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Comment by sfotm | Hacker News Reader

I was raised in the Catholic church, and I don't think your take on confession is quite right. The process of confession isn't "sit in this booth and walk out scot-free on all of your wrongdoings". It's meant to be an assisted meditation on what you can do better in your life, and how to do so. The act of confession doesn't help you if it's not done in good faith, and a penance for murder might be a confession to the community.

Think of it as a precursor to modern-day psychotherapy, if that helps. Admittedly, some modern day implementations of confession feel a bit like the spiritual equivalent of a drive through, nor are all priests equally capable of helping.

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I'm a practicing Roman Catholic and the process is very nearly "sit in this booth and walk out scot-free on all of your wrongdoings," with a few caveats:

1. You actually have to confess your sins; intentional omission of a mortal sin invalidates the absolution.

2. You must express repentance for your sins (that is a firm intention to not continue sinning); confessing a sin that you fully intend to go out and continue doing invalidates the absolution.

3. You must perform penance for the sins; in modern day penance is usually private, I don't think this is a strict requirement. Note that a public penance does not reveal the specific sin; something like "walk back and forth down Main Street 10 times while carrying a cross" would be a public penance. It may include restitution towards those harmed as well (most commonly returning stolen items) but said restitution may always be anonymous as a priest may not require divulging of the sin outside the confessional as a condition of absolution (though they may suggest it; e.g. they will almost always suggest that addicts seek treatment).

> I was raised in the Catholic church, and I don’t think your take on confession is quite right.

The Protestant churches (the upthread poster said he was raised in some unspecified branch of protestantism) that hold out a role for confession tend to treat it rather differently than Catholics do the Sacrament of Reconciliation. (And, even within the Catholic Church, what reconciliation feels like can vary a lot between different priests administering the sacrament, irrespective of the [at least theoretical] theological consistency within the Catholic Church.)

As far as I know, confession is a route for absolution of “sins”. And for some reason this is a power Christian churches give themselves. If it doesn’t result in a form of leverage (moral or otherwise) over it’s practitioners, I’d be surprised. Even more so for children who have yet to establish their own view of the world.

Forgiveness is from God, but can be through a priest, as long as you are contrite. The Church as a body of Christians obviously benefits from contrite brothers and sisters attempting (and yes often failing miserably, but at least attempting) to live in peaceful communion.

Though in many catholic communities the level of contrition is perhaps unhealthy. I joke that:

- A Christian Fundamentalist believes that only those who believe a very specific set of things is saved

- A Christian Universalist believes that all are saved

- A Catholic Christian believes that everyone except him/herself is saved

Why do you believe that claim? What evidence do you have that it is true?

> And for some reason this is a power Christian churches give themselves.

Mostly, Mt. 16:15-19.

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/16

>And for some reason this is a power Christian churches give themselves.

Not all churches give themselves this power. I'm Baptist, and we confess to God.

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