Litiquette

[Miasorrow]

Admitting to oneself one has wronged someone and trying to make it up is the first step to achieve a liberating feeling (or state). Confession can add. Just Confession and saying a number of prayers to obtain absolution -as was done until not so many years ago (in many places still is the only penance)- is quite hollow I think.

There is no need to confess so called 'little' sins like being snappy or cursing anyway; these are forgiven if one repents during mass, before one accepts the host.
Only adultery, killings, murder and such need a confession, and a penance before one is "freed of the sin" by absolution.

Object of confession isn't telling ones sins to a priest, but to be free of sins. Which one wouldn't be if one wouldn't pay ones debts to society as a whole. Means: many priests nowadays would want one to confess to ones partner if one jumped the marital fence for sex before they would speak the words which would free one from the sin.

I think its all about guilt. I am a Christian and i should have but have never confessed till now. I was thinking about it many times but was not sure what to confess..I am not a saint but it all felt awkward to be honest. Many who have, claim that the feeling of guilt limits itself after you confess, and its not the same to just admit it to yourself. I believe you first need to humiliate yourself , to achieve the desired liberation.

 

[ChainedUp]

I think its all about guilt. I am a Christian and i should have but have never confessed till now. I was thinking about it many times but was not sure what to confess..I am not a saint but it all felt awkward to be honest. Many who have, claim that the feeling of guilt limits itself after you confess, and its not the same to just admit it to yourself. I believe you first need to humiliate yourself , to achieve the desired liberation.

I'll weigh in from a non-Catholic but Christian point of view. I think there may be value in confessing but it depends on how/who you do it and if the confession is just a transfer of emotion from you to another.

Meaning if you confess to a stranger, isn't it really the same as confessing to an inanimate object? As was previously stated what good is just going through the motions if it means nothing in reality.

But let's say you cheated on your spouse 5yrs ago, it was a one-time thing and you learned that those things aren't for you. But the guilt of it is a burden. If you confess to your spouse, you may feel better but they won't. All you've done is transfer your emotion to them.

I look at guilt as the price of having wronged someone. The length of that suffering is proportional to the significance of the act. And why shouldn't you carry that burden if you've committed a serious wrong?

 

[NotHisLady]

My Baptist is still showing.

When I 'confess' I do it in the privacy of prayer. It's something between me and the Lord. There is no need for a human intermediary. He has already sent an intermediary among us.
Offering up repentance, thanks, or simply asking for His blessing is a personal thing.

 

[ChainedUp]

My Baptist is still showing.

When I 'confess' I do it in the privacy of prayer. It's something between me and the Lord. There is no need for a human intermediary. He has already sent an intermediary among us.
Offering up repentance, thanks, or simply asking for His blessing is a personal thing.

Then in some ways, you wouldn't need to confess on prayer to specific acts as your God is aware of your sins. Your confess is your admission of what your God already knows. If you know you have sinned and ask for forgiveness of sins, is that not the same as listening them individually?

 

[NotHisLady]

Then in some ways, you wouldn't need to confess on prayer to specific acts as your God is aware of your sins. Your confess is your admission of what your God already knows. If you know you have sinned and ask for forgiveness of sins, is that not the same as listening them individually?

It's my acknowledgement of them, my taking responsibility.
I repent and ask forgiveness.
Yes he knows what we all do but to seek forgiveness is the difference.
It is much the same except there is no priest or other person to convey my message for me.

 

[ChainedUp]

I enjoy when this thread takes in it's own life driven by the topics the posters want to discuss and not just things I throw out. Thank you all for the great discussion. And please know that poster topics are highly encouraged

 

[stickygirl]

I enjoy when this thread takes in it's own life

http://youtu.be/xos2MnVxe-c

Enjoyed reading the religious stuff but was too busy to join in

 

[Miasorrow]

poster topic !

This song comes in mind..

And for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself

 

[dutchrain]

It's my acknowledgement of them, my taking responsibility.
I repent and ask forgiveness.
Yes he knows what we all do but to seek forgiveness is the difference.
It is much the same except there is no priest or other person to convey my message for me.

Like you said, Lady, God knows what we did. But we need to know what we did also.

Confessing is always about your own responsibility. You have to be aware of your sins (lets keep this word, but it would better to say: were you went wrong or wronged someone else) and why it were (are) sins, you have to regret them, otherwise a confession is senseless.

A priest isn't as much as an intermediary but more like God's long arm in this sense. Confessing to a priest is confessing to God.

Personally I don't believe one has to humiliate oneself (like Mia believes) to God or a priest to ask forgiveness. Only a proud, self aware human is able to ask forgiveness. If one gets forgiveness it may lessen the guilt one feels, but taking away the guilt isn't the object of confessing. The object of confessing is to make up and be free again.

This may seem to clash, but: one should feel regret over what one did after confession. Regret and guilt are very connected emotions. One still is guilty of what one did, but has God's grace, God's forgiveness.

Confession was once a very strong thing. It got watered down to a cleansing ritual over the ages because many (illiterate) priests couldn't grasp the meaning of it.

A sin is something that makes a person less of a human. Not only because one hurt other people, but because one hurt oneself in the process also. By committing a sin one puts oneself outside the community (with fellow humans and with God). Confessing (making up, regretting, being aware of what one did) puts one back into it.

Confessing is for the big things, not for white lies (not long ago one had to confess these too) cursing or eating too much chocolate.

 

[LusterMunky]

Like you said, Lady, God knows what we did. But we need to know what we did also.

Confessing is always about your own responsibility. You have to be aware of your sins (lets keep this word, but it would better to say: were you went wrong or wronged someone else) and why it were (are) sins, you have to regret them, otherwise a confession is senseless.

A priest isn't as much as an intermediary but more like God's long arm in this sense. Confessing to a priest is confessing to God.

Personally I don't believe one has to humiliate oneself (like Mia believes) to God or a priest to ask forgiveness. Only a proud, self aware human is able to ask forgiveness. If one gets forgiveness it may lessen the guilt one feels, but taking away the guilt isn't the object of confessing. The object of confessing is to make up and be free again.

This may seem to clash, but: one should feel regret over what one did after confession. Regret and guilt are very connected emotions. One still is guilty of what one did, but has God's grace, God's forgiveness.

Confession was once a very strong thing. It got watered down to a cleansing ritual over the ages because many (illiterate) priests couldn't grasp the meaning of it.

A sin is something that makes a person less of a human. Not only because one hurt other people, but because one hurt oneself in the process also. By committing a sin one puts oneself outside the community (with fellow humans and with God). Confessing (making up, regretting, being aware of what one did) puts one back into it.

Confessing is for the big things, not for white lies (not long ago one had to confess these too) cursing or eating too much chocolate.

Dutchy, darling, I wish someone other than you had posted this (now I will have guilt ). Guilt is the currency of religion.

 

[Miasorrow]

Like you said, Lady, God knows what we did. But we need to know what we did also.

Confessing is always about your own responsibility. You have to be aware of your sins (lets keep this word, but it would better to say: were you went wrong or wronged someone else) and why it were (are) sins, you have to regret them, otherwise a confession is senseless.

A priest isn't as much as an intermediary but more like God's long arm in this sense. Confessing to a priest is confessing to God.

Personally I don't believe one has to humiliate oneself (like Mia believes) to God or a priest to ask forgiveness. Only a proud, self aware human is able to ask forgiveness. If one gets forgiveness it may lessen the guilt one feels, but taking away the guilt isn't the object of confessing. The object of confessing is to make up and be free again.

This may seem to clash, but: one should feel regret over what one did after confession. Regret and guilt are very connected emotions. One still is guilty of what one did, but has God's grace, God's forgiveness.

Confession was once a very strong thing. It got watered down to a cleansing ritual over the ages because many (illiterate) priests couldn't grasp the meaning of it.

A sin is something that makes a person less of a human. Not only because one hurt other people, but because one hurt oneself in the process also. By committing a sin one puts oneself outside the community (with fellow humans and with God). Confessing (making up, regretting, being aware of what one did) puts one back into it.

Confessing is for the big things, not for white lies (not long ago one had to confess these too) cursing or eating too much chocolate.

Yes, I agree with you. About the humiliation i mentioned in my post. I was referring to the virtue of humility and penance, the modesty.
What better and more genuine act of humility is there than the sincere confession of sins committed? Is it not the remedy of the vice of pride, the root of all sins?

 

[NotHisLady]

"go forth and sin no more"

We must know our sin, repent and make amends--our sin hurts ourselves but also lessens us in the sight of God. It is also necessary to not repeat that sin and keep asking forgiveness over and over. We must see where we faltered and find strength not to do so again.

 

[stickygirl]

Until religions, Christianity and Islam in particular, rid themselves of their hierarchy that seeks to control people through their guilt, I have no time for them. I was brought up in a Christian school, sang in the choir so I am not blind to the comfort it can offer people by providing a framework for the spirit to be become understandable, but every century, that spirit is hijacked by men with a political agenda.
Guilt is not unique to people or Christians - animals feel guilt - it is an instinct acquired by social groups for its betterment.
I am a spiritual person but perhaps I am a humanist as well and if someone bears guilt for an action, it seems to me the right person to speak to , to confess to, is the person you have wronged. Only then can people truly forgive and truly be honest with each other. Confessing to a god or a priest is evading the truth and putting a sticking-plaster ( band aid ) over deception.

I'm really sorry if I upset people by saying that - I never intend harm and would never actively criticise another person's beliefs but... since we are discussing it here, that's my halfpennies' worth.

 

[LusterMunky]

Until religions, Christianity and Islam in particular, rid themselves of their hierarchy that seeks to control people through their guilt, I have no time for them.

Bingo.

 

[Miasorrow]

Dutchy, darling, I wish someone other than you had posted this (now I will have guilt ). Guilt is the currency of religion.

Well said.
I must shut up now before i start sounding like my grandmother..

 

[LusterMunky]

Well said.
I must shut up now before i start sounding like my grandmother..

Hah! Chained prolly didn't anticipate this thread devolving into a discussion about religion. Nobody wins. Let's talk boobies.

 

[Thandi]

Hah! Chained prolly didn't anticipate this thread devolving into a discussion about religion. Nobody wins. Let's talk boobies.

Did someone say boobies?

Interesting read!

 

[ChainedUp]

If one soul was saved, it was worth it

 

[Miasorrow]

If one soul was saved, it was worth it

I think i have just opened the Pandora's Box...
*walking out silently*

 

[LusterMunky]

If one soul was saved, it was worth it

Perfect answer.

 

[NotHisLady]

Until religions, Christianity and Islam in particular, rid themselves of their hierarchy that seeks to control people through their guilt, I have no time for them. I was brought up in a Christian school, sang in the choir so I am not blind to the comfort it can offer people by providing a framework for the spirit to be become understandable, but every century, that spirit is hijacked by men with a political agenda.
Guilt is not unique to people or Christians - animals feel guilt - it is an instinct acquired by social groups for its betterment.
I am a spiritual person but perhaps I am a humanist as well and if someone bears guilt for an action, it seems to me the right person to speak to , to confess to, is the person you have wronged. Only then can people truly forgive and truly be honest with each other. Confessing to a god or a priest is evading the truth and putting a sticking-plaster ( band aid ) over deception.

I'm really sorry if I upset people by saying that - I never intend harm and would never actively criticise another person's beliefs but... since we are discussing it here, that's my halfpennies' worth.

I agree with you more than you realize.
For me there is a clear line between faith and religion.
Ghandi said "Each one prays to God according to his own light."
There are people who spend every Sunday in church and the rest of the week forget all about it. Isn't it better to live each day hearing that still small voice and doing right?
Where the choice is between Church and Faith I choose Faith.

 

[stickygirl]

Bingo.

Ummm well no, not bingo. Spirit is an intensely personal thing and I try hard not cause offense by point scoring over something so emotive. We each have our own beliefs and we must respect each others' beliefs as much as we respect anything else in our lives.

 

[stickygirl]

I agree with you more than you realize.

Where the choice is between Church and Faith I choose Faith.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcgz1rFwCy1qjym10o1_500.gif

 

[Jaime_H]

https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcgz1rFwCy1qjym10o1_500.gif

LOL Brilliant gif!

 

[LusterMunky]

I agree with you more than you realize.
For me there is a clear line between faith and religion.
Ghandi said "Each one prays to God according to his own light."
There are people who spend every Sunday in church and the rest of the week forget all about it. Isn't it better to live each day hearing that still small voice and doing right?
Where the choice is between Church and Faith I choose Faith.

Oh gawd, I guess we're going down this road. Sowwy Chained. NHL I don't disagree with you, except that "small voice" you speak of is our inherent humanity and sense of right and wrong. The "faith" you speak of is the ultimate scam. Faith means having faith in faith, the grandest (and most successful) circular logic ever.