocations - I cannot bear your evil assemblies. You New Moon festivals and your appointed feats my soul hates. They have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them… Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!. Seek Justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, please the case of the widow " Isaiah 1:11, 13-4, 16-17

Dont rely on what others tell you. Study for yourself otherwise you will be so wrapped up in fear and guilt for everything you think, say and do

Regarding sexual things. Everyone at one time masturbates supression is not the way, that is the churches way of thinking they are pleasing God.

but then again being mastered by anything is not the way either

You are a kid and have those desires hey are normal.
 
fix said:
The Church and Christ cannot be separated
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The church are the people not an Organaztion headed up by the Pope who is nothing but another person

The Organized Church through their teaching ( the ones in charge ) are the ones loading up Gods people with heavy burdens
 
Roman20 said:
You are not required to go to church every week, you are encouraged to FELLOWSHIP but there is no scripture that talks about WHERE and WHEN that is something you really need to study.
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How can you dismiss the commandment to “keep holy the Lord’s day”? God’s commandments are not “suggestions” they are “requirements”.
 
Roman20 said:
The church are the people not an Organaztion headed up by the Pope who is nothing but another person

The Organized Church through their teaching ( the ones in charge ) are the ones loading up Gods people with heavy burdens
Click to expand...
Thank you for your non-Catholic opinion on these issues.

However, I believe that the OP was asking about things from a Catholic viewpoint.
 
Masturbation is wrong because:

[2352](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/2352.htm’)😉 By *masturbation *is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action."138 “The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.” For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."139

source:

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm#2352
 
Lust is wrong because:

[2351](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/2351.htm’)😉 *Lust *is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.

source:

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm#2351

Also in my opinion these two sins(masturbation mentioned in the above post, and lust) cause us to see women as sex objects for or own enjoyment, rather than human beings.
 
we have to go to mass every sunday because

[1343](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/1343.htm’)😉 It was above all on “the first day of the week,” Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, that the Christians met "to break bread."169 From that time on down to our own day the celebration of the Eucharist has been continued so that today we encounter it everywhere in the Church with the same fundamental structure. It remains the center of the Church’s life.

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm#1343
 
Roman20 said:
The church are the people not an Organaztion headed up by the Pope who is nothing but another person

The Organized Church through their teaching ( the ones in charge ) are the ones loading up Gods people with heavy burdens
Click to expand...
So, you are the authority?
 
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