I don't think you should do it if you don't believe in it.
I was confirmed, but that's because I was 10 years old and thus had no idea what I was getting myself into. If I had it my way I never would've become a Catholic at all. I'm a pretty strong Christian but don't like organized religion. Anyway, unlike me, you have some choice here.

Ultimately, you are the manager of your own life. It should be your decision whether you want to become a part of a religion. It would be unfair to yourself, and to the Catholic faith to become a part of it when you don't believe in it. That means you're sacrificing a part of yourself just to make someone else (your mom) happy.

I know when you're growing up your parents have a lot of influence over you. That's normal, and a good thing. Parental figures are our chief role models. But something to do with faith should be something you decide yourself. Don't go through with it just because you feel you should make your mom happy. Tell her you're not sure about where your beliefs lie, and you don't want to become involved in any religion just yet. Your mom should respect your beliefs, and vice versa. :)

Good luck.

I gave up Red Bull this year. I know that seems like hardly anything, but I would drink it every day. I kind of built up an dependance on it, and wouldn't be happy without it. It's been really difficult so far, because of the addictive nature of caffeine. I haven't broken it so far, but it's very tempting. Lent is never anyones favourite time of the year, but giving something up you like up shows dedication and self-control. You should feel proud of yourself for doing it. It's not a easy thing to do which makes it all the more admirable.

BTW, apparently on Sundays you can do what you gave up because its not counted in Lent. I still don't do it though because I feel I would revert back to it again. It's up to you though.

Hmm, this is a tricky one. If it were me, for my pride, I wouldn't become friends with them. They can't accept you for who you are and were horrible to you for no reason. I'm not sure I could forgive someone after that. Yes, I know they have their religious beliefs, but they are not being very "christian-like" by shunning you and being unaccepting. You are allowed to date who you want. Christianity is all about faith and what a good person you are, something they obviously are having difficulty with. I don't see why you need to conform to their standards for them to like you. That, in a way, is sacrificing yourself and true friends should like you for you.

You could try joining another church, or finding a youth group for bisexual teens in your area. Yes, they do exist. Trust me, there are heaps of people in your position.

I was raised a Catholic. I went to a Catholic school, did all the religious ceremonies (communion, confirmation) I was brought up with it, and didn't care to question it until I was older.

I disagree with Catholic teaching. In fact, I dislike the Catholic church. I dislike religion in general. See, religion is built on man-made doctrines and traditions. Most Christian religions claim to follow the bible, and yet what they do is attach their own meanings to it, and twist it to suit them. A lot of religion is built of falsehoods that that particular religion has created - for example, Catholic priests are supposed to remain virgins their entire lives. The bible actually says the complete opposite of this. they say that a good priest needs a family. also, Catholics are against contraception yet this is NEVER mentioned in the bible. These are just examples.

My advice to you is to not join a religion. Religions place far too much emphasis on what you can't do, what's considered sinful, what will send you to hell, rather than your relationship with God. And often, they do the complete opposite of what Christ taught. Christ taught acceptance, love, and tolerance.. and yet many religious people go around criticizing homosexuals and badmouthing them! What you should do is perhaps join a bible study class, or even a youth group. Pray heaps, and develop your relationship with God. That is what important in the end. Live for Him, not for man-made religions.

Okay.. I got some assistance for this one from a guy friend.

1) Firstly, you need to cut off the source. If you have it on your computer, delete it and don't look back. If you have pages bookmarked, get rid of them. If theres absolutely anything around you that can make you tempted to look at it, get rid of it!

2) Find a different way to spend your time. Possibly a new hobby or something? Take up martial arts or something that requires a lot of energy.

3) Prayer, prayer, and more prayer. Ask God for help, and develop your relationship with Him. Remember, He loves you no matter what. With His help, you can get through this!

4) Talk to someone you trust. Perhaps a close male friend or someone who you can lean on for support. for example, someone who can ask you how it's going, or someone you can discuss your feelings with.

I wish you all the best.

My advice to you is not to go to sites aimed towards a particular denomination. These sites are very biased and follow THEIR own teachings and own interpretations of the bible. What you should do is read the bible. Read a little bit everyday, and think about it deeply. Try and look into the meaning of it. You could also join a bible study group, or a youth group. Your parents don't have to know. Youth groups especially are good for young people who want to develop their faith more, because the people who run them are very nice and understanding people who won't try and "convert" you and ram it down your throat. Perhaps you should also check out some christian bookshops in your area, but as I said before, make sure you try and find ones that are non-denominational (Unless you're wanting to join a particular religion)

You don't need to go to church to be a Christian, so don't feel guilty about this! Just like you don't have to know everything about religion. To be a good Christian you need to follow Christ's teachings and try and do his work. And of course, pray as much as you can. I wish you all the best.

Not at all. However, I've read some 'Chastity' books that say it is (or that french-kissing is anyway) This has absolutely no biblical basis so just ignore it. There is absolutely nothing in the bible saying that kissing, or showing any kind of affection towards one another is sinful. Follow the word of God rather than other people's interpretations of it. That is my advice to you.

The only problem I can think of is that it might put you in an occasion of sin -- as in, you might be tempted to do more. But the act itself is certaintly not sinful as long as you control yourself not to go further and doing anything sexual. Now THAT'S a sin.

All the best. =)

Notice the paper is about what YOUR beliefs are, not necessarily CATHOLIC beliefs. So if they say anything you can say "Well, you did ask me for MY beliefs"
Catholic schools need to be more accepting and tolerant of different beliefs. I think that you should definitley say what YOU feel and give reasons as to why. You don't have to attack Catholic point of view, just state yours and why. Why should you lie about your beliefs to them?! I doubt you'll get into trouble and if you do just explain that there's a lot you don't understand and that you want things clarified. It's not illegal to question things. Trust me, you won't get kicked out. They can't kick you out for giving your opinion.

I went to a Catholic school as well. I was brainwashed for a while since I was so young, and didn't know any differently. The older I got though the more I started to question my faith. There's a lot that didn't make sense, and a lot that seed to contradict a lot of what the Bible said. Right now I guess I consider myself just a Christian without a religion. ;)

Anyway, good luck with it.

You are absolutely right. I'm Catholic, but there's a lot about my faith I disagree with.. so I don't go around trying to force it onto others. Nobody has the right to do that. I don't feel it is the "right" religion. I don't feel any religion is 'right' I feel faith is far more imporant than religion (yes, there's a different between believing in God and practicing religion) but I still won't push that onto others. A lot of my friends are atheists and they're good people. I don't hold people's beliefs against them.

It annoys me how a lot of Christians are intolerant to other people's religions and beliefs, yet the bible teaches tolerance. Many Christians don't embody true biblical values, which in essence, makes them hypocritical. I'm not saying this is the case for ALL, but a lot that I've come across. A lot of them aren't really in touch with their faith, which is sad. I guess when you've been raised with religion you blindly follow it and think it is the right one, and reject any others. Most religious people came from religious families, so they don't know much else. Still not an excuse though.

I find buddhism a very interesting religion. It concentrates mostly on "how to be a good person" rather than "what you can/can't do" which most religions concentrate on. So I have absolutely no problems with it.

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