Reddit reviews Theology Of The Body For Beginners

Okay, first of all you are a 16yr old dude. Hormones are going crazy and whatnot. Almost every guy struggles with this when they are teenagers, despite what they may tell you. Don't give up on it, with work, it gets easier, especially as you get older. Do what the others recommend, go to confession, and develop a prayer life.

The problem, however, with Catholicism directed towards youth in general, is that no one tells you exactly why masturbation is a mortal sin, other than because the Catechism says so. But why has the church come to this conclusion?

The best thing you can do for yourself is read the Theology of the Body for Beginners. It is an introduction to the Catholic theology on sexuality and why we believe that masturbation is evil, and why we believe sex is reserved for marriage etc.

Understanding the why is equally important to prayer and confession. When I was 17, I read it. It blew my mind. It helps you make sense of the changes your body is going through and their intended purpose. It gives you a greater reason to respect your sexuality and the sexuality of others.

Buy the book, read it, reflect on it, pray about it, go to confession, and take it one day at a time.

Good luck and God Bless

If you're going to read the Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II, its pretty intense. You may want to try Theology of the body for beginners by Christopher West first.

http://www.amazon.com/Theology-Body-Beginners-Christopher-West/dp/1932645349

You can find a lot of St Thomas Aquinas stuff online or different books. A quick Google search will bring you the information.

As for Theology of the Body, here are all 129 talks Pope John Paul II did for Theology of the Body.

JPII's Wednesday Audiences

If you want to delve even deeper into the talks there are plenty of books that go into it. Including Christopher West's Theology of the Body for Beginners. Hope that helps.

There's nothing in the Bible telling us to persecute homosexuals, simply that homosexual sex/marriage is unacceptable because it is not how God designed marriage. To Christians, marriage and sex is symbolic of the Trinity. Just like the strength of the Father and the Son's love for each other made a new person, the Holy Spirit, so also can the love of a married couple result in a child.

I'm not saying that homosexual sex is ONLY lust. Certainly a homosexual couple could have sex out of committed love (and many probably do). That's an important part of sex: committed love. However, it's also important that sex within marriage can create new life (as an analogy to the Trinity). Since homosexual sex can't, then a homosexual couple cannot be married or be sexual partners under Christian teaching.

It's certainly not the answer popular culture would prefer, but that's what we believe and why we believe it.

Edit: Here is a good book on the subject, complete with references to the Bible.