Why do catholics go to confessionals to confess their sins to a priest?

Answer 1

So they can go to heaven I would guess. This idea however is wrong. The Bible clearly states that there is one mediator between God and man and the person is God's Son....Jesus Christ our Lord.

A priest would NEVER be able to bring ALL my sins before God. The priest couldn't REMEMBER all my sins. That is why I pray to Jesus to confess my sins to Him, and Him only.

Answer 2

It's one of our seven sacraments we have available to us.
Confession is the sacrament of penance. The Holy Spirit listens to us, via the priest, who being human can relate to many of our temptations, and gives forgiveness of our sins. we talk about changes to our personality, and make a solemn act of contrition, followed by penance.
We now have a choice of either traditional or face-to-face confessions.
Why do we confess? I brings a sense of relief - like when you tell your mother and/or father the truth. It's an evaluation of our life, (see we go at least monthly, some yearly - before Easter.) So that's 1 to 12 confessions a year.
The actual little rooms were made to insure nosy people didn't listen in, some confessions are very graphic, I bet.
Also provided a way to remain unknown to actually who sinned, or heard your sins. It felt a little like a disembodied voice a few times, when I was young, which might be what the church was looking for. (unknown ?)
Also it looks like you could handle two at a time (just kidding). Some had lights to let people know someone is in there.
That's all I remember and know.
hope it helped a little.

Answer 3

Because it's a scriptural command in I John 1:9 and James 5:16, It's also part of Catholic Scared Tradition that has been handed down since the time of Christ. I like to go to confessions because it's good to get my sins off my chest. Priests take a vow of silence on confession of sins.

Answer 4

Because it's better than confessing to the police! LOL

Seriously though, in the Roman Catholic religion, the priest is the representative of God or Jesus on earth. In this way, the priest is speaking for God or Jesus and is absolving you of your sins as though God or Jesus was doing it. To obtain absolution for the sins confessed, you must do the penance that the priest gives you, i.e., saying prayers, community service, etc., whatever he might give you. Only after this is done is the sin forgiven by God or Jesus.

Answer 5

The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin." When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.

Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.

This sacrament usually takes place in a small room called a confessional. Modern confessionals give the penitent a choice of remaining anonymous behind a screen or talking to the priest face to face.

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

There are a number of reasons:

1. It makes you think about what you are doing wrong and how to go about changing yourself - advice is available if you find that difficult. Actually saying out loud what you have been doing wrong is deeply difficult and a worthwhile spiritual exercise.

2. When you sin you not only offend god, you also make things worse in your community, the church. This is a way of expressing contrition.

3. Catholics believe that Peter and his successors have been given power by Christ to forgive sins, in the same way as Christ did himself. This only works if, in your own heart, you have what is known as "firm purpose of amendment" ie you can't go and get the slate wiped clean with the intention of going out and committing the sins again, expecting to get another free pass next time you go to confession.

Answer 7

They have been told that they will burn in hell if they don't.

The first thing that someone should be considering is whether the idea of sin is actually real.

If God is supposed to be perfect how could She have made anything or anyone that wasn't perfect.
Think about it. The idea of sin assumes certain things about God that seem highly unlikely.

First it assumes a God who is too incompetent to organize a simple educational field excursion and figure out a way to get all of the students home safely.

How likely is this that God would not be smart enough to come up with a plan for our salvation that is going to work?

It also assumes that God must have created us imperfect if we are sinners.

One might assume that God would be able to create someone perfect each and every time if he chose to. Assuming God is capable of this, then it follows logically that we must be perfect creations if we are actually creations of this perfect God.

Unless of course you are saying that God chose to create us imperfect.

If God created us imperfect then anything that may go wrong is Gods fault, not ours. This seems a bit illogical at best so I think that we need to assume that What God creates would have to be perfect.

If this is the case and Gods creations are perfect, then nothing that we can do could change what God created perfect and make it imperfect unless we think that we are more powerful than God is.

How likely is it that we the creation could be more powerful than the creator. I personally find this idea somewhat amusing, and a bit absurd.

Religion tells us that God is perfect. If this is true then it could hardly be logically for Gods creations to be considered to be anything less than perfect.

If this is the case then Nothing that we can ever do could possibly change this perfection that God willed, unless we were so powerful that our choices could override and change the will of God.

How likely is that????

Think about it.

The idea of sin is simple nonsense; a lie made up about God by religion.

Love and blessings
don

Source --- Course in miracles

Answer 8

I have to admit, I've always found the confessionals thing rather strange. I believe much more in direct communication with God. I really don't believe God intended for there to be a 'middle man' between God and His creation. Especially in light of sexual exploitation of children committed by some priests. I'm sure the percentage of priests who commit these acts against children is very low - but, when you really think about it, even ONE pedophile priest is one too many.

Answer 9

According to Catholicism, priests are the middleman between a person and God. A lay person can only reach God through a priest. A major tenet of the Reformation (from which came the first Protestants) was that a person could pray to God directly and didn't necessarily need a priest as an intermediary.

So, if you don't want to go to Hell, you have to have God forgive your sins. You can't ask God directly, so therefore you must confess to a priest, who then relays the message go God and then you're forgiven.

Answer 10

We confess our sins to God. The priest is God's minister of forgiveness. Christ gave this ministry to the apostles. Bishops and priests, as successors to the apostles, have the power to forgive and retain the sins of others as John 20:20-23 teaches.