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Absolution

  • 13-02-2005 3:29pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,999 ✭✭✭


    I'm curious to hear peoples opinions on the above. Is it a neccessary part of your faith and if so why. (might be a blinding obvious answer but I will respect each opinion)
    I do have a good reason for asking, but I would just like to hear what others think first.
    Do you go to confession regularly?


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 58 ✭✭pooka


    solas wrote:
    Do you go to confession regularly?
    In the Reformed traditions, there tends to be no specific sacrament of confession: as far as I know, none mandate confession to a priest or minister.

    However, James writes
    James 5:16 wrote:
    Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

    Therefore confessing one's sins is encouraged, even within the Reformed traditions, but there is no doctrine specifying who to. However, the vulnerability of admitting weakness can be a very difficult thing to overcome even with someone you know and trust; I think the protection afforded to worshippers in the RC church by the sacrament of confession is beneficial in this respect.

    The Reformed churches would insist, though, that the only intercessor required by a believer for absolution from his or her sins is Christ himself. The idea of doing penance for sin can be seen as a suggestion that Christ's death was not enough to cover all sin; therefore the Reformed churches insist that the only thing required for forgiveness is repentance before Christ. Perhaps this does not sufficiently take into account the need of ordinary human beings to work through very real (if unwarranted) feelings of guilt by some form of penance; I'm not sure.

    Hm, rambling a bit in my attempt to be more than one-sided. Please forgive any muddying of the waters there. :o)

    Cian


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,999 ✭✭✭solas


    Hm, rambling a bit in my attempt to be more than one-sided. Please forgive any muddying of the waters there.
    not at all, it's the perfect angle.
    The idea of doing penance for sin can be seen as a suggestion that Christ's death was not enough to cover all sin; therefore the Reformed churches insist that the only thing required for forgiveness is repentance before Christ.
    I can go with this.
    Perhaps this does not sufficiently take into account the need of ordinary human beings to work through very real (if unwarranted) feelings of guilt by some form of penance; I'm not sure.
    I think it's this bit thats questionable. I think most people do "penance" before seeking forgiveness, don't know if that makes sense tho.
    "one is punished by ones sins and not for them"?

    Don't know am I making this more confused? :o


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 58 ✭✭pooka


    solas wrote:
    I think most people do "penance" before seeking forgiveness, don't know if that makes sense tho. "one is punished by ones sins and not for them"? Don't know am I making this more confused? :o
    Well, I was really just throwing that out there, it wasn't very well thought out. The relationship between penance, repentance and forgiveness has taken up a lot of dead tree matter in the past, I think. I'm insufficiently well-informed to take a stab at a theology of forgiveness here. :o)

    Anyhow, what were you interested in bringing up?

    Cian


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,999 ✭✭✭solas


    when I figure out how to put it into words I'll bring it up, but it has a lot to do with new age spiritual (philosophical) thinking that there is no right or wrong, these things are a result of perception.
    We seem to have ridded ourselves of the idea of "sin" because we associate it with "wrong" and that both these things are relative terms or products of perspective, any guilt we feel is a result of catholic indoctrination, which we have worked hard at releasing ourselves.
    By modern standards, everything is justifiable, and therefore needs no forgiveness.

    make sense?

    not saying I agree with it, its just what I seem to be observing.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 36 mmcgaley


    God's forgiveness is all-encompassing. It is not necessary to receive absolution from any human representative in order to receive that forgiveness. However, sometimes it can be very helpful to be reassured of that forgiveness by another believer. It can help us to let go of the sin, and to really believe in the forgiveness.

    m


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