Forgiveness

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheIrishman
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

TheIrishman

Guest
What does your faith believe in when discussing forgiveness? Is it through prayer, through speaking with a leader, through personal change?

I’ve always had a nagging in the back of my head about being truly forgiven for sinning against God. For someone who is seeking to be truly forgiven and have that burden lifted, how would someone go about it? Can someone who is not a Catholic or Lutheran or Pentecostal be forgiven? And what would happen to my soul if I never convert?
 
Irishman, I can only speak from my experience as a former Mormon and a present day devout Catholic

When I leave the confessional, I experience the ability to leave my sins there.

I sense the burden of sin being lifted off my soul. And what has been gnawing and weighing on my conscience is no longer there…

I move forward in freedom, knowing I was understood, and forgiven.

The Sacrament of confession is an instrument of healing in my life…
 
Marie5890 said:
Irishman, I can only speak from my experience as a former Mormon and a present day devout Catholic

When I leave the confessional, I experience the ability to leave my sins there.

I sense the burden of sin being lifted off my soul. And what has been gnawing and weighing on my conscience is no longer there…

I move forward in freedom, knowing I was understood, and forgiven.

The Sacrament of confession is an instrument of healing in my life…
Click to expand...
Am i permitted to go to confession even though i am not Catholic?
 
TheIrishman said:
What does your faith believe in when discussing forgiveness? Is it through prayer, through speaking with a leader, through personal change?

I’ve always had a nagging in the back of my head about being truly forgiven for sinning against God. For someone who is seeking to be truly forgiven and have that burden lifted, how would someone go about it? Can someone who is not a Catholic or Lutheran or Pentecostal be forgiven? And what would happen to my soul if I never convert?
Click to expand...
In the Catholic Church, we go before God to receive forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession. In it, God grans us absolution of our post-baptismal sins through the action of his priest.

The Sacrament of Confession makes salvation easier, not harder. So yes, those that are not in full communion can receive forgiveness through an act of perfect contrition for there Sins to God. This is, however, harder without confession. The way God intends to forgive is through the Sacrament of Confession, which is healing for the soul.
 
TheIrishman said:
What does your faith believe in when discussing forgiveness? Is it through prayer, through speaking with a leader, through personal change?
I’ve always had a nagging in the back of my head about being truly forgiven for sinning against God. For someone who is seeking to be truly forgiven and have that burden lifted, how would someone go about it? Can someone who is not a Catholic or Lutheran or Pentecostal be forgiven?
Click to expand...
May I suggest a book…Scott Hahn’s Lord Have Mercy-the Healing Power of Confession

amazon.com/Lord-Have-Mercy-Healing-Confession/dp/0385501706
And what would happen to my soul if I never convert?
Click to expand...
That is God’s decision. We do not know.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Marie5890 said:
Irishman, I can only speak from my experience as a former Mormon and a present day devout Catholic

When I leave the confessional, I experience the ability to leave my sins there.

I sense the burden of sin being lifted off my soul. And what has been gnawing and weighing on my conscience is no longer there…

I move forward in freedom, knowing I was understood, and forgiven.

The Sacrament of confession is an instrument of healing in my life…
Click to expand...
👍

For a while, I was really struggling with a very seroius personal sin…and I went to confession several times for it…and going through confession has helped me tremendously in avoiding this sin.
 
This is a big subject. Firstly, I suppose we have to have absolute confidence that God is in fact a merciful and loving God who wants to forgive us. Knowing that truth helps us to ‘boldly approach the throne of Grace’. I think the magnitude of what God achieved for us through Christ his son’s death, which is essentially, forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption and salvation, sometimes escapes us. What our Father did for us, this massive act of grace, enables us to become his children and return to his presence forgiven and cleansed through the blood of his son. Through prayer, and regular examination of conscience, so that we know ourselves and our failings, we can take those failings and weaknesses confidently and yet in the humility of children seeking forgiveness, and know absolutely that our Father is waiting to forgive.Catholics pray regularly for God’s mercy and forgiveness, we have confidence in his love. However, we are expected also to forgive, seventy times seven, we are expected to put things right with our brothers and sisters if we expect forgiveness for ourselves. The parable of the prodigal son is the most beautiful illustration of God’s forgiveness, the Christian faith is totally about forgiveness and love, thanks be to God.
 
TheIrishman said:
Am i permitted to go to confession even though i am not Catholic?
Click to expand...
You can talk to a priest, but they can’t grant you absolution.

A protestant such as me believes that forgiveness flows from God to us, but we have to make sure that we are in the faith, and that includes being born again. The LDS is a tricky subject because most mainstream Christians would say that you need to have a change of mind and heart about some core tenants of the faith that we believe Jesus has revealed. The nature of man and who we are, the nature of Jesus and Who He is, the nature of God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, etc…

You may have already done this, but take all of this to God and seek Him directly. Tell Him of your struggles and sins, admit being a sinner in need of help, calling upon Him. As a protestant, the easiest way to explain this is to emphasize that forgiveness for sin is by grace, and we receive that by faithing on Jesus as He is in reality, what He has done, and as He has revealed Himself.

In comparison with Catholicism, Protestants of my ilk tend to describe our feelings of sorrow in a similar way that Catholics describe “perfect contrition.”
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.
Click to expand...
Obviously Protestants such as me wouldn’t believe we would confess to a priest, nor do penance, but rather go straight to God and rely on the fact that our sin and our punishment were laid on Jesus. You can read more about the Catholic view of perfect contrition here; ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage_print.asp?number=370862
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top