What is the biblical/scriptural evidence for the practice of indulgences?

Question

Come on Father K I know you're out there.....

Answer 1

Indulgences most certainly have NOT been outlawed practices within the catholic church. The thing is, Honey, you're going to get people who tell you that the "principles" were found in the apocrypha....and since we know those books were uninspired by the Holy Spirit....anyway.....Here's a little "nugget from their OWN web site, below Catholic-pages.com . And we ALL know that they still say "mass" for the dead.....for a "small but (un)? reasonable fee".........

Oh, btw...haven't figured it out yet? Ex catholic here.....lol

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To obtain an indulgence, a person must attend confession and communion within 8 days (either side) of the indulgenced act or prayer and pray for the Holy Father's intentions (traditionally one Our Father and one Hail Mary). In addition, to obtain a plenary indulgence, one must be completely detached from one's sins, even venial sins. If one does not have complete detachment, then the indulgence is only partial.

Some examples of plenary indulgences are:

* Praying the Rosary in a Church or Family;
* Praying the Stations of the Cross in a Church;
* Visiting a Parish Church on its feast day;
* Devoutly kissing the cross on Good Friday.

Indulgences can also be applied to the souls in Purgatory. Therefore, if you wish, you may apply a plenary indulgence or partial indulgence you have obtained for the benefit of a soul in purgatory. Obtaining a plenary indulgence for a soul in Purgatory essentially ensures that person's release from Purgatory in Heavenly Glory! What a wonderful act of Christian love! And a guarantee of an intercessor in Heaven!

Needless to say, there is a great need and benefit in the restoration of the importance of the teachings on indulgences in the modern Church!

Answer 2

Indulgences
The word indulgence (Latin indulgentia, from indulgeo, to be kind or tender) originally meant kindness or favor; in post-classic Latin it came to mean the remission of a tax or debt. In Roman law and in the Vulgate of the Old Testament (Isaiah 61:1) it was used to express release from captivity or punishment. In theological language also the word is sometimes employed in its primary sense to signify the kindness and mercy of God. But in the special sense in which it is here considered, an indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment due to sin, the guilt of which has been forgiven. Among the equivalent terms used in antiquity were pax, remissio, donatio, condonatio.

WHAT AN INDULGENCE IS NOT
To facilitate explanation, it may be well to state what an indulgence is not. It is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of future sin; neither could be granted by any power. It is not the forgiveness of the guilt of sin; it supposes that the sin has already been forgiven. It is not an exemption from any law or duty, and much less from the obligation consequent on certain kinds of sin, e.g., restitution; on the contrary, it means a more complete payment of the debt which the sinner owes to God. It does not confer immunity from temptation or remove the possibility of subsequent lapses into sin. Least of all is an indulgence the purchase of a pardon which secures the buyer's salvation or releases the soul of another from Purgatory. The absurdity of such notions must be obvious to any one who forms a correct idea of what the Catholic Church really teaches on this subject.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07783a.htm

Answer 3

There is no scriptural evidence. This is one big issue that troubled the former Catholic priest Martin Luther. He saw it as nothing but a money raising endeavour by Rome. He saw the absurdity to think that as soon as money was dropped in the collection plate a soul sprung free from purgatory. This would imply not only that you can buy your way into heaven but that those with wealth would once again have more sway than the poor. Luther saw the sale of indulgences as in direct contrast with the gospel of grace taught by Jesus and the disciples in the gospels. Rome however saw this as a challenge to Papal authority, and after more interactions they demanded he recant, which he refused, as he saw this as being a betrayal of the gospel. So he was later ex-communicated. Funny as I remember the priest in my church suggesting they should have made Luther a saint.

Answer 4

Selling them?? There is none. Too many abuses took place and the practice was rightly stopped.

As for the actual idea of indulgences and what they are and what they do...that's really out of my realm of expertise, as I do not believe in them.

They are, what the Roman Church calls "extra sacramental" - - and I happen to believe that the Sacraments themselves are plenty efficacious. There was no reason to add in "indulgences".

Yes, it's true....I keep a copy of the Raccolta here on my desk, but that's more of an inside joke for my Traditionalist Roman friends.

;-)

Answer 5

There is none. the practice of indulgences was outlawed by the church a long time ago. It was a way for the rich to sin and still remain in the church. You cannot payoff God in order to sin because God does not tolerate sin. The practice of indulgences made the church very rich. It was marketing the church as a commodity,

Answer 6

None that I know of. And it stopped. Now the govt. is doing about the same in selling carbon indulgences. You use what you want but pay the govt. for it. Just as corrupt as the Church's indulgences.

Answer 7

Please cut & paste this website:
www.newadvent.org/cathen/077830.htm
I had not heard of "indulgences" and was curious. A source of information for me has been "answers.com" which includes a link to wikipedia (sp). What makes it so convenient is the ability to highlight a word, e.g., indulgence and a host of answers appear according to context as well as providing the all-important bibliography/sources.

Answer 8

I always liken indulgences to a box of chocolates.

No use keeping the entire thing to yourself. Share it, I say. So, the life of sacrifice begins. For this practice fortifies the belief that Christ himself instituted in the one line of the gospel: "Take up your cross and follow me."

The life of sacrifice is one of constantly releasing our imprisoned souls, and those of others likewise imprisoned (by our bad habits, by our sinful nature, by our cold-heartedness). To believe that we can succour our fellow man by making a small sacrifice of prayer, fasting, good-works, is to follow the Man. He is our one true example. To go into that desert for forty days, to weep over Jerusalem. To understand God's love for us, is all encapsuled within that one word: "Indulgence".

Answer 9

devil's best advertising factor is to conceal himself and get human beings to doubt his existence so he can secretly administration them in this existence, then drag them all the way down to hell interior the subsequent. don't be fooled. basically Jesus can set us loose from devil's impacts. He defeated devil whilst He died on the go then resurrected the morning of the 0.33 day in basic terms as He stated He might, thus proving as quickly as and continuously that He fairly is who He claimed to be, the very Son of God.

Answer 10

None that is why the Roman church does not allow them any more.