US Religions

Along with John 20, Catholics attempt to defend auricular confession with James 5:16 – Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Catholics believe the Apostles had to hand on all essential powers to their successors and the conditions of salvation must be the same for us as for the first Christians. If those subject to the Apostles had to obtain forgiveness from their fellow men, there is no reason why we should be exempt. We share the same privileges as the early Christians and must have the same obligations. So some of us search the Bible for any word supporting the doctrine of "auricular confession" (the official title for the secret confession spoken to an authorized priest in a confession box). It’s impossible to find any general practice of it during the first 1,000 years of the Christian era. Auricular confession is not mentioned in the writings of Augustine, Origen, Nestorius, Tertullian, Jerome, Chrysostem, or Athanasius and many apparently lived and died without ever thinking of going to confession. It is believed that early Christians confessed their sins but it was not one-on-one with a priest as it was believed that no one other than God was thought to be worthy to hear confessions or to grant forgiveness. It is said in the 4^th century St. Ambrose defended Confession by saying that if a man can forgive sin by baptizing (Luke Chapter 3 also told by Matthew and Mark and not by John himself) he claims nothing greater when he claims the power to forgive sin through the Sacrament of Penance. Some say by the authority of Leo the Great confession was introduced on a voluntary basis in the 5^th century and Religion in the Medieval West states: “A new form of penance was introduced in France in the late sixth century by Celtic monks. . . . This was auricular confession, in which the penitent confessed his sins privately to a priest and it was an adaption of the monastic (simple) practice of spiritual counseling.” According to the older monastic practice the monks confessed their sins to one another to get spiritual help in order to overcome their weaknesses. The Greek Church broke away from the Catholic Church in the 9^th century and has retained this Apostolic practice. Protestants say auricular confession of sins to priests was made mandatory by Pope Innocent III at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 AD and sins are to be confessed at least once a year and to the parish pastor. The Council of Trent in the 16^th Century made the “infallible declaration” that auricular confession had been practiced “from the beginning” of the Church (although history disagrees that the concept is a Biblical one) and only priests who have received the faculty of absolving sin from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name of Christ. With this declaration, Protestants gave up the practice because it was uncomfortable and mortifying and one could abolish every uncomfortable commandment of God. A long and informative article regarding the Protestant Reformation from the warning to false prophets in the bible to the need to challenge the Protestant doctrines as the Catholic Church was challenged in the 16^th century is available at www.gotquestions.org. Because of the 15,000+ joining Tim Tebow’s (NY Jets’ second string quarterback who’s not an ordained minister) Easter sermon at the Celebration Church in Georgetown, Texas I wondered about religion in the US. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published the 2010 Landscape Survey (based on interviews of more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older). It found 28% of Americans have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion or have no religion at all. And, if change in affiliation from one Protestant sect to another is included 44% of adults have either switched or moved from being unaffiliated to being affiliated with a particular faith or dropped a connection to a religious tradition altogether. The survey found 0.8% who either don’t know or refused to identify a religion and 16.1% who said they are unaffiliated with any particular faith (Atheist 1.6%, Agnostic 2.4%, and Secular/Religious unaffiliated 12.1%; among ages 18-29 one-in-four said they are not currently affiliated with a particular religion). Of the 83.1% remaining in the study: Protestant 51.3% (Evangelical 26.3%, Mainline 18.1%, Black 6.9%), Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, Jehovah Witness 0.7%, Orthodox 0.6% (Greek, Russian and non Jewish others), Other Christians 0.3%, Jewish 1.7% (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and other), Buddhist 0.7% (Zen, Theravada, Tibetan and others), Unitarian and other liberal faiths 0.7%, Muslim 0.6% (Zunni, Shia and others), Hindu 0.4%, New Age 0.4%, and Other 0.1%. The survey said Catholicism has experienced the greatest losses as a result of affiliation changes (31% were raised Catholic but 24% describe themselves as Catholic) and the losses would’ve been greater if not for the impact of immigration (foreign-born 46% Catholic, 24% Protestant; among American born 55% Protestant, 21% Catholic). On April 7, 2012 a report said 60% of American Catholics believe priests should be allowed to marry and women should be allowed to be priests; 62% feel the Church is out of touch. I hope Catholics are not the only ones questioning their religion. The doctrine that was intended to pull us together against evil has only pulled us apart with man’s various interpretations (created Jews, Muslims and Christians; like the Old and New Testaments there are 2 distinct Greek manuscript families: the Textus Receptus [received text] and the Nestle-Aland that vary in interpretation; a common thread of all religions). With mail-order/online Ministers the number of religions and false prophets has increased; I believe this surrender to people’s egos and greed are the basis of the evil running through the US. Isaiah 53:6 – All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.