text: "...as Catholics, I do think we can and should look at everything differently...."
  
  Happy birthday, Michael.
  
  I believe without a doubt that religions, including Catholicism, can provide a gateway to a more sensitive, aware, holy, and integrated way of being alive. I do doubt, however, whether any one particular religion can be that gateway for everyone. People vary in their temperamental constitution and in the experiences they have lived through and learned from. A religion that serves one person perfectly might be the wrong thing for another; it would not bring sensitivity, awareness, holiness, or integration, or it might bring them in a faltering way. I think it is good for us to be mindful of the truly substantive differences among us in terms of our spiritual needs and proclivities. Some people are Catholics for a valid reason. Some are heathens for a valid reason. Some are Protestants for a valid reason. Some fill their spiritual lives with music for a valid reason. And so on.