Is it okay to confess something even though you are pretty sure you didn't do it?

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Is it okay to confess something even though you are pretty sure you didn’t do it?

But not totally sure?
 
If you’re not sure, then it’s not a sin. No need to mention it.
 
If its bothering your conscience no harm is done in talking with the priest about it. If something is bothering your conscience though, I would not ignore it if it refuses to go away.
 
I’m trying to figure out the reasoning behind this question. Are you saying that you want to confess a sin that someone else did? Or are you indicating that there could be a time that you might have stolen something but you don’t remember it, don’t think it was you, but you confess it anyway?

Either you did something or you didn’t. If you are having trouble remembering events, then I think you should not be trying to drudge up “well maybe I did this, and maybe I did that.” Instead I would go see a neurologist to find out why my memory was so faulty. I don’t think sin is something that is forgotten. It’s one thing to forget a sin, it’s another to start confessing things you might have done and have no recollection of. That would be a level of scrupulosity that is just… well… would definitely need counseling for.
 
user "bmullins":
I’m trying to figure out the reasoning behind this question. Are you saying that you want to confess a sin that someone else did? Or are you indicating that there could be a time that you might have stolen something but you don’t remember it, don’t think it was you, but you confess it anyway?

Either you did something or you didn’t. If you are having trouble remembering events, then I think you should not be trying to drudge up “well maybe I did this, and maybe I did that.” Instead I would go see a neurologist to find out why my memory was so faulty. I don’t think sin is something that is forgotten. It’s one thing to forget a sin, it’s another to start confessing things you might have done and have no recollection of. That would be a level of scrupulosity that is just… well… would definitely need counseling for.
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well its something that I could see could probably have happened but I have no specific memory of it and most of the evidence that I have is against it. Sort of like how an investigator makes a reasonable hypothesis but the evidence is in favor of the opposite hypothesis, yet the first is still reasonable. The intrinsic reasonableness of a thing should not be weighed more than the evidence, I suppose?
 
I guess I just can’t imagine myself searching so very hard for something that I might have done but can’t remember. If I can’t remember it, then it’s obviously a venial thing and forgiven under the general confession. If it is a mortal sin, I highly doubt someone could claim they might have, but aren’t sure… because evidence says they didn’t, but you never know?
 
I would just confess the whole story. You could just say, " I think I may have done such and such because…, but I don’t have a recollection of it because…" I just try to lay everything out as honestly as I can… if your not sure, your not sure… no sense in worrying about it, I would just tell him that.

Alot of times I do that with sins that I am 99% sure I have confessed, but not 100% sure. I will say something like "I’m pretty sure I’ve confessed this one before, but 2 years ago I … "

Eventually, I want to go back and do a good General Confession and start back at the beginning. I’ve moved a lot and I have found it helpful if my confessor knows as much about me as possible. I’m hoping the latest move last summer will stick, so it would be nice to have the priest know me and my nature as best as I can reveal to him. I’ve found the more they know about me, the better their advice and counseling seem to be as far as moving forward and avoiding the near occasions of sin.
 
bmullins said:
I guess I just can’t imagine myself searching so very hard for something that I might have done but can’t remember. If I can’t remember it, then it’s obviously a venial thing and forgiven under the general confession. If it is a mortal sin, I highly doubt someone could claim they might have, but aren’t sure… because evidence says they didn’t, but you never know?
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I don’t know about that… I’ve done some stupid stuff when I’ve been hammered in the past. I have nights where I can’t really remember 2-3 hours at a time… then you hear the stories and its like “Really? I did what?”. If your lucky, you don’t have a list of apologies to start making.
 
Andrew1980 said:
I don’t know about that… I’ve done some stupid stuff when I’ve been hammered in the past. I have nights where I can’t really remember 2-3 hours at a time… then you hear the stories and its like “Really? I did what?”. If your lucky, you don’t have a list of apologies to start making.
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Ah good point, but isn’t confessing that I got drunk and have no recollection of what I did confessing all of the sin?
 
Sometimes, a priest in confession has the opportunity to spend a couple of minutes with you offering some spiritual direction … there isn’t much time if there is a line of people … so mention it, and he may have the opportunity, depending on circumstances, to offer some words of wisdom.

Things such as: there are three things necessary for a sinful action to be a mortal sin: it must be serious matter; you must be doing it deliberately; and, you must know it is a serious sin. If ALL THREE conditions are not met, then it is not a mortal sin.

Many of the brief interventions that confessors are able to squeeze into the couple of minutes available are very helpful.

Frequent confession is also very helpful because it is one of the very few sacraments that you can receive more than once [Holy Eucharist is the other] and get sanctifying grace.

Grace is important.

Read up on it in the Catholic Encyclopedia at the top of the page.
 
Hmm…next time I go to confession, I’m going to confess the sin that I might have shot JFK, even though it happened 17 years before I was born…😉
 
Rascalking said:
Hmm…next time I go to confession, I’m going to confess the sin that I might have shot JFK, even though it happened 17 years before I was born…😉
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If you trivialize one of the sacraments, which were instituted by Christ, in a disrespectful or patronizing way, you MIGHT have bigger issues to deal with. You really don’t want to go head to head with God. Trust me.
 
fakename said:
well its something that I could see could probably have happened but I have no specific memory of it and most of the evidence that I have is against it. Sort of like how an investigator makes a reasonable hypothesis but the evidence is in favor of the opposite hypothesis, yet the first is still reasonable. The intrinsic reasonableness of a thing should not be weighed more than the evidence, I suppose?
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This is actually an interesting question. There are cases, rare even though there are so many TV episodes based on them, where a person has complete amnesia for a period of their lives that can be years. Then they “come back” and remember the old life, but not the life “in-between.” So, now what?

Possibly, to prevent any issues in future, you and the hypothetical amnesiac, can make a confession for all you don’t remember that might have offended God. I’m sure your remorse will be genuine as you wish to live in conformity with His Will and detest all your sins, even the ones you don’t remember. Then you can move forward with confidence and leave the past behind.
 
Monte_RCMS said:
If you trivialize one of the sacraments, which were instituted by Christ, in a disrespectful or patronizing way, you MIGHT have bigger issues to deal with. You really don’t want to go head to head with God. Trust me.
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  1. Your taking things way too seriously. I am not trivializing anything, nor have I ever. In fact, I don’t know HOW you came to that.
  2. It was an attempt to add humor to the topic, hence the smiley face.
  3. Your taking things way too seriously.
 
Rascalking said:
  1. Your taking things way too seriously. I am not trivializing anything, nor have I ever.
  2. It was an attempt to add humor to the topic, hence the smiley face.
  3. Your taking things way too seriously.
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Rk, you committed a true mortal sin. Trying to add humor to the forums.
 
Monte_RCMS said:
If you trivialize one of the sacraments, which were instituted by Christ, in a disrespectful or patronizing way, you MIGHT have bigger issues to deal with. You really don’t want to go head to head with God. Trust me.
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first, you need to take a joke. Second they are sacraments. As in sacred rites. They are not voodoo spells that can magically fix things.
 
Are sacraments something we should be joking about? While I agree we shouldn’t take things too seriously, what if someone were to joke about the Eucharist? Or about having sex on the altar? It’s just a joke? :signofcross:

To me, if there is anything out there to be completely serious about… it’s the Sacraments.
 
Rascalking said:
  1. Your taking things way too seriously. I am not trivializing anything, nor have I ever. In fact, I don’t know HOW you came to that.
  2. It was an attempt to add humor to the topic, hence the smiley face.
  3. Your taking things way too seriously.
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It was a poor attempt. Without the benefit of reading tones from written text, it could also be easily taken as sarcasm. That explains the how some can construe your post as anything other than a joke.
 
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