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Catholic / Orthodox Fapstronauts

A group for members of all religions, or no religion at all, to talk about religion

  1. Leo33

    Leo33 Fapstronaut

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    Welcome Catholic / Orthodox Fapstronauts!

    This thread is for Catholics / Orthodox who observe Catholic Church / Orthodox teaching and want to be united together under Christ and His church to conquer the sin of PMO or sins against the flesh.

    Please feel free to introduce yourself and tell us about your struggles if you want. We are here to offer one another support with one goal in mind: To stop our sins against the flesh, whatever they may be, once and forever.

    We must utilize the Sacraments of the Church and offer each other our prayers and any advice/support we can muster up.

    Also, please feel free to offer helpful links, books, or whatever media available to help us conquer our cross.

    Remember, our ultimate goal is Heaven. Never lose hope and never give up!

    Please join us, pray for each other, and post post post. Stay engaged. We all need one another.

    Peace brothers and sisters, Brother Leo
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2015
  2. Leo33

    Leo33 Fapstronaut

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  3. Yglibrarian2013

    Yglibrarian2013 Fapstronaut

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    Not sure if this is the right thread or not but thanks for starting this. I am a Roman Catholic and my faith is very important to me. I don't have a book but I did listen to some material on Theology of the Body:
    Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity- Christopher West
    What Women Wished Men Knew- Christopher West
     
  4. Leo33

    Leo33 Fapstronaut

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    Yes u are in the right place friend. I agree Christopher West has done a great job in presenting JP2's Theology of the Body. It's loaded with good stuff. God Bless! Leo
     
  5. headedup

    headedup Fapstronaut

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    IF YOU'RE READING THIS, PLEASE MESSAGE YOUR CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX NOFAP FRIENDS AND INVITE THEM TO "WATCH" THIS THREAD! THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU!

    RESOURCES FOR CHRISTIANS ON QUITTING SEXUAL ADDICTIONS, ESPECIALLY PMO:

    GENERAL RESOURCES - TALKS, SUPPORT NETWORKS, INFORMATION, ETC:

    Here's the main hub for Catholics on porn addiction, as run by Matt Fradd, Jason Evert, and many other awesome Christian men and women. Please, please, please explore this site for hours, even if you can only spend a few minutes at a time. It seems to be pretty straightforward, but there are hidden jewels:

    http://www.theporneffect.com/

    Here's one of those jewels, a talk by Matt Fradd. It's funny and really enlightening; you'll enjoy it! Ladies, ignore the title of the speech, because it applies to you too:

    http://www.theporneffect.com/blog/posts/my-recent-talk-to-men-on-porn-addiction

    Here's a companion talk, ladies, by Audrey Assad and her experience with porn addiction, if you prefer a woman's story. I haven't listened to the whole thing so I can't vouch, but what I heard was great:

    http://www.theporneffect.com/blog/posts/audrey-assad-s-amazing-talk-for-women-on-porn-addiction

    Here is a link to something Tony Litster puts out: a free series of 7 MP3s on a Christian response to porn addiction. It looks good at first glance, and I've liked Tony Litster's work so far. The link also offers four bonus MP3s, which normally would cost about $60 in total on his main site ( http://curethecraving.com/ ).

    http://abetterbeliever.com/

    Here's a talk by Fulton Sheen on how "Sex is a mystery." What a guy!



    PROGRAMS:

    RECLAIM: Here's the best step-by-step resource for Catholics and other Christians I've ever seen. It combines proven modern psychology with spiritual elements in a program for beating your addiction. At least check out this site, because it might be what's missing from your reboot. It also includes JP II's theology of the body. This is only the second professional PMO addiction recovery program I have ever found, besides FortifyProgram.org. May be worth a try!

    http://reclaimsexualhealth.com/

    HLT 90: For the only free program I know of, check out the following guide I put together. While it doesn't explicitly allude to the power of prayer and spiritual practices, it is based on Catholic philosophy and St. John Paul II's personalism (which focuses on freedom, responsibility, the dignity of the body, and love). Even if you don't find the "program" aspect helpful, the last section of the guide is chock-full of all the best resources on sexual addiction that I could find in over 120 hours of research. I think it's at least worth a look.

    http://www.nofap.com/forum/index.ph...gement-and-struggles.23402/page-6#post-191287

    NoFap Academy: This program is 'secular' in the sense that it does not explicitly profess a religion. However, it is run by an enthusiastic Catholic, who additionally happens to be one of the biggest names in the field of PMO addiction recovery: Mark Queppet. It relies heavily on an understanding of sexuality as sacred/dignified and of love as the solution to our brokenness. I have completed this program myself. In terms of my education, it is the reason for my success. Yes, it has a cost. But not only is it a reasonable cost, but this may well be the best purchase I've ever made. No, I'm not spamming or marketing... I'm just offering you a path that may be your future, and one of the best decisions you have made as well. If you aren't ready to commit to the financial cost, check out Sacred Sexuality Project on YouTube and HLT 90 (link above). Together, they should form a decent but inadequate substitute. Also, you can get 3 free introductory videos from NoFap Academy by signing up for the newsletter at the link below. They are very helpful, even if you don't end up buying the program.

    http://www.nofapacademy.com/

    P.S. REGISTRATION HAS RE-OPENED.

    BOOKS/eBOOKS:

    Here are some free eBooks that you can check out online. You can download them as well.

    For anyone who has not checked out Covenant Eyes yet, here are some free resources from them. They'll send you some ads for internet filtering/accountability software every once in a while, but they won't send too many. And besides, signing up for this software may be a huge help if you or a family member are struggling with internet porn. Anyway, this link has some great eBooks on the following topics: porn use, statistics about the harm of porn, the porn industry, porn addiction recovery, recovery and prevention within the context of couples, prevention for children, and the role of faith in recovery and prevention.

    http://www.covenanteyes.com/e-books/

    I'm not saying that you'll get the best deal on the books from these links, but am only pointing out the original seller. You could even get some of these books from the library. But if you do buy from these links, you can know you'll be supporting the work of the Christian authors and groups that publish them.


    Here is a little book by Catholic porn addiction recovery writer Matt Fradd that can help you with your addiction. Thanks for the share, @darknight .

    http://store.lifeteen.com/victory.aspx

    According to @Leo33 ," I bought the above book Clean of Heart by Rosemarie Scott. It is excellent, highly Catholic and highly recommended."

    http://www.catholicpornographyaddict.com/

    Here's another source for fighting pornography in the context of families. So to all of you who are married or single parents, this may be a helpful source.

    http://www.emmausroad.org/Integrity...NT--P12189.aspx#sthash.LXyckkTn.ODmoBFKU.dpbs

    Here is a link to all the resources from Christopher West and his Cor Project, which focuses on explaining Christian sexuality and the path to sexual integration (which includes breaking sexual addictions). If you check out the sidebar in the link, there are further links to books, DVDs, podcasts, music, etc.

    http://corprojectshop.com/

    PRAYERS, STORIES, AND MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL:

    Here's a prayer for beating PMO, MO, and other sexual addictions. It was shared by NoFap user @Sursum Corda . Thanks for your assistance sir!

    http://www.nofap.com/forum/index.php?threads/catholic-orthodox-fapstronauts.35224/page-4#post-228940

    Here are some Orthodox prayers shared by @Ze'ev . If you are Orthodox, you may well already know them. But it you start to get an urge to PMO, you could try getting up, taking a walk, and saying one of these during the walk. I don't recommend praying in a closed room during urges, because you could be tempted to relapse anyway.

    "As a soon to be Orthodox Christian, I wanted to chime in on the question of Rosary challenge equivalents for Eastern Christians. Akathists could work. There's also the lay version of the Paraklesis (small or great), the Rule of St. Pachomius (a prayer text), or any number of Canons of Repentance (I have one from my Jordanville prayer book, which is Russian Orthodox). To delve a little deeper into this topic, there is of course also the Jesus Prayer. If you have a prayer rope or beads (it can be done easily with a rosary as well), it's easy to just commit to a certain number of repetitions. One thing I like to do to vary it up is to do, say, ten repetitions of the Jesus Prayer, and then occasionally alternate it with the prayer of St. Macarius the Great, which is similar: "Lord have mercy on me, as You will and as You know." I'm also personally a fan of the Lamentations of St. Gregory of Narek. He was an Armenian mystical saint, who wrote beautiful prayers that are both penitential and adorational. Some links:

    http://orthodoxwiki.org/Protection_of_the_Mother_of_God (Akathist to the Theotokos)

    http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/mikropar.htm (Small Paraklesis to the Theotokos (can be done by a reader))

    http://www.saintjonah.org/services/stpachomius.htm (Prayer Rule of St. Pachomius)

    http://www.stgregoryofnarek.am/book.php (Lamentations of Gregory of Narek)"


    If you have sources you want to add, message me and I will edit the post to add your suggestion! Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2015
    Malakas, Hercules867, macscot and 9 others like this.
  6. Leo33

    Leo33 Fapstronaut

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    Wow from first glance this looks really good, thanks nopmo! Leo
     
  7. Ze'ev

    Ze'ev Fapstronaut

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    Hi all,

    I'm a Protestant soon-to-be-Orthodox Christian. I'm hoping to become a catechumen over the summer. Thanks for making this thread. I was wondering if anyone had any material from the Church Fathers and Mothers (particularly Eastern, but Western is cool too) on purity? I've been meaning to read St. John Climacus' The Ladder of Divine Ascent, but school has made it difficult.

    Pray for me, a sinner.
     
    an onymous dude, macscot and RdrMGK69 like this.
  8. Limeaid

    Limeaid Guest

    This book is great! If you scroll down you can see all of the books by these authors. I am not religious but I do believe in God/higher power. These books do talk about the bible and quotes from it often.

    http://www.amazon.ca/Every-Mans-Battle-Winning-Temptation/dp/0307457974

    Synopsis:

    From movies and television, to print media and the Internet, men are constantly faced with the assault of sensual images. It is impossible to avoid such temptations... but, thankfully, not impossible to confront them and gain victory over them!

    Millions have found Every Man’s Battle the single greatest resource for overcoming the struggle and remaining strong in the face of temptation. With extensive updates for a new generation, this phenomenal bestseller shares the stories of dozens who have escaped the trap of sexual immorality and presents a practical, detailed plan for any man who desires sexual integrity.
     
  9. Ze'ev

    Ze'ev Fapstronaut

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    I have...mixed feelings about that book, having read part of the companion "Every Young Man's Battle". It took me years to get over the self-judgment and shame that comes with the kind of language and thinking that those sorts of books usually engage in. I don't believe that masturbation is necessarily a sin (although porn is, due to the victims and the way it encourages a wrong mindset towards our brothers and sisters). I know I'm in the minority in that view, and I don't expect people to agree with me. The fact that I participate in this forum shows that I support everyone's efforts, even if my reasoning is different. I just prefer to seek purity through aspiring to positive holiness rooted in love. When I think of it less as a battle, it becomes easier to succeed, as I see it more as doing something for the God I love and wish to be transfigured into unity with. But if it helps other people to read books like this one, then I wish them the best with that.
     
    MtnclimberHSG and NotSoHolyFool like this.
  10. Leo33

    Leo33 Fapstronaut

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    Zeev I'm sorry but masterbation is a sin. Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:


    " 2352 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." Part 3, Section 2, Chapter 2, Article 6, SubSection 4, Heading 3

    2396 Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices."

    I think it is important for us to know that it is a sin. We're all here to overcome this. This sin separates us from God. It must be recognized as a sin. The truth must always be sought brother, otherwise we may fall prey to the evil one's lies.

    Leo
     
    LucasAndre and Dallas22 like this.
  11. Ze'ev

    Ze'ev Fapstronaut

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    I'm not here to discourage anyone, believe me. I am just as much dedicated to this cause as everyone else here. I may have a different personal opinion on the theology, but I still intend to abstain and encourage others to do so. If by expressing reservations about Limeaid's book recommendation in relation to my own journey (I wasn't intending to imply that others wouldn't find it helpful), I have led anyone astray, that was not my intention and I apologize. I don't intend to expound my theological opinions, and I won't mention them unless they're directly relevant to something being said (which I think they were in my previous post). I hope we can come together for our common cause.

    Pray for me, a sinner.
     
    macscot likes this.
  12. headedup

    headedup Fapstronaut

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    I think both of you have a point! Let's look at the facts: the Catechism says "masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." In this section, the Magisterium very wisely did not say that it was a sin, but a disorder evil action. Remember that a mortal sin requires knowledge, intent, and freedom!! The passage on masturbation goes on to say that culpability can be reduced or eliminated by duress. In other words, addiction/compulsion! So I am not saying that masturbation is NEVER a sin, but that it is not necessarily a sin. So Ze'ev makes a fantastic point, that by living in pathological guilt, we will never be free. Statistics and common sense both show that guilt not only fails to get one over an addiction, but can make it worse. So let's keep it positive on the thread and keep our eyes on God's mercy.
     
  13. Leo33

    Leo33 Fapstronaut

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    Zeev, no problem brother...we all here to get better. We all on the same team friend.

    http://www.theporneffect.com/
    I agree this website is loaded with good stuff! Thanks nopmo

    Excellent find! I jumped on there and 45 minutes went by so quickly. I'll be digging through that alot more.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2015
  14. Ze'ev

    Ze'ev Fapstronaut

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    Cool. Thanks all! I also apologize if I got overly defensive.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2015
  15. Ze'ev

    Ze'ev Fapstronaut

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    Sorry for the double-post, but I found these quotes:

    “Prayer frees the mind of all thought of the sensory and raises it to God Himself, Who is above all, to converse with Him and daringly ask Him for anything. Thus a man spends his life in purity, as one who, having already experienced communion with God, is thereupon again preparing for this communion.”

    — St. Nilus of Sinai

    “Do not say: ‘I have sinned much, and therefore I am not bold enough to fall down before God.’ Do not despair. Simply do not increase your sins in despair and, with the help of the All-merciful One, you will not be put to shame. For He said, ‘he who comes to Me I will not cast out.’ (John. 6:37) And so, be bold and believe that He is pure and cleanses those who draw near to Him. If you want to accomplish true repentance, show it with your deeds. If you have fallen into pride, show humility; if into drunkenness, show sobriety; if into defilement, show purity of life. For it is said, ‘Turn away from evil and do good.’ (I Pet. 3:11)”

    — St. Gennadius of Constantinople, The Golden Chain, 87-89
     
  16. headedup

    headedup Fapstronaut

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    Great quotes @Ze'ev ! I don't think you seemed defensive, it's fine!

    Oh, also:

    You don't need to be apologetic, so please do keep sharing your theological opinions and other opinions as well. Although there might be more Catholics on this thread, it's an Orthodox thread too! While the thread is focused on PMO abstinence, it is also a good place for us to support one another in our faith, so I for one think it's totally appropriate and helpful to talk theology. Especially on such a tricky issue as masturbation.
     
    RdrMGK69 and funkycedars like this.
  17. headedup

    headedup Fapstronaut

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    @Leo33 , my name is HeadedUp by the way ;)
     
  18. Leo33

    Leo33 Fapstronaut

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    Good stuff guys, sorry headedup. Obviously my head is in the fog from recent failings. Thank God I didn't fall tonight, it was by His grace I survived another night without PMO. I tried very little to fight it, and I got through. Prayer works when we don't. Have a good and pure day tomorrow! Leo
     
    macscot and headedup like this.
  19. NoSaint

    NoSaint Guest

    A good advice on fighting PMO for catholics:
    Watch and pray. Watch and pray 15 mysteries every day.
     
    Timotinho and headedup like this.
  20. Leo33

    Leo33 Fapstronaut

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    That's wonderful NoSaint, the Rosary is such a powerful weapon! Any of you guys or gals ever consecrate yourselves to Mary by the devotion written by St Louis De Montfort called Total Consecration? More spiritual power! Here's a link:

    http://totalconsecration.ageofmary.com/

    It's a pretty long process and pretty tough filled with lots and lots of prayers.

    There is a shorter/simpler version which has no less benefits written by a wonderful Marian priest by the name of Father Michael Gaitley. Here is the link to that it's in book form called 33 days to Morning Glory:

    http://www.ignatius.com/Products/TDMG-P/33-days-to-morning-glory.aspx

    Here is a wonderful youtube video by Father Gaitley about the Devine Mercy. It's awesome!



    God bless yall, brother Leo
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2015

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