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It is based on one verse, John 20: 23 Jesus says, If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them: if you retain the sins of any they are retained.
Many Catholics take this verse alone as the ultimate truth (much like taking Peter as the name of their first pope and building a church on the idea.) Many of the Catholic doctrines, that is those having anything Biblical about them, come from one or two verses ripped out of context. The problem with doing this, is not looking at the time. There are different stages to the development of the Christian Church, from the gospels to Acts was the period of transition from the Old to the New Testament. Jesus was sent to us in the form of man to fulfill prophecy, prepare us for His Kingdom, and eventually bring His Kingdom. The Disciple's ability to forgive and retain sins was a tool for them to spread His good news across the world. Never does The Bible talk about a priesthood being passed down along with this gift. They were instructed to wait for the fulfillment of their gift, The Holy Spirit. At that time the Spirit came by laying on of hands, as it was the first time God sent His Spirit. Today, when we call on Jesus as our savior with a humbled, and repentant heart, we receive the ultimate gift, God's Holy Spirit is sent to mark and guide us for an eternity with our loving Father, all through Jesus Christ. Amen!
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agofrom the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to 'God and to the communion of the church in order to make a new future possible.
1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.
When Christ's faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, "for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know."
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Do Catholics confess their sins to a priest?
Yes, but technically, we confess our sins to God through the priest.
Are catholics the only ones that confess their sins?
No, christians also confess their sins to the one and only true god, the god of Abraham and Jacob. Hope you enjoy ;-)
Why do Catholics have to confess their sins to a priest?
Catholics must confess their sins to a priest as this is the only normal way in which Our Blessed Savior left for people to have their sins forgiven. Less serious sins (venial sins) may be forgiven with a good Act of Contrition and Holy Communion. Serious sins (mortal sins) may only be forgiven at Confession. Besides the Church requires that all adult Catholics must go to confession at least once a year, even if they have not committed any mortal sins. Any good Catholic who is sincerely trying to fall Christ and become perfect (Matthew 5:48) should be going to regular confession, weekly or at the least, every other week.
What is it called when you admit your sins to a priest?
When you admit your sins to a priest it is called a confession. Some say it is better to confess your sins to a higher power so that it is only between you and them.
What rite helps us to confess our sorrow for any wrongdoing?
The Pentitential Rite at the beginning of Mass is when we confess our sins and are absolved by the priest's blessing of venial (less serious) sins. Mortal (serious) sins must still be confessed in the sacrament of Penance (Confession).
Who do you need to tell your sins to in a Roman Catholic ritual of confession?
In the Roman Catholic sacrament of confession, you confess your sins to a priest.
Why do Catholics confess to a a priest when the Bible says only God can forgive you?
The reason Catholics confess to a priest is because they claim that the priest is simply relaying what you said to God. But, even this statement is contradicting the Bible. 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; There is only one "middle-man" between you and God, and that is the man Christ Jesus. So unless we put Catholicism in authority over what the Bible actually says, the Catholics are 100% wrong in the case of confessing their sins to a priest.
Why do you have to Catholics confess their sins?
just cuz. idk y. but that's just part of being a catholic.
Why do Catholics confess to priests?
Because he is the only one who has the power from God to give us absolution for our sins.
If you are Muslim do you have to confess your sins?
Muslims confess their sins to God, but not to any person. This differs from some Christian faiths (e.g. Catholic) in which confessions are made to a priest. Most Christian protestant faiths do not include confessions of sins in their practices.
Do christians have to go to church to confess?
No. That is a purely Catholic belief. Catholics believe that you must go through the priest to confess your sins because we are still separated from God. Christians, on the other hand, believe that Jesus paid the price and therefore can have a full and wonderful relationship with God. This involves confessing sins to God, not through the church, but as a result of procation of the Holy Spirit.
Why is it important to confess your sins to a priest?
One does not confess sins to a priest but through a priest. The priest acts as Christ's agent and you are actually confessing to Christ himself. When Jesus said to his disciples "who's sins you shall forgive they are forgiven, who's sins you shall retain they are retained" he instituted the sacrament of reconciliation (confession), the authority to do this has been passed down through the apostolic Catholic priesthood for 2,000 years to the present day. By not confessing through a priest you will not be receiving sanctifying grace from God..Catholic AnswerIt is important to confess your sins to a priest in the sacrament of confession because this is how God set it up for you to be absolved from your sins and to receive sanctifying grace in order to sin no more. In other words, we do it because God told us to.
