Why should I confess to a possible Sinner Preist?

[Sight_Lock]

I am Catholic and the way I put it is I have Catholic faith but I tend to not believe some of the CHURCH beliefs because to me some of them feel to me as if though the Church can make up their own rules and powers and put control on you reguardless if they have the right bible or not that is beyond my point.

My point is why should I confess to a possible Presit who behind the scenes could be molesting children? No I am not being disrespectful hear me out. First off all I never once as a Catholic felt as though I have to confess my sins to a human to be saved… that seriously does not feel right in my heart nor from the bible I read from so far, I cannot image that I am forced to only be saved by a confessing to another human who is not sinless like Jesus/God.
In fact I am pretty sure even all Catholics know it says in the bible you can confess to Jesus/God and I am pretty sure that is the right way to do it.

Lets face it, there have been tons of Priest who molest children and in the mean time people were actually CONFESSING their worst sins believing they are getting one step closer to god because they are talking to someone who is OF GOD yet behind their back the priest is doing the worst sings imaginable and was never of god in the first place.

Am I wrong? I do not think anyone can ever change my mind that I truly cannot fathom how you have to confess to another human like you are forced to or otherwise won’t be forgiven when that is not what it says in the bible.

Say what you want but even though I am Catholic it is just something I cannot agree on, you may call me non Catholic but I still say that is Church power wanting control over people to confess to them as if they are the higher power and you are they are sinless.
Sorry but we all know that some priest are even worst then the average sinner which is quite shocking to find out sometimes when you turn the TV on.

As a Catholic it does not seem right for me to tell someone else who wants to be saved that they HAVE to confess to a priest just because the CHURCH tells them they have to (behind the scenes that same priest is molesting children). As a Catholic I sometimes feel that the Church is beginning to have too much control that was not intended by Jesus/God.

After all if all of you really believe in revelations and the end of days then you would have to believe that people are going to become corrupt right? Do not think the churches cannot become corrupt with power and do bad things as well. If you believe in the bible then you HAVE to believe in revelations and the end times. Therefor you know as well as I know the world has to get worst not better and that INCLUDES even churches becoming slightly corrupt in some way. Please do not say a church cannot become filled with sinners because obviously preist are bad examples of your point.

My point is this. As a Catholic why do I feel that Church has way more power and control then the bible, Jesus/God does? Growing up as a Catholic the Church was almost like the god, even though you pray to Jesus/God it was like the Church was your god undercover, please don’t get upset I am just saying what it really feels like. It feels like the Church just tells you what to do no matter if its not in the bible and you are expected to listen to it other wise you are not a true Catholic for not doing it even if you think it conflicts with the bible or doesn’t have anything to do with the word of God/Jesus.

As a Catholic I just feel like sometimes the churches are going a bit overboard am I the only one who feels like this? I feel like instead of building a relation ship with god, talking to god ect that the church is more focused on you building a relation ship with them and talking to them over your own relationship with god. It is suppose to be Jesus/God first but too often it feels like the church is the god and they want you to almost worship them and follow their commands no matter what it is.

For those of you who say you HAVE to confess to a Priest can you please do this.
#1 - Show me in the bible where it says IF YOU DON’T confess to a priest you will not be forgiven or saved and #2 For those people who confessed to a molester priest that means you lie when you said the priest are next to god because obviously a child molester isn’t and based on that is why I say you should confess DIRECTLY to god because God/Jesus is SINLESS INFINITELY.

 

[BernadetteM]

Not something a typical Catholic would write. Too many “I am Catholic” and using the word “saved” is not a word Catholics use in the sense it was used.

If I am wrong please forgive me. The OP really needs to learn what the Catholic Church teaches and what the Bible teaches regarding “being saved” and confession.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[DavidFilmer]

All priests (like everyone else) are sinners. The Grace of absolution, however, does not come from the priest, but from Jesus.

The Holy Spirit can act through anybody.

 

[Cromwell4]

Matt. 20

“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” 20Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

I think this answers your question. RCs believe in the direct Apostolic Succession which gives this power to priests irrespective of whether he is a good/bad human being.
Confession of Sins, Absolution & Repentance/Reparation are necessary for Salvation.
Really not sure why you are so angry…maybe you need to confess it?

 

[ahs]

I am Catholic and the way I put it is I have Catholic faith but I tend to not believe some of the CHURCH beliefs because to me some of them feel to me…

Maybe that is the main issue, rather than the issue of confession to a Priest? You are trying to view things in terms of whether they seem right to YOU. In this way, you set yourself up, if even unintentionally, as your own authority…your own arbiter of truth.

My point is why should I confess to a possible Presit who behind the scenes could be molesting children?

Because being a sinner does not undo the sacrament that Christ established. Christ used sinners of all walks of life to build His Church upon and to spread the Gospel, and to shepherd His flock. Why would I trust my wife, in surgery for example, to a reknownded doctor who does any manner of horrible things behind the scenes when he’s not engaged in his role as “doctor”? Why would I obey a police officer telling me not to run stop signs who grows illegal pot in his free time? Why would a 1st century Jew listen to the Apostles, who were all sinners liek you and me, preach the Gospel?

The short answer to your question is: because that’s the way God set it up.

[**

• Confession to a Priest, or going straight to God Alone?

** (Confession to a Priest, or going straight to God Alone?)

I do not think anyone can ever change my mind that I truly cannot fathom how you have to confess to another human like **you are forced to or otherwise won’t be forgiven **when that is not what it says in the bible.

That’s not Catholic teaching. Can you please explain why you believe this is a Catholic doctrine or provide the pertinent Catholic teaching from an authentic Catholic source that makes you believe this?

As a Catholic I just feel like sometimes the churches are going a bit overboard am I the only one who feels like this? I feel like instead of building a relation ship with god, talking to god ect that the church is more focused on you building a relation ship with them and talking to them over your own relationship with god. It is suppose to be Jesus/God first but too often it feels like the church is the god and they want you to almost worship them and follow their commands no matter what it is.

The Church teaches explicitly the importance of a personal relationship with our Savior. Sadly, not everyone does this, and this is not a problem unique to Catholics. As for the Church, so you suppose that we can have a truly personal relationship with God while simultaneously sidelining His Body, the Church? Can we truly say we love ALL of Christ while ignoring the authoritative Church which He established?

 

[ahs]

In addition to Scripture commanding us to confess our sins to one another (despite our sinful natures which we all have), there is also the historical witness of the Church.

From THIS “Part 5 of 6” of a refutaion of Boettner’s infamous “List”:

28. Auricular confession of sins to a priest instead of to God, instituted by pope Innocent III, in Lateran Council…1215. [sic]

Cyprian of Carthage, in The Lapsed (251 AD) speaks of penitents “making confession of their crime”, and of “having their conscience purged in the ceremony and at the hand of the priest” [57]. Likewise, Ambrose, in Penance (387-390 AD) writes “Christ granted [the power of penance] to the Apostles and from the Apostles it has been transmitted to the office of priests” [58]. From this, it can be seen that Innocent III certainly did not “institute” the practice of auricular confession to a priest; in fact, it existed 964 years before Boettner’s claim.
[57] Jurgens, Vol. 1, pg 218.
[58] Catholic Encyclopedia, Vil. 11, “Penance”, pg 620.

[See also Jn 20:21-23, “Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Knowing which sins to forgive or retain necessarily implies hearing the sin. And James 5:16 actually say we are to confess our sins to one another: “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” If we assign a random date of 60AD to the time these books were actually written, Boettner is 1,155 years off the mark.] (Wayne A. Ariss, presented by a blogger in the link provided, non-bracketed text is Ariss’)

 

[Church_Militant]

I am Catholic and the way I put it is I have Catholic faith but I tend to not believe some of the CHURCH beliefs because to me some of them feel to me as if though the Church can make up their own rules and powers and put control on you reguardless if they have the right bible or not that is beyond my point.

Then I suggest that you take the time to look into who and what the church is and why because it is what Our Blessed Lord established it to be and has the history and scholarship to teach us accurately. If you disagree then you need to research those teachings and see if what you disagree with is actually an authentic teaching or just some stuff you have heard or thought on your own in error.

My point is why should I confess to a possible Presit who behind the scenes could be molesting children? No I am not being disrespectful hear me out. First off all I never once as a Catholic felt as though I have to confess my sins to a human to be saved… that seriously does not feel right in my heart nor from the bible I read from so far, I cannot image that I am forced to only be saved by a confessing to another human who is not sinless like Jesus/God.
In fact I am pretty sure even all Catholics know it says in the bible you can confess to Jesus/God and I am pretty sure that is the right way to do it.

Where does the Bible or Church teaching mandate that a priest be sinless? You can’t offer such a belief as authentic since no such thing exists, so it becomes a straw man argument.

There are no such “tons of priests” as you state. The fact is that very few priests were/are involved in such sinful behavior, so sweating the state of a priest’s soul is pretty useless just as me sweating the state of yours would be. See my point?

Am I wrong? I do not think anyone can ever change my mind that I truly cannot fathom how you have to confess to another human like you are forced to or otherwise won’t be forgiven when that is not what it says in the bible

So now you wish to use the same argument that many n-Cs/a-Cs try to use? The fact is that the Bible is very very reason that we do confession the way we do. See the following two articles from my blog that will help make my point.

• Catholic Confession
• Scriptures About Penance

I will add one of the best responses I have ever read to your question from John Martignoni’s 2-Minute Apologetics

Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest, rather than going directly to God?

Well, the quick answer is because that’s the way God wants us to do it. In James 5:16, God, through Sacred Scripture, commands us to “confess our sins to one another.” Notice, Scripture does not say confess your sins straight to God and only to God…it says confess your sins to one another.

In Matthew, chapter 9, verse 6, Jesus tells us that He was given authority on earth to forgive sins. And then Scripture proceeds to tell us, in verse 8, that this authority was given to “men”…plural.

In John 20, verses 21-23, what is the 1st thing Jesus says to the gathered disciples on the night of His resurrection? “Jesus said to them, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’” How did the Father send Jesus? Well, we just saw in Mt 9 that the Father sent Jesus with the authority on earth to forgive sins. Now, Jesus sends out His disciples as the Father has sent Him…so, what authority must Jesus be sending His disciples out with? The authority on earth to forgive sins. And, just in case they didn’t get it, verses 22-23 say this, “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”

Why would Jesus give the Apostles the power to forgive or to retain sins if He wasn’t expecting folks to confess their sins to them? And how could they forgive or retain sins if no one was confessing their sins to them?

The Bible tells us to confess our sins to one another. It also tells us that God gave men the authority on Earth to forgive sins. Jesus sends out His disciples with the authority on earth to forgive sins. When Catholics confess our sins to a priest, we are simply following the plan laid down by Jesus Christ. He forgives sins through the priest…it is God’s power, but He exercises that power through the ministry of the priest.

(Cont’d)

 

[Church_Militant]

Say what you want but even though I am Catholic it is just something I cannot agree on, you may call me non Catholic but I still say that is Church power wanting control over people to confess to them as if they are the higher power and you are they are sinless.

So you are saying that you are not interested in facts but just want to run down our vast majority of good and holy priests and have already rushed to judgement on them all as well as the church’s teachings?

Sorry but we all know that some

priest are even worst then the average sinner which is quite shocking to find out sometimes when you turn the TV on.So you are willing to toss out the whole priesthood, a sacrament established by Christ Himself, because of what “some” individuals have done? Then I suggest that you abandon the Catholic faith…in fact I suggest that you abandon all faiths and religions overall since all have sinners within them and endless citations can be made to prove that point. (See sex abuse protestant - Google Search)

Yet the church is a hospital for sinners (Thanks be to God!) and not a hotel or museum for “saints” and always has been.

As a Catholic it does not seem right for me to tell someone else who wants to be saved that they HAVE to confess to a priest just because the CHURCH tells them they have to… As a Catholic I sometimes feel that the Church is beginning to have too much control that was not intended by Jesus/God.

You need not tell anybody anything at all. (And in your state I would never venture to do so because you seem unwilling to listen and have made up your mind to deny parts of the Catholic faith that you don’t seem to have a clue about. Further, you seem to wish to indict the church as power tripping when in fact anyone who objectively looks at their local priests will find very good and holy men who give good example of the faith and minister God’s love and forgiveness with deep humility and great kindness. That has been my experience without fail within the church. When was the last time to went to confession or even Mass? It doesn’t sound like you are much of an active Catholic since you harbor this a doubt and accusation against the church and wrongly accuse her of seeking power over us.

After all if all of you really believe in revelations and the end of days then you would have to believe that people are going to become corrupt right? Do not think the churches cannot become corrupt with power and do bad things as well. If you believe in the bible then you HAVE to believe in revelations and the end times. Therefor you know as well as I know the world has to get worst not better and that INCLUDES even churches becoming slightly corrupt in some way. Please do not say a church cannot become filled with sinners because obviously preist are bad examples of your point.

So now you appeal to semi protestant end times teachings? Are you sure you’re not a wolf in sheep’s clothing anti-Catholic posing as one of us in order to advance your arguments against our faith? We’ve seen that many time around here and it’s grossly dishonest if this is the case.

I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt so far, but you either have faith in what the Bible tells us Christ established and listen to the church or you are all messed up and cast yourself adrift the authentic Biblical teachings that have been Catholic belief for 2,000 years.

Paint all priests with the same wide brush is a fallacy that does great injustice to the vast majority of them who are very good and holy men. I further suppose that you would not go to confession to St. Peter, who straight up told Our Lord, "
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (See Luke 5:8) or St. Thomas who doubted the resurrection and yet when encountering Our risen Lord proclaimed “My Lord and my God!” (See John 20:28 the same chapter in which Our Lord established Confession.)

My point is this. As a Catholic why do I feel that Church has way more power and control then the bible, Jesus/God does?

Because that’s the way Christ intended it. Find me a single Bible passage where the Bible lays claim to being the final authority for all we believe. You cannot because none exists, but Paul tells Timothy that the pillar and ground of the truth is the church in 1st Timothy 3:15, so if your appeal is to the Word of God then you have to accept what it says and not what you or others might think or want or wish it did.
(Cont’d)

 

[Church_Militant]

Growing up as a Catholic the Church was almost like the god, even though you pray to Jesus/God it was like the Church was your god undercover, please don’t get upset I am just saying what it really feels like. It feels like the Church just tells you what to do no matter if its not in the bible and you are expected to listen to it other wise you are not a true Catholic for not doing it even if you think it conflicts with the bible or doesn’t have anything to do with the word of God/Jesus.

This is nothing more than your own ill-informed thinking and not based on anything more.

As a Catholic I just feel like sometimes the churches are going a bit overboard am I the only one who feels like this?

Around here you are…

For those of you who say you HAVE to confess to a Priest can you please do this.
#1 - Show me in the bible where it says IF YOU DON’T confess to a priest you will not be forgiven or saved

Already done…

I’m not even gonna honor your last part with a response as it is so completely out of context of all reality and justice as well as (I suspect) an anti-Catholic rant.

If you are Catholic…you need to do your own homework and then get to confession and settle down…if you are not…shame on you for lying and asserting yourself to be one of us when in fact you sought to use this forum (our online home…) as a bully pulpit for your attack.

 

[Michael_Francis]

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