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Honestly, Becky, I drew more from the questions than the answers. I'll be honest and, I promise, speak from kindness: What I have learned from you is that it is very very important to you to prove that you are not catholic, that catholics are very very wrong, "dead wrong," that what you were taught was wrong, your parents are wrong, and what they were taught is wrong.

It's very important to you to prove this again and again – to Mack? to your family? to yourself? I think you have done everything with this purpose to prove this. I think you have proven that you are not a Catholic. And so I asked: Now what? Now that you've proved it, now what for Becky, what is religion now after it is not Catholic? What does growing toward God mean now for you?

You asked what I take from the answers to your questions. From my questions and answers, you may know by now that I don't think Jesus finds us when we finally get the history right. History is interesting, theology is interesting - to some. But neither is Christianity to me. There is a difference between religion, true religion, and a college level course in history and theology. As great a difference as knowing the formula for water and taking a swim.

So, both of us can give up in our forum thesis dissertation; it doesn't matter if we make an A or an F. We are not going to figure out God nor define and determine the perfect religion. This forum isn't about settling questions of doctrine or history. It's about people like you and me. About our fear and suffering, our longing to be whole, holy. Religious talk sometimes gives us a crack in the wall to see each other's true self.

I see your's riding a fast strong horse along a forest trail beside a river; I see yours riding free – with nothing left to prove to Mack, to your family or to yourself. You can lay that heavy load down now, you've done it; there is nothing left to be gained from carrying it around anymore.

best wishes…