why is it there are those who believe it is ok to behave as they wish.....receive absolution and then do exactly the same thing again. My belief was that every effort should be made not to re offend.
2006-10-28 08:05:35 · 24 answers · asked by eagledreams 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You are most correct in your belief. We are to repent of our sins, ask forgiveness, and make a firm committment to avoid such sin in the future. That said, we are human beings and tend to fall far short at times, but it should never be with the attitude that we can sin all we want, whenever we want since we can always go to confession. The goal is to strive for sainthood and be leading others to Jesus Christ by our example of how we live ourselves. Sad to say, many think like you described above but this is NOT the teaching of our Church.
2006-10-28 08:11:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are correct---every effort should be made not to reoffend.
This gets us into the realm of works. We Catholics believe that we are saved by the grace of God through faith alone. We don't believe that good works will do anything to help us get to heaven. BUT---the Bible says plainly that faith without works is dead! Our works are an indicator of how our faith is! No works--our faith, and therefore our salvation, must be dead. Good works on the other hand are just a sign that our faith is alive and well. No more.
2006-10-28 15:10:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Nobody should live like they want once they have received the forgiveness of Christ. If they do, they have missed the point and will be in trouble on judgment day.
1 Peter 2:16 live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
2006-10-28 15:12:15 · answer #3 · answered by good tree 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If someone is asking God(not the priest)in confession for pardon for his/her sin then how can you say that they are not repentant at that time? We are all human and fall short of God's grace. The only thing we can do is to keep trying to avoid sin as best we can, but we should never be discouraged from asking God for forgiveness. Stop judging others - if you are so good as not to need forgiving, then thank God.
2006-10-28 15:15:23 · answer #4 · answered by Raymo 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You are correct. To repent means to be truly sorry for your sins and to vow to walk in a more positive direction. Repeat offenders are more steeped in a ritual and do not seem to understand the process. For some, like alcoholics, they require more guidance.
2006-10-28 15:42:03 · answer #5 · answered by Buffy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, the "standard" required for absolution is somewhat lower in the sacrament of reconciliation than it would be for those who attempt to apologize and make amends to God directly.
This is due to the grace inherent in the sacrament, and the merit of the church.
Catholics shouldn't take unfair advantage of it.
One of the great benefits of being Catholic is having valid and powerful sacraments available ... benefits which loom large, and become particularly important, when one is near death.
2006-10-28 16:33:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think that if you were properly concerned about your own sins you would not have time to be looking at others. Have a look at Luke 18/9-14.
2006-10-28 16:47:01 · answer #7 · answered by Iain C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is a missunderstanding of Gods grace. if you knew Jesus you would not wont to sin. the idea that you will be forgiven is not a reason to continue in sin. I am sorry but those who reapeatedly do the sam and know it is sin may be catholic but are certainly not christian.
2006-10-29 02:20:47 · answer #8 · answered by Sam's 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good point. The Catholic religion (and I mean no offense) is not biblical Christianity. You take your sins to Christ, not to a priest. In fact, there should be no priests because Christ is our ultimate priest according to the book of Hebrews. Many Catholic doctrines contradict what the Bible says, event though Paul says, "Cursed is anyone who preaches a different gospel than the one that is in the Bible."
2006-10-28 15:09:16 · answer #9 · answered by . 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Many understand sin and redemption in purely legal terms. This is true of almost all Western (Augustinian informed) expresssions of Christianity.
2006-10-28 15:35:14 · answer #10 · answered by davidscottwoodruff 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋