There are three things one never discusses publicly or with strangers: religion, politics and money. But let’s break this social rule. After all, it’s not a mortal sin. And besides: What’s college for?

God once said “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” But let’s be honest; we all sin and in an orderly fashion. Jesus Christ — the great lord and savior himself — could not stop this phenomenon. So he did the next best thing by dying for all of our sins hoping man would cash in on a second chance; a new life free of sin.

I wish I could say mankind learned from his mistakes and turned over a new leaf. But it’s inherent in our nature to disregard any sense of decency toward God or man.

Thus confession was born. We all know the drill. Kneel in a little booth, anonymously inform a priest of our wrongdoings and all is forgiven — hopefully without reciting any rosaries.

But all that changed quite recently as a new application — available on iPods, iPads and iPhones — took the Catholic world by storm. The app, made for a young audience, takes the user through confession without the aid of a priest.

It walks the user through the whole process: picking of default or custom sins, act of contrition and, at the end, a computer generated response giving generic advice; sounds very similar to real confession. And as a confession can be done at any location, the creators of this app hit the right medium for their target audience.

Oakland University is a great example. Students are very busy nowadays. Whether one participates in OU Rec intramural leagues, watches The Jersey Shore, finishes homework or works for student organizations, everyone has something to do at every conscious moment.

Valuable time can’t be wasted at church — except on Sundays, of course. For this reason, the app is perfect. Faithful folk can confess anywhere in a manner of minutes; beats a creepy, dark booth.

“But how can I confess without the aid of a priest?” the Orthodox Catholic might say. Very easily, but if you’re looking for absolution, confessing to an app doesn’t cut it. Only a priest is allowed to give true absolution from sin.

Maybe it’s time the church rethinks this archaic tradition. Apps can do the work now — especially if the next upgrade of the app sends confessions to a database where priests can review their patrons’ confessions. Presently the app only keeps your sins secured in your electronic device.

So, if a confession doesn’t count, what’s the point in confessing? There are always those who confess to relieve stress; get something off their chest. And those individuals would be very happy with this app.

Either way, the church is pulling in some income — proceeds from people purchasing the app — and gaining followers. So, I applaud this recent innovation. The app may be primitive in nature and not provide a service recognized by God, but at least the clergy is trying to reach out to an untapped audience with a new medium.