Catholicism...confession...bullshit. I used to argue about confession with my ex-girlfriend who was a Catholic. I argued that there was no point to confession and it was a blastfemous practice...and it is.

Think about it. Some human is absolving you from sins that he doesn't know whether you are sorry for not or even if you've commited them in the first place. People don't forgive people for God- period.

I reckon the catholic doctrine is all messed up, but I think that coming clean with people is important, and healthy. Our journey is meant to be one experienced in community and shared lives.

Here is a question:

If people go to priests, priests go to bishops, bishops go to cardinals and cardinals to go the pope(Or something like that), who does the pope go to?



Besides, with confession, wouldn't God forgive you if you just felt sorry? I mean, he is all merciful right.....? http://www.totse.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif)



Sorry if this offends anyone or anything, or if it makes anyone think I am against this or any religion. I myself am an agnostic/Catholic, I just find certain aspects of religion to be based more of what society wants more then what the religion truely means.

I find the whole Catholic hierarchy ideology a bit ridiculous personally. I mean, what makes a priest/cardinal/pope so divine that they should be a messenger or middleman between an individual and god?

quote:Originally posted by Gyhth:

Here is a question:

If people go to priests, priests go to bishops, bishops go to cardinals and cardinals to go the pope(Or something like that), who does the pope go to?



Besides, with confession, wouldn't God forgive you if you just felt sorry? I mean, he is all merciful right.....? http://www.totse.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif)



Perhaps more than feeling sorry, recognising that you've done wrong, admitting it and actively trying to live differently.

Plenty of alcoholics feel sorry for their alcoholism and the damage it causes, but it takes a concious recognition of the problem and a focus on a different lifestyle to change.

Just because something doesn't work now doesn't mean that the concept itself is flawed.

Confession is a way to express yourself, to admit to yourself that you have sinned, and that you are sorry. After all, you can think something as much as you like, but when you give voice to it, it gains a finality that you can't get just by thinking about it.

The problem lies not with the system, however, hut with the confesors. If they felt genuinely sorry, and viewed the punishment as a means of absolution, which it is, then iot would work. It all depends on the person.

Saying that the system of consfession doesn't work is like saying that Communism didn't work because Communism is inherently flawed, and not because of the base nature of the people implementing it.

Why do you have to confess to a priest? Why can't you just pray directly to God and confess to him?

I understand the emotional benefit from talking to a person, and receiving advice in return, but I don't understand why it's necessary to do this every week to, as the Catholics claim, cleanse yourself of sin. Just confess directly to God! And if you feel bad about something you did to someone, go talk to the victim, not to a priest in a confession. All the priest can do is set your sheepish mind at ease by saying you are forgiven and then tell you to go say a prayer that you don't even know the meaning of over and over a few times and all will be right. Then go about your sinning for another week, until you come back and cleanse yourself again.

What is the reason of still continuing on this tradition from the middle ages that was meant as another way for The Church to control the people at the time?

^^^precisely. I understand the need to get certain things off of your chest, but the person that listens to your venting isn't able to prescribe forgiveness for your sins. That's just silly.

I think if someone felt that something they did in the past caused someone else or them any suffering, it probably wouldn't be wise to do it again. That's just me. If you really want to confess to a priest, why not confess to a mirror? Be your own priest. Actually try it! Feels quite silly feeling sorry for yourself all the time now doesn't it?

The rest, the grudge against ourselves is just mental attachment to the past.

Meditate! Why not?!

There is definitely an emotional aspect to confession that is mostly good, but only God can forgive sin.

So can anyone get in here and defend confession? Everyone seems to be agreeing that it's not necessary.

When you go to confession you are not asking the priest to forgive you but you are speaking directly to god. Atleast thats the idea. All the priest does is help you along. You dont need to go to a priest to confess your sins. You can do in your living room. To recieve forgivness all you have to do is know that you sinned and ask God to forgive you.