I don't know how to confess a sin. What words should i use?

[howareyou1]

Hi…
so i participate in a sports forum… And some months ago i did something bad. I stole the password of 3 or 4 members, which meant that i was able to post using their usernames. In order to participate in such forum, you don’t need to pay any money or anything like that… And furthermore, those members weren’t participating in the forum anymore… So, i really didn’t steal anything material from those persons. Thus, i don’t know how to confess such sin… i know i did something bad and wrong, and i know i must confess what i did… However, i don’t know what words to use… Please tell me, what words should i use?
thank you.

 

[dshix]

This is a rather difficult thing to explain, so just tell the priest what you just told us. Say that you were surfing an internet forum and got into other people usernames so you could post in their name. (basically stealing their identity)

A little embarrassing, but I don’t see any other good way to explain it distinctly.

 

[DexUK]

What you did was lie about who you were - you impersonated someone on an internet forum.

Only you will know whether the outcomes of such lies were either serious or nothing more than ‘trolling’, so whether it’s venial or mortal isn’t for me to say.

I would simply say you should tell the priest you lied about who you were on an internet forum on a number of occasions, which is the simple unvarnished truth. If he wants more details, he’ll ask. I doubt he will, to be honest.

Remember, Confession and Absolution is for your benefit. Do the best you can and think of it like a nice warm shower - you’re going to be nice and squeaky clean and refreshed afterwards, so don’t let the dirt and grime stick on you and make you uncomfortable for any longer than you have to and don’t stress about it now, just look forward to the nice warm after-effects.

 

[dshix]

What you did was lie about who you were - you impersonated someone on an internet forum.

Only you will know whether the outcomes of such lies were either serious or nothing more than ‘trolling’, so whether it’s venial or mortal isn’t for me to say.

I would simply say you should tell the priest you lied about who you were on an internet forum on a number of occasions, which is the simple unvarnished truth. If he wants more details, he’ll ask. I doubt he will, to be honest.

Remember, Confession and Absolution is for your benefit. Do the best you can and think of it like a nice warm shower - you’re going to be nice and squeaky clean and refreshed afterwards, so don’t let the dirt and grime stick on you and make you uncomfortable for any longer than you have to and don’t stress about it now, just look forward to the nice warm after-effects.

This is a good response, but you need to mention that you actually stole other accounts. Lying about your identity on an internet forum isn’t always wrong if you need to keep your identity safe, but stealing other accounts is entirely different, and a more serious sin.

 

[howareyou1]

thanks for the replies… i wish i didn’t have to say “i stole other people’s accounts” could there be another way to confess this sin? thank you.

 

[dshix]

thanks for the replies… i wish i didn’t have to say “i stole other people’s accounts” could there be another way to confess this sin? thank you.

Well, if you can find a way to word it that you are still conveying what the sin actually is, that’s fine. If you are embarrassed, you can go to another parish where the priest doesn’t know you. It is perfectly understandable.

 

[jpjd]

thanks for the replies… i wish i didn’t have to say “i stole other people’s accounts” could there be another way to confess this sin? thank you.

This is exactly what confession is all about. You have to face up to your sin. Just say it. The priest will not be shocked – he’s heard a lot worse.

 

[Julia_Mae]

thanks for the replies… i wish i didn’t have to say “i stole other people’s accounts” could there be another way to confess this sin? thank you.

But you did. And a great part of reconciliation with God is knowing your own sin and acknowledging it. You stole something. Say so. And don’t do that anymore.

 

[Joe_5859]

Just say what you said in the OP. It wasn’t a lengthy explanation, but we all knew what you were talking about. If it comes across as confusing, the priest will ask clarifying questions.

 

[John_of_Woking]

Just relax. The priest has heard worse

 

[Windmill]

Just relax. The priest has heard worse

Oh gosh, yes.

Unless the OP posted material that is scandalous, then I’d just be brief in the confessional and move on.

 

[DexUK]

Actually, I’m not too sure about the ‘stealing’ thing, seeing as there was no material deprivation involved, so far as it’s possible to tell. Presumably what the OP means is that he had simply accessed the accounts by means of using someone else’s password. That doesn’t mean the third party is deprived of anything, just that the OP is using their facilities in an unauthorised fashion, and by the OP’s account at least, these facilities had been abandoned anyway.

Personally I would stick with the ‘impersonation’ - explain that you were using someone else’s password to do so if necessary, but it doesn’t seem like a case of actual theft to me, rather it was lies. (And I think I’ve got quite a reputation for strictness in respect of online illicit activity - not that I’m a particular authority or anything, although IT is my field of work. )

 

[dshix]

Actually, I’m not too sure about the ‘stealing’ thing, seeing as there was no material deprivation involved, so far as it’s possible to tell. Presumably what the OP means is that he had simply accessed the accounts by means of using someone else’s password. That doesn’t mean the third party is deprived of anything, just that the OP is using their facilities in an unauthorised fashion, and by the OP’s account at least, these facilities had been abandoned anyway.

Personally I would stick with the ‘impersonation’ - explain that you were using someone else’s password to do so if necessary, but it doesn’t seem like a case of actual theft to me, rather it was lies. (And I think I’ve got quite a reputation for strictness in respect of online illicit activity - not that I’m a particular authority or anything, although IT is my field of work. )

Stealing an identity can be just as, if not more, serious than just stealing things.

Really, only the OP can know, since he is the one who did it and knows how bad the circumstances were.