Why do people think that they must confess to a priest instead of to the Heavenly Father directly?

Question

I had another similar question about why people venerate Mary so much.

This all has to do with what Catholics believe and why they do...which seems to me very against biblical teachings.

Answer 1

It is

Answer 2

The very first thing Jesus did after he rose again from the dead was give his apostles the power to forgive sins in his name.

Thus, Jesus personally insutituted the sacrament of reconciliation, which was the most overt, effective, and radical means of forgiving sins that the world has ever known.

It still is.

At Pentecost, the new covenant Church was born, and endowed with all of Christ's power, mercy, and grace.

Butt without the absolute ability to have their sins forgiven, no man could know for sure ... until Judgment Day ... whether God had actually accepted his apology.

Catholics enjoy the grace and peace of Christ in this lifetime, due in large part to the power of the sacrament of reconciliation, which among other things, also serves to perfect our often imperfect contrition for sins.

As for the Blessed Virgin Mary ... she is simply Christ's first, best, and most constant disciple, the perfect conduit between heaven and earth, a perfect and holy vessel for the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and a gift from God to his divine son.

As such, Mary constitutes the official, non-divine, God-ordained role model for all of humanity, whether male or female, and she is exceeded in holiness only by God himself.

If Mary is good enough for Jesus, and worthy of his honor, than she is plenty good enough for the likes of us.

And regarding the bible ... anyone who attempts to interpret the scriptures without benefit of the authentic teachings of the only Church that Jesus ever founded, authorized, empowered, and eternally guaranteed, is not likely to be able to properly understand or apply them ... no matter what others may say, think, or believe.

There is absolutely nothing that the Catholic Church teaches or practices that conflicts with the true meaning of authentic scripture.

There are a great number (31,000 or so, and counting) of various Christian groups who seem to think so, but since their various creeds also fail to agree with each other, what are we to make of all this?

The Catholic Church was founded by Christ. It compiled all the old testament scriptures, wrote all the new testament scriptures, and it is the only direct and living link with Jesus Christ that is present in the world today.

For the last 2000 years, great Catholic scholars and holy men have dedicated their lives to better understanding the faith and teaching others about it, always remaining faithful to the original teachings of Jesus and the apostles.

This, coupled with the constant and official advocacy of the Holy Spirit, is impossible to confound.

Jesus founded a holy, powerful, and infallible Church to lead all to salvation in his grace. He never "founded" a bible.

The sooner you accept that fact, and begin to learn all that the Catholic Church teaches in Christ's name, the sooner you too, might be perfected in his grace.

Answer 3

Catholics feel just fine confessing their sins privately to God in prayer. Some also like to confess to a man, the priest, because it takes bravery to face one's fears enough to actually confess your wrongdoings to another human being.

Catholics do not worship Mary. They respect Mary because God selected her to be the virgin mother of Jesus Christ, which most Catholics consider to be a very high honor indeed.

Answer 4

I think its b\c some ppl feel better confessing to someone in person to get an individual response but they always ask God for strength to lead a good life and still confess to the Lord above though for forgiveness and theres nothing wrong with that I reckon.

Answer 5

That is a very excellent question. I believe no man should come between man and God. I speak directly to Him and I could never understand why other people felt it was ever anyone else's business but His what goes on in our lives. I like this question.

Answer 6

Because "people" feel more at ease with what they see and hear RATHER than what they DON'T. Never mind what JESUS said, people will always be VAIN and you can't keep them from it. It's why you have the Catholics, the Jews, the Baptists plus endless sects of christian faiths, the Muslims, the Hindu's and the many other religions. GOD in heaven TEACHES one FAITH, but MANKIND will always "teach" holiness in the ways it finds ACCEPTABLE unto ITSELF.
"For the blind shall follow the blind and they both shall fall in the DITCH.............."

Answer 7

It is a requirement from the Catholic church. Also, they believe that the priest has the power to forgive sins given the authority vested from the vatican. It is a matter of belief, what you believe is what you will experience.

Answer 8

Most religions are against biblical teachings. They are too busy following tradition. It is not even necessary to be any religion or go to church at all.

What is important is seeking God with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength, and humbling ourselves before him, permitting him to clean and heal us.

Best not to spend time worrying about what other people are doing wrong, as we have so much of ourselves for him to clean up.

Answer 9

catholics are people who are afraid of God teachings so the change things that will ok their righ to do the things they do...they believe if a priest hears ur sins and say ur forgiven they can keep sinning over and over and never have to change...mary did her purpose in life which god highly favored her to birth Jesus but Jesus is the one who died on the crosss for our sins .....y people look up to her i don't know but jesus was the one who suffered...catholics are mixed up and they want to control and take jesus place

Answer 10

There is another route. Send all your money to David Miscavige, and blindly take a bunch of useless tests. The church will then read you a script with some more drivel on it.

Answer 11

Because that is how Jesus set it up:

"Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'" -- John 20:21-23