Is public apologies of sin ever mandatory?

[tx_mnm]

Hello All,
I recently converted to Roman Catholicism after being raised Baptist. One reason I became disillusioned with my church at the time was the long time tradition of having women who became pregnant out of wedlock apologize in front of the entire congregation for their public sin. The church I attended was the only one I’d ever heard of that practiced this, I just wanted to know if this is common in other Baptist churches and where and when this tradition began?

 

[Eucharisted]

It’s not mandatory in the Catholic Church, but I know a few Protestant denominations do the public apology thing. It used to be practiced, though, in the ancient days by public sinners, like murderers and stuff.

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

Hello All,
I recently converted to Roman Catholicism after being raised Baptist. One reason I became disillusioned with my church at the time was the long time tradition of having women who became pregnant out of wedlock apologize in front of the entire congregation for their public sin. The church I attended was the only one I’d ever heard of that practiced this, I just wanted to know if this is common in other Baptist churches and where and when this tradition began?

Form what I have read in the earliest times all confessions were public. The general tradiosn is that the Celtic monks and nuns started doing private confessionand It was not until 1215, however, that church leadership, at the Fourth Lateran Council, officially adopted the private form of confession as the norm.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

Hello All,
I recently converted to Roman Catholicism after being raised Baptist. One reason I became disillusioned with my church at the time was the long time tradition of having women who became pregnant out of wedlock apologize in front of the entire congregation for their public sin. The church I attended was the only one I’d ever heard of that practiced this, I just wanted to know if this is common in other Baptist churches and where and when this tradition began?

Why stop there? What about the bloke who got her pregnant? A thief? An adulterer?

I think Christ gave the answer to that when he did not judge the woman caught in adultery.

I’ve never heard of it in any Protestant church I attended, and the place for such events in the Catholic Church is the privacy of the Confessional, which should go no further than the priest. I have heard of church discipline, which can be unpleasant, but that’s a different story.

 

[JonNC]

Why stop there? What about the bloke who got her pregnant? A thief? An adulterer?
I think Christ gave the answer to that when he did not judge the woman caught in adultery.
I’ve never heard of it in any Protestant church I attended, and the place for such events in the Catholic Church is the privacy of the Confessional, which should go no further than the priest.

 

[jpk1313]

Sometimes for healing to happen a public asking for forgivness in needed. Jesus forgives but sometime for certain things to really let go of the sin commited you need to get it off your chest by asking the people you wronged to forgive you. it is not always needed but sometimes it is good to do so.

 

[Cluny]

While the custom of an apology before the community for certain offenses against the common life is done in monasteries, NOBODY has had to confess personal sins in public for centuries.

And why would such a woman have to apologize to the congregation? SHE didn’t get anybody there pregnant!

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

=Bob Crowley;5660516]Why stop there? What about the bloke who got her pregnant? A thief? An adulterer?

I am not advocating public confession, God knows I have enough trouble kneeling behind a screen and giving a anonymous private confession. Also those that you listed as far as he know from the OP did not ask for forgiveness.

I think Christ gave the answer to that when he did not judge the woman caught in adultery.

but whether of her own accord or not hers was a public knowledge of her sins.

I’ve never heard of it in any Protestant church I attended, and the place for such events in the Catholic Church is the privacy of the Confessional, which should go no further than the priest. I have heard of church discipline, which can be unpleasant, but that’s a different story.

I have heard of it in some of the more fundamentalist churches. and I agree that I prefer the way in which confession is now handled and has been for the last 800 or so years in the Catholic church, but as mentioned befores it has not always been this way.

 

[Zooey]

Is anybody besides me sitting at the computer thinking, “I would:crying: hate to know what the rate of abortions is in that church!”

 

[puzzleannie]

Hello All,
I recently converted to Roman Catholicism after being raised Baptist. One reason I became disillusioned with my church at the time was the long time tradition of having women who became pregnant out of wedlock apologize in front of the entire congregation for their public sin. The church I attended was the only one I’d ever heard of that practiced this, I just wanted to know if this is common in other Baptist churches and where and when this tradition began?

here in Texas we are surrounded by Baptists and I have never heard of this, although some of the fundamentalist churches are pretty strict. I agree, that would be a deal breaker for me, unless the putative father was also put on the rack. Since unless she became pregnant in a public place, highly unlikely, she did not do a public sin, the lack of logic involved is enough evidence of unsound theology all around.

In the Catholic church the practice is different, we require public confession and penance only of politicians. Other Catholics are free to sin egregiously, dissent loudly from Church teaching in word and deed, yet will have no requirement whatever, being free to marry or be buried in the Church without the rest of us being informed of the state of their souls.

 

[LondonIrish]

Hello All,
I just wanted to know if this is common in other Baptist churches and where and when this tradition began?

Hello Tx-mnm

I have relatives who are Baptists and they do not engage in public confession. There is an interesting Baptist site here, talking about online confession (without absolution) from the idea that confessing is good for the soul.
The website mentioned is here: Quite what the value is to simply blog your sins on the internet for what can be little more than the entertainment of others, I’m not sure.

 

[survive]

I’ve never heard of any church group specifically picking on unwed pregnant mothers. Some Pentecostal churches encourage public confession but it’s not mandatory. The idea is that if you tell a lot of people what you did some might know what to do about it – how to stop sinning, or how to pray for your specific issue etc. Or the accountability-partner system can be used for confession, but it’s awkward because there isn’t always a clear boundary of confidentiality. In any case what they need is absolution.

 

[happygal]

To confess of your wrong doing in front of a public certainly required courage and strength to admin your mistake. I myself find it tough to confess to a person whom i sin against…
hence not to mention a public one…however, i believe is more for healing purpose as the entire church pray for you

 

[Hlafdige]

the long time tradition of having women who became pregnant out of wedlock apologize in front of the entire congregation for their public sin

In Confession, the Catholic priest stands proxy not only for Christ but also for the Church which is wounded, and whose public witness is marred, by the sins – public or secret – of the baptized.
Christ declined to judge a woman caught in adultery whose partner in sin – contrary to the law of Moses, which requires that both partners be stoned – was not accused with her, but let off scot-free. Don’t those Protestants who pillory unwed mothers care about this scriptural precedent?

 

[PJM]

=tx_mnm;5660048]Hello All,
I recently converted to Roman Catholicism after being raised Baptist. One reason I became disillusioned with my church at the time was the long time tradition of having women who became pregnant out of wedlock apologize in front of the entire congregation for their public sin. The church I attended was the only one I’d ever heard of that practiced this, I just wanted to know if this is common in other Baptist churches and where and when this tradition began?

***This OPQ raises serveral important points.

Sin is “always” a public matter, in that ones sins NEVER only efects the person sinning.

Having shared that, as a “rule” the CC neither practices nor encourages public recounting of ones sins.

That being said, there are a few exceptions to thus “rule.”

For example a politicain who is known and broadcast that they are “catholic” but support and advocate publically a position that is known to be in opposition to CC teachings, could be required as part of there “Penance” to recount and withdraw there support for such a position publically. ***

If one does not understand what the bible is actually saying, one could “find” a subjective verse or two that seemingly support this Baptist Church’s position. That friends, is why God only permits His One Church to translate His One Bible.

Love and prayers, and welcome HOME friend!