Other faiths do not have Confession...how is mortal sin 'forgiven?'

[whatevergirl]

A Protestant friend of mine became very angry (not with me personally) but at me, over the Sacrament of Reconciliation. She said that she nor anyone else who does not go to Confession to confess mortal sins, is not going to hell. She said that if we are sincerely asking for forgiveness to God through prayer…and repent of our sins…we are forgiven. I tried to explain as best as I could…that Jesus gave authority to His Apostles to forgive sins…why did He do that, if He wasn’t in some way, requesting that we seek absolution in this way? Thus, this became a Sacrament. He is our Mediator…our Redeemer. If we didn’t need a Mediator…why was Jesus sent to us?

She seemed to have no reply…but we ended up changing the subject.

So…my question is…if we are the only ones going to Confession…how are others’ sins being forgiven? (mortal) As a Catholic, are my sins somehow not forgiven when I communicate to God directly…but a Protestant is forgiven without confession?

 

[wjp984]

I personally think Protestants are in for a rude awakening when they are in Purgatory and at first in torment thinking they are i Hell before being explained to them where they are. They probably will have to stay there a longer time than those with the sacrament of Reconciliation.

 

[Convert_in_99]

I personally think Protestants are in for a rude awakening when they are in Purgatory and at first in torment thinking they are i Hell before being explained to them where they are. They probably will have to stay there a longer time than those with the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Um NO. If they really don’t know better…how can they be held responsible?

That’s like telling a child (who hasn’t gotten to go to confession…barely even knows what it is) that they are less forgiven because they haven’t been able to go and confess yet.

It’s not their fault, unless they (like maybe Scott Hahn prior to his conversion) knew the truth but were not sure if they should follow it.

 

[Convert_in_99]

Mortal sin is forgiven in protestants, like unrepentant catholics, through perfect contrition for their sins. This can occur, through God’s grace, here on earth, or even after death.

 

[whatevergirl]

thanks for your posts…
Convert–I have always thought what you are saying…but many believe that without Confession (for a Catholic) then one’s sins are not forgiven…leaving them in a state of mortal sin.

Why is Confession necessary for a Catholic and not someone who is non Catholic?

 

[InLight247]

So…my question is…if we are the only ones going to Confession…how are others’ sins being forgiven? (mortal) As a Catholic, are my sins somehow not forgiven when I communicate to God directly…but a Protestant is forgiven without confession?

If Protestants directly pray to God and give perfect contrition, I believe their sins are forgiven. However, according to the following quote from Stanley Villavicencio(Stanley has been testifying in Vatican), when we stand before God and watch our life film, the confessed sins weigh much lighter. Confession is such a merciful Sacrament. It is Protestants’ big loss that they don’t have it. Without the Sacrament, when they watch their life films, the weight of their sins will be heavy.
our.homewithgod.com/divinemercy/miracles/

We Catholics follow the Church’s rule resulted from the teaching of Jesus. We have to go to Confession.

And I also notice that the sins I did not confess to a Priest it is too heavy, and also I notice that the sins that I confessed to a Priest, it is lighter. And we cannot deny anything because the screen is so big and very clear and also the pictures are also big and below the pictures are written the day, the month, the date and the year. And below that it is also written the hour, the minutes and the seconds. So, we cannot deny anything, even the seconds are recorded.

 

[Convert_in_99]

thanks for your posts…
Convert–I have always thought what you are saying…but many believe that without Confession (for a Catholic) then one’s sins are not forgiven…leaving them in a state of mortal sin.

Why is Confession necessary for a Catholic and not someone who is non Catholic?

Because a non-catholic doesn’t know they need to be catholic. If that non-catholic discovers the truth and finds it in the catholic church, then they are held responsible. But not before then.

 

[In_Vino_Veritas]

This, like almost all topics, is one that requires a great deal of compassion and sensitivity. I know how difficult sanctification is with the benefits of the sacraments. Can you imagine how hard it must be without them?

 

[whatevergirl]

If Protestants directly pray to God and give perfect contrition, I believe their sins are forgiven. However, according to the following quote from Stanley Villavicencio(Stanley has been testifying in Vatican), when we stand before God and watch our life film, the confessed sins weigh much lighter. Confession is such a merciful Sacrament. It is Protestants’ big loss that they don’t have it. Without the Sacrament, when they watch their life films, the weight of their sins will be heavy.
our.homewithgod.com/divinemercy/miracles/

We Catholics follow the Church’s rule resulted from the teaching of Jesus. We have to go to Confession.

Thank you for your reply…Question though–why would repented/confessed sins be brought up to us through our ‘life film,’ when we face Judgement? I thought that once we are absolved, it’s as though those sins didn’t happen.

 

[whatevergirl]

Because a non-catholic doesn’t know they need to be catholic. If that non-catholic discovers the truth and finds it in the catholic church, then they are held responsible. But not before then.

okay–I see. I wondered that. Thanks Convert.

 

[jmcrae]

Um NO. If they really don’t know better…how can they be held responsible?

That’s why they go to Purgatory, and not to Hell.

That’s like telling a child (who hasn’t gotten to go to confession…barely even knows what it is) that they are less forgiven because they haven’t been able to go and confess yet.

A baptized child who has not yet attained the ability to go to Confession is not in a state of mortal sin, since the same level of awareness to go to Confession is also required in order to be able to commit a mortal sin.

But once they have the ability to know and to say what it was that they did wrong, they need to start being taken to Confession.

 

[whatevergirl]

That’s why they go to Purgatory, and not to Hell.

A baptized child who has not yet attained the ability to go to Confession is not in a state of mortal sin, since the same level of awareness to go to Confession is also required in order to be able to commit a mortal sin.

But once they have the ability to know and to say what it was that they did wrong, they need to start being taken to Confession.

hi jm;

We can easily end up in Purgatory, even if we are repentant Catholics…and go to Confession, regularly. I have heard priests say that they pray that is where they would end up. (They feel unworthy for Heaven) Purgatory is a place designed by God to cleanse us if we need it, so we enter Heaven stain free.

Since Jesus died for our sins, I’m not sure why Purgatory is needed, but it is Biblical…so I believe in it. The theory behind it is a bit confusing for me, though.

 

[jmcrae]

hi jm;

We can easily end up in Purgatory, even if we are repentant Catholics…and go to Confession, regularly. I have heard priests say that they pray that is where they would end up. (They feel unworthy for Heaven) Purgatory is a place designed by God to cleanse us if we need it, so we enter Heaven stain free.

Yes, absolutely. We all have unknowing sins - things we did without being at all aware that they were sinful. That’s why Purgatory exists - in order to wash away the effects of sin in our lives.

Since Jesus died for our sins, I’m not sure why Purgatory is needed, but it is Biblical…so I believe in it. The theory behind it is a bit confusing for me, though.

Because Jesus’ death on the Cross unlocked the door for us to go in, but He was not a substitute for us. We still have to walk through the door - He simply made it possible for us to do that. Not everyone does, though - and not everyone even wants to.

 

[Zahmir]

There’s a lot of good posts here.

Purgatory is the process of becoming one with God in Heaven, and this requires what we call “time” and “mortification” but most likely, in reality, include some other qualities which are indescribable to earthly human beings.

Catholics whom God has given the grace to be one with Him will have “less time” in purgatory because they have a better understanding of God and they have the Sacrament of Reconciliation which has periodically cleaned their souls.

Protestants who die in a state of grace and are brought up into heaven still have to go through the process of Purgatory. They will be less responsible for their sins, and so “punishment” might be lessed but they have a long way to go to understanding God and everything the Catholic Church proclaims as true. Overcoming their pride might be the “longest” part of Purgatory for them.

 

[palmas85]

Um NO. If they really don’t know better…how can they be held responsible?

That’s like telling a child (who hasn’t gotten to go to confession…barely even knows what it is) that they are less forgiven because they haven’t been able to go and confess yet.

It’s not their fault, unless they (like maybe Scott Hahn prior to his conversion) knew the truth but were not sure if they should follow it.

That is the point. Protestants by and large DO KNOW BETTER. They have chosen to deny the authority of the Catholic Church as the one true Church and have accepted instead whatever it is that they believe in its place
.
It is their choice. I know a lot of protestants including some in my own family. ALL of them, the adults that is, and I mean all of them know full well of the differences between their churches and Catholicism and they fully embrace the differences as being correct in their favor. To them, we as Catholics are not Christian, probably not saved and are doomed.

To say that they are not responsible for what they believe is just plain wrong.

 

[RachelB]

Please allow me to share a rambling thought with you. This is pretty much off the top of my head, so please feel free to tear it to pieces.

First of all, in “extra-ordinary” circumstances, of course God can forgive sins through perfect contrition. He is a just and holy God. The point of sacramental confession is to bring His people to Him, not to turn them away.

But the Catholic Church is the One Church that God established for the salvation of His people. Let’s call it the Church of “ordinary” circumstance. An ordinary saint on the way to Heaven goes to regular confession like he drinks a tall glass of water or goes to the doctor for a regular checkup. He flushes the bad out of his system on a regular basis. Through sacramental confession he stays on top of his sin, if you will. It’s easier for him to stay healthy because his confessor - the doctor of his soul - helps him see where he is going wrong. The Christian without regular sacramental confession maybe doesn’t move to perfect contrition until he feels really guilty. That’s why revival services and prayer meetings are so popular. They bring to the surface the sickness of sin that a practicing Catholic is digging out as a matter of course.

So, what I’m trying to say, is that God designed sacramental confession to make it easier to get to Heaven! Of course there’s way more to it than that, praise the Lord, but this is a concept that might be easy for a protestant to understand.

One final thought - I have found that my Protestant friends - the ones who believe firmly that they only need to confess to Jesus - are constantly emulating sacramental confession. They set up appointments with their pastor to talk about their sin. They get together and confess to each other. And you know what? They might feel like they’ve gotten some of the benefits of what Catholic have, but there are problems there - they don’t have the seal of confession, there can be temptations because lay people aren’t trained to hear confessions, don’t have the graces associated with being a confessor, etc. So it seems the Church has it right again

 

[Convert_in_99]

That is the point. Protestants by and large DO KNOW BETTER. They have chosen to deny the authority of the Catholic Church as the one true Church and have accepted instead whatever it is that they believe in its place
.
It is their choice. I know a lot of protestants including some in my own family. ALL of them, the adults that is, and I mean all of them know full well of the differences between their churches and Catholicism and they fully embrace the differences as being correct in their favor. To them, we as Catholics are not Christian, probably not saved and are doomed.

To say that they are not responsible for what they believe is just plain wrong.

Pretend I am colorblind.

What if I told you the sky was green. You know that the sky is blue, it is a factual truth. But I only see green. You may tell me I am wrong. I may know from what everyone tells me that I might be wrong on the sky being green, as so many persons tell me its blue. But until I can see that the sky is blue, I will not believe it is anything but green. You can yell, you can scream, you can get as angry as you wish. But that sky would still be green to me.

You may ask me to just have faith and believe in the blueness of the sky, but, living in a world full of green, surrounded by green, I know nothing of blue, but that it is seemingly non-existant and foreign. How can you believe in something you know nothing of, or that is totally foreign to you. I would first have to experience blue, and then be educated and taught about it.

Until an individual discovers for him/herself that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, they are going to be in denial of it. They cannot yet see Jesus through the eyes of faith in Holy Communion. No matter if you believe it is the God given factual knowledge that Jesus is in the Eucharist, if you scream it from the rooftops, they cannot believe with only a partial knowledge and vision. Remember the blind man couldn’t see it was Jesus fully until his blindness was cured. He only had a partial vision at first.

We were blessed with eyes to see that the sky is blue. Maybe one day they will be too. But, until that happens, they cannot be blamed for seeing things the way they see them, when they do not know better. If it is green to them, they must live life as though the sky were in actuality green. That is how they will be judged, upon a green sky, not a blue.

Mother Teresa always said to help the Hindu become the best Hindu they can be. Meaning, we are called to help people live to their faith to the full, as their conscience tells them to. We must live according to our conscience. If someone has a faulty conscience, how can they be blamed for not knowing how to have formed it better? Sin is still sin, but if one does not know its sinful, it is no longer sin…at least not a mortal one.

 

[InLight247]

Thank you for your reply…Question though–why would repented/confessed sins be brought up to us through our ‘life film,’ when we face Judgement? I thought that once we are absolved, it’s as though those sins didn’t happen.

In that link, Jesus said to Stanley:

And Jesus answered, "You cannot appreciate the beauty of My mercy unless you experience the misery of sin.’

Our sins were forgiven but not forgotten. They are forever recorded in our life’s book. When you have time, read that link. It is very long, but very amazing. After realizing the reality that everyone will be reviewing his or her life book, I made up my mind to strive for holiness. I cannot imagine how painful it will be to watch all my sins in life, with my Lord standing beside me. Even thinking about it makes me weep. And how much I am grateful for the Sacrament of Confession!!

 

[THurifer2]

Mortal sin is forgiven in protestants, like unrepentant catholics, through perfect contrition for their sins. This can occur, through God’s grace, here on earth, or even after death.

This is true…keep in mind though Perfect contrition is RARE.
The catholic church teaches that Mortal sin is

1)Grave Matter ( somthing very serious or commandment violation)
2)Full Knowlege ( knew it was a sin)
3)Deliberate consent. ( did it anyway by use of free will)

That is it PERIOD! Is has been discussed here countless times before that one can be unaware of a mortal sin. The extreme circumstance of perfect contrition or confession is the only way to escape eternal damnation if Mortal sin. Protestants inherit being cut off from the grace of Sacraments by their forebearers. This is nothing more important to us Catholics is the profound urgency of Evangelization, and proselytic activities. The reformation popes were not wrong when they condemned protestants for their “rebellion”.

 

[whatevergirl]

In that link, Jesus said to Stanley:

Our sins were forgiven but not forgotten. They are forever recorded in our life’s book. When you have time, read that link. It is very long, but very amazing. After realizing the reality that everyone will be reviewing his or her life book, I made up my mind to strive for holiness. I cannot imagine how painful it will be to watch all my sins in life, with my Lord standing beside me. Even thinking about it makes me weep. And how much I am grateful for the Sacrament of Confession!!

I am still not seeing why God would bring up prior sins…or throw them up in our face during Judgement Day, if we have been forgiven? Many priests throughout my life have told me, once you confess and repent…God wipes the slate clean.