Confession Rituals

[p kirkes]

Confession Rituals... Then when the wife asks what the special occasion is, I spill my guts and tell her of all my sins and what I have done that I think she will find fault with. If she doesn't pitch a bitch in the resturant and start throwing dishes and shit, I am forgiven but getting forgiveness of sins and going to confession is not cheap....

AMEN Brother.

 

[California Girl]

The Catholics do. However, they think that their pastors can forgive them for those sins if they repeat the 'Hail Mary' as if she is a mediator between God and us. This is NOT biblical:

Not 'she', 'he'. Priests are men.

A Guide for Confession - Prayers - Catholic Online

You do it your way, we'll do it ours. Mmmk?

Mind your own damned business about our faith and we'll mind ours about yours.

Umm, Mary is a 'he'?...lol

"...repeat the 'Hail Mary' as if she is a mediator between God and us."

Maybe you need to freshen up on your reading skills.

No need to. My faith, my business.

Perhaps other people should get over their stupidity about other faiths, thats my opinion. I don't criticize other people's faiths.... because it is not my business. How you worship, what you believe is nothing to do with me. Pity that you are too stupid to think likewise.

 

[p kirkes]

They give structure to people's lives, especially those with limited education or world experience.

In my lifetime I've seen the Catholic faith's confession ritual, change in detail but not in substance. That is, the penitent admits his/her sin(s) to God, in the presence of a priest, who is there to ascertain the veracity of the penitent and oversee the reparation.

For example, a penitent confesses murder, the priest administers absolution on condition that he turns himself in to the police or his sin remains. Otherwise, it's a get out of jail free card.

The protestants, who have no formal priesthood stress confession on a personal level. Sometimes a pastor or deacon or even a trusted friend my be of assistance in helping the penitent but the confession is always to God and the forgiveness is from God.

The therapeutic benefits of confession, formal or not, can be summed up in the old Scottish proverb "confession is good for the soul". (I think)

 

[boedicca]

The Catholics do. However, they think that their pastors can forgive them for those sins if they repeat the 'Hail Mary' as if she is a mediator between God and us. This is NOT biblical:

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

You are woefully ignorant. Catholic penance may consist of a variety of prayers.

I am no longer a practicing Catholic, but I am glad to see the Sacred Feminine honored in Catholicism, more so than is done in other Christian religions.

As to the process of confession itself, the meditative nature of penance serves to foster self-forgiveness, which is the hardest to accomplish and the real purpose afaic.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Confession and purification in Buddhism:

"In this life, and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, I have created, caused others to create, and rejoiced at the creation of negative karmas such as misusing offerings to holy objects, misusing offerings to the Sangha, stealing the possessions of the Sangha of the ten directions; I have caused others to create these negative actions and rejoiced at their creation.

I have created the five heinous actions, caused others to create them and rejoiced at their creation. I have committed the ten non-virtuous actions, involved others in them, and rejoiced in their involvement.

Being obscured by all this karma, I have created the cause for myself and other sentient beings to be reborn in the hells, as animals, as hungry ghosts, in irreligious places, amongst barbarians, as long-lived gods, with imperfect senses, holding wrong views, and being displeased with the presence of a Buddha.

Now before these Buddhas, transcendent destroyers who have become transcendental wisdom, who have become the compassionate eye, who have become witnesses, who have become valid and see with their omniscient minds, I am confessing and accepting all these actions as negative. I will not conceal or hide them, and from now on, I will refrain from committing these negative actions.

Buddhas and transcendent destroyers, please give me your attention: in this life and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, whatever root of virtue I have created through even the smallest acts of charity such as giving one mouthful of food to a being born as an animal, whatever root of virtue I have created by keeping pure ethics, whatever root of virtue I have created by abiding in pure conduct, whatever root of virtue I have created by fully ripening sentient beings' minds, whatever root of virtue I have created by generating bodhicitta, whatever root of virtue I have created of the highest transcendental wisdom.

Bringing together all these merits of both myself and others, I now dedicate them to the highest of which there is no higher, to that even above the highest, to the highest of the high, to the higher of the high. Thus I dedicate them completely to the highest, fully accomplished enlightenment.

Just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the past have dedicated, just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the future will dedicate, and just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the present are dedicating, in the same way I make this dedication.

I confess all my negative actions separately and rejoice in all merits. I implore all the Buddhas to grant my request that I may realize the ultimate, sublime, highest transcendental wisdom.

To the sublime kings of the human beings living now, to those of the past, and to those who have yet to appear, to all those whose knowledge is as vast as an infinite ocean, I go for refuge."

Employing the Four Opponent Powers

1. The power of regret for having done the negative action.

2. The power of reliance: taking refuge, which restores our relationship with holy objects, and generating the altruistic intention, which restores our relationship with other sentient beings.

3. The power of the remedial action, e.g. prostration, offering, reciting the names of the Buddha, reading or contemplating the Dharma, etc.

4. The power of the promise not to repeat the action.

 

[Care4all]

An Act
of
Contrition


O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life.

Amen.




"Jesus' call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before Him, does not aim first at outward works, "sackcloth and ashes," fasting and mortification, but at the CONVERSION OF THE HEART, INTERIOR CONVERSION. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance.

Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and trust in the help of His grace."

- from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 1430-31.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/contrit.htm#ixzz1G4Xx6vZy

 

[Sky Dancer]

Here is another resource on Buddhist confession:
http://www.lamakathy.net/resources/pdf/confession_practice.pdf

 

[Momanohedhunter]

Here is another resource on Buddhist confession:
http://www.lamakathy.net/resources/pdf/confession_practice.pdf

Lord, Forgive me for smoking a cigarette
after I promised the wife and kids that I would
quit smoking. Pleas give me strength to rid
my self of this nasty habit.
Amen.

I then go and tell my wife I smoked a ciggie and that's it. I am forgiven, and then I deal with the consequences of my action which will be 20 or 30 minutes of bitching. Easy as pie.

 

[Avatar4321]

Well, She is his Mom. Who could say no to Mom ?

Almost every 2 year old who has ever lived

 

[Anachronism]

In the Lutheran faith that I grew up in there is "general confession" as part of the order of worship. Beyond that it's all a personal discussion with God.

In my current spiritual path I believe it's mostly a matter of direct conversation with the God/dess and true repentence. There are some things that should be done as a matter of course, but no true ritual for it.

 

[Foxfyre]

I can enjoy the pageantry and imagery of Catholic or Episcopal high church and the simplest structure of a small humble country church; the tradition and symbolism of a Synagogue service; and even a well done Islamic call to prayer. I can see value in the Catholic practice of going to private confession with the Priest; I can see value in a liturgical confession during a worship service. I haven't participated in a Buddhist purification ritual, but if it floats one's boat, power to him or her.

But I am a minimalist when it comes to religion. For me religion is a relationship with the living God as revealed in the Christ and when that is a right relationship, I am informed of what I need to confess. Sometimes confession requires going to another we have wronged and making amends for otherwise we are not truly repentant. Sometimes it is simply yielding ourselves for healing and restoration.

The human invented rituals and rites and formal liturgy are not without value and sometimes help one to focus, appreciate, feel and express. Meeting together with other believers can have a positive strengthening effect. But for me they don't accomplish any more than that so far as what consequences there may be for my sins or achieving forgiveness for them.

 

[Immanuel]

The Catholics do. However, they think that their pastors can forgive them for those sins if they repeat the 'Hail Mary' as if she is a mediator between God and us. This is NOT biblical:

Not 'she', 'he'. Priests are men.

A Guide for Confession - Prayers - Catholic Online

You do it your way, we'll do it ours. Mmmk?

Mind your own damned business about our faith and we'll mind ours about yours.

American Buddhist are a drag. I do however find it hilarious when I see a Preius with a Nameste sticker on the window and the drivers arm hanging out the window flipping me the bird as they cut me off.

Honestly, that is exactly why I do not put a ichthys on my car.

History of the Christian Fish Symbol

Although I have learned to tone down the single fingered salute, I have not completely removed it from my repertoire of gestures. Until the time that I have mastered that, there shall be no fish on my car!

Immie

 

[Immanuel]

the Hail Mary prayer

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou, among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus....


this is IN THE Bible, it is Elizabeth's(the mother of John the Baptist's) salutation towards Mary, her cousin....

I don't see a problem with repeating what is in the Bible.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

she is not forgiving your sins, asking her to pray for you is like asking another person in the room to pray for your son, who is doing a tour in Afghanistan....

and there is NOTHING wrong with that either....

I was a Catholic, and we never worshiped or prayed to Mary as if she were a God....

Funny, before I saw that CG had commented about WingsofWinds post, I was going to tell of the time that a wise woman once told me pretty much those very same things when we were discussing why Catholics prayed to Mary. It gave me a very different perspective on those prayers and the praying to saints in general.

Immie

 

[Foxfyre]

Not 'she', 'he'. Priests are men.

A Guide for Confession - Prayers - Catholic Online

You do it your way, we'll do it ours. Mmmk?

Mind your own damned business about our faith and we'll mind ours about yours.

American Buddhist are a drag. I do however find it hilarious when I see a Preius with a Nameste sticker on the window and the drivers arm hanging out the window flipping me the bird as they cut me off.

Honestly, that is exactly why I do not put a ichthys on my car.

History of the Christian Fish Symbol

Although I have learned to tone down the single fingered salute, I have not completely removed it from my repertoire of gestures. Until the time that I have mastered that, there shall be no fish on my car!

Immie

Now that's honest. Even commendable.

It is quite the same thing as those who say they don't go to church because they don't think they're good enough yet.

(The last person who told me that's why she didn't go to church at other times says she doesn't go because the church is full of hypocrites. )

I've always thought that it would be sinners who know they are sinners who would most benefit from going to church.

But yeah. I do wish some folks who put a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker on their car wouldn't shoot you the finger when you do that.

 

[Momanohedhunter]

American Buddhist are a drag. I do however find it hilarious when I see a Preius with a Nameste sticker on the window and the drivers arm hanging out the window flipping me the bird as they cut me off.

Honestly, that is exactly why I do not put a ichthys on my car.

History of the Christian Fish Symbol

Although I have learned to tone down the single fingered salute, I have not completely removed it from my repertoire of gestures. Until the time that I have mastered that, there shall be no fish on my car!

Immie

Now that's honest. Even commendable.

It is quite the same thing as those who say they don't go to church because they don't think they're good enough yet.

(The last person who told me that's why she didn't go to church at other times says she doesn't go because the church is full of hypocrites. )

I've always thought that it would be sinners who know they are sinners who would most benefit from going to church.

But yeah. I do wish some folks who put a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker on their car wouldn't shoot you the finger when you do that.

True all of it.

 

[Sky Dancer]

I can enjoy the pageantry and imagery of Catholic or Episcopal high church and the simplest structure of a small humble country church; the tradition and symbolism of a Synagogue service; and even a well done Islamic call to prayer. I can see value in the Catholic practice of going to private confession with the Priest; I can see value in a liturgical confession during a worship service. I haven't participated in a Buddhist purification ritual, but if it floats one's boat, power to him or her.

But I am a minimalist when it comes to religion. For me religion is a relationship with the living God as revealed in the Christ and when that is a right relationship, I am informed of what I need to confess. Sometimes confession requires going to another we have wronged and making amends for otherwise we are not truly repentant. Sometimes it is simply yielding ourselves for healing and restoration.

The human invented rituals and rites and formal liturgy are not without value and sometimes help one to focus, appreciate, feel and express. Meeting together with other believers can have a positive strengthening effect. But for me they don't accomplish any more than that so far as what consequences there may be for my sins or achieving forgiveness for them.

Very nice post. For those of us who like to 'float our boat' I would point out that purification practices in Buddhism are usually private and no one else is present.

The exceptions are a fasting practice called Nyung Nay, in which a group of practitioners meditate and fast together and perform full length prostrations while reciting praises to the thirty five Buddhas. It is a Gelupa school practice, and one that my wife and I have participated in several times.

Another practice occurs several times throughout the month in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is a meditational deity practice that includes confession and fulfillment rituals-offerings of food and flowers.