Is to worth (and how) to speak with priest or spiritual advisor about issue: sexual life prevents to be catholic?

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The greatest part of my life I have longed to catholic. I am trying to live as such (attend mass (without receiving communion of course, I am not christened) reading religious and theological literature (Jesuit journal “Theological studies” is the favourit one which I am trying to read from cover to cover), be good professional in my job, pay all the taxes, contribute to the community (I have AI/robotics and systems biology/medicine software projects to eradicate povery and to advance the healthcare), be at good citizen (more or less active participation in my political party, e. g. one of my Facebook post in the party group even received the like from our health minister), daily one or double decades of Rosary is mandatory for my daily life - it is impossible to live with this focusing of thoughts and intentions, etc., etc.).

But I can not be full catholic now - I have full host of sex-related issues - starting from the gay-tendencies and ending with casual sex life and masturbation. All of this is aggravated by the 2 another issues:
  • I am still searching for my position in life (complete the masters, get better job, preferably in science or in R&D, get solid housing). So - advice “go out, meet woman and get married and start normal sexual life in marriage” is not the real advice for me. I have to overcome the checkpoints before (any can fail) and it can take at least half a year. My sad experience is - whole life I tried to do that and failed so far.
  • I am not a very likeable person - I have issues with obesity, some light mental issues, not so good life exprience. Yes, I analyze those issues and I am working hard to overcome them (e.g. I am working hard in gym), but still - any kind of relationships are miracle for me, not the everyday encounter.
As I have analyzed then those sexual issues are the only one that prevent me to going to the church and asking for being christened and for being allowed to receive Communion.

Now I am thinking about my first steps in this direction. My plan is - to go to priest or some spiritual guide (our local Jesuits provide some - both priests and laywoman) and to speak to them - maybe my condition can allow for some form of milder attitude from the chruch - maybe I can continue some of my sexual practices and still be allowed to be Christened, confess sins and receive communition.

So - what is the way to become catholic? Can some talk with priest or longer series of sessions with spiritual guides help me? Have someone had similar experience - problems with sexuality and the serious talks with priests and guides? OK, when I have time I am doing some reading about catholic teaching on sexuality, including the controversial one (e.g. Boswell). But maybe catholic life is more about practices than studies. Maybe practical minded priests and guides and give some practical advices?

My question is not intended about problem per se (sexuality). My question is about - whether (and how) to seek the solution by sepaking to priest or guides?
 
Speaking of spiritual life - all my life is centered about professional work and development, the master of skills and creativity is the my way to sainthood, it gives me peace, reward, means for charity and the result can be used for the improvement of the world. I am not much about emotions, about radiation the spiritual gifts, about saying loving words, about giving glass of water. I am about studies, work in R&D, science and technologies. Well - I am not very successful in my efforts, but at least - I am trying and I will never cease to try. I don’t see the merit to abandon my efforts and to become manual worker in the world where so much technologies are needed.

So - you can see that sexuality is very minor issue in my life (there is studies, work, literature, music, walks and short travels, gym, some Netflix, some professional networking), but it is complete obstacle when I am trying to be full catholic.

Additional - 2 notes:
  • part of my views on sexuality are formed by this continuing debate - “Truly Human Sexual Acts: A Response to Patrick Lee and Robert George” (Google can find article from the Theological Studies) - at least some people in the church see the complexity of issue. My hope is that maybe the person with whom I am thinking to talk may appreciate this complexity as well?
  • part of my views on current developments are formed by these efforts - “Microsoft Invests In and Partners with OpenAI to Support Us Building Beneficial AGI” (Google can find article) (possibility to create artificial consciousness and also cognitive robotics that can end poverty and create world of superabundance) and “Turning back time with emerging rejuvenation strategies” (Google can find the article from the Nature Cell Biology) (possibility to end aging and to regain youth, at least in some 10-20 year period)
  • politically I am transhumanist (though practically I am in different political party, because our country still has not its own political party for transhumanists).
 
And just last note. Any talk should be rewarded. My intention is to give 30-40 eur donation per 30-60 min session. Is it OK? Some 4 years ago I went to psychotherapist and paid 45 eur for 45 min session. But there is difference - psychotherapist has MD, but priests and guides usually have at bit less education. This is not market, but I just want to be sure that my talks with priests/guides doesn’t spend their resources/capabilities to help other people who may be in greated need than I am.
 
Does your Catholic community offer RCIA: the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults? This is where you need to be.
 
arvo said:
But I can not be full catholic now - I have full host of sex-related issues - starting from the gay-tendencies and ending with casual sex life and masturbation. All of this is aggravated by the 2 another issues:
  • I am still searching for my position in life (complete the masters, get better job, preferably in science or in R&D, get solid housing). So - advice “go out, meet woman and get married and start normal sexual life in marriage” is not the real advice for me. I have to overcome the checkpoints before (any can fail) and it can take at least half a year. My sad experience is - whole life I tried to do that and failed so f
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You can be Catholic now. If being Catholic meant you had no sinful attachments or tendencies, there would be no Catholics. We all have issues. We just try to overcome them. There are plenty of Catholics who also struggle with same sex attraction/masturbation, etc. You don’t need to be perfect to enter the Church. You should just be committed to moving in the right direction.

As an aside, if you’re gay, I hope you don’t think you need to go out and marry a woman, as you mentioned. That would be incredibly damaging for you and cruel to her.
 
The only two human beings who never sin are already in heaven. We all sin. Sexual sins are as common as dust.

Make an appointment with a priest, ask to begin instruction in the Faith.

Welcome 🙂
 
arvo said:
politically I am transhumanist (though practically I am in different political party, because our country still has not its own political party for transhumanists).
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Transhumanism is a philosphy that is incompatible with Christianism.

Disclaimer: I don’t say that It is an impediment to baptism.

Transhumanism don’t accept the biological reality of the humanity conceived by God (or the Nature).
They don’t accept the limits of the human condition in general and the limit of the individual in particular.
Transhumanism wants to “break free” from the limits of the human body and intellect by the increase by science and technology (augmented man).

I don’t know if you are in the US, but maybe you have to study this by yourself. I doubt that RCIA would be deep in it.

Death, illness, disabilities are undesirable for transhumanists. Some have the immoratality quest myth. Christians, value and protect the earthly life, but accept our finitude and the the eternal life that would be Heaven or hell.

Because of this philosophy transhumanists are rarely christians.

seriousely this philosophy is much more problematic that comitting some sexual sins. it goes against the roots of essence of christianity.

It is a long time ago that the Catholic political parties are dead in many countries. There is not only manner to be politic for Catholics. Legitims divergences can exist, and the Churh don’t have an economical model to propose.

Yet, I want to see you something. It is very new, still laboratory test and not the only way to be Christians in politic. They are not more christians than others, but some Catholics tried to give an answer to transhumanism. “Ecologie intégrale”.
What it is? https://www.ecologiehumaine.eu/
https://revuelimite.fr/
Nos limites | Éditions Le centurion
Petit manuel d'écologie humaine | Éditions Le centurion
 
My beloved “Theological Studies” has this nice notion as “reflect theologically on human experience” and I guess that my experience matters in this debate finitude vs superabundance.

I was raised in the country and in the times (90ties, introduction of raw capitalism) when we had to live for days without food. It was unimaginable for me as a university student to have dinner during the day, simply no money. I had to abandon my passion and career in science and go into business.

It was computer programming - bright, challenging field at the start of milleniat, but now - 2 decades later the raise of AI and program synthesis is making this field obsolete, for blue collar workers with diminishing wages. Again - I have so little time and resources for building my startup that would go furhter beyond blur collar programming. Lack of money, lack of resources - that is everything I hear from my government, from my society. And this lack of money, lack of resources is murdering dreams, study prospects and science jobs for thousands in my small country. People are dying from rare diseases because the government lack money for up-to-date drugs that still exist.

It is simply beyond my imagination that there are ideas about scaling down, about modesty, about conscious limiting of growth!!!

I am aware of these ideas (old-style social democratic party helds some of them in my country, it was lead, incidentally, by a man in Germany registered gay marriage), but sometimes I am thinking that they are coming from the prosperous countries in which people have no reality checks in their experiences.

But reading “End of Eddy” by Édouard Louis showed me that scarcity and poverty is problem in contemporary France as well.

What else? Redistribution? Huh, try to speak about redistribution to catholics… at least in Vyshehrad countries.

Regarding rejuvenation and gene editing (e.g. US has officially allowed CRISPR therapy for some types of cancer, I guess, at lest has started human clinical trials) - I especially checked the reports from Pontifical Academy of Life (Human Genome Editing), they have little reports now and there is no a priori negative decision.

And contemporary scientific society has peer-reviewed journls both for Artificial Life (published by MIT press) and Synthetic Biology (published by Oxford University Press) and for Rejuvenation Research (published by Ann Liebert Press).

I am doing all this for reliving humans from suffering, it is my expression of love. And it was my thought that such efforts could bring me at least some relief from my sexual sins.
 
Well - I have no fear of death (nor attachment to wealth), at least - when I believe in the mercy of God. But I am doing everything I can to avoid the suffering in this way. Oh, how it hurts!
 
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you’re not somehow barred from the church because of sexual sins, not sure why you think you can’t become catholic because of it, yes it’s something you need to overcome but it doesn’t mean you can’t join the church, please, go speak to a priest. Also there are many catholic resources that deal with your particular struggles, look up matt Frad or Jason Evert or even Christopher West
 
CRISPR cas 9 applied to germinal cells or IVF embryo is an ethical problem. She opened the door to designed babies and the modifications are transformed to the following generations.

Not to mention that IVF itself is considered as intrisecally evil by the Church.

The Catholic Church may have not yet a definite decision on the technic for adults cells, but She only be very prudent and of course the application for gametes and embryos would be by nature prohibited.

I don’t trust at all the decisions of the USA in what is allowed for bioethical issues.

…
On your experience, well that’s obvious that we cannot share or redistribute when we have nothing to share or give. But that doesn’t mean that the the wealthier people are the most generous.
 
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