[sexdrugsmoney]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
+" The fact that when a protestant prays they are relying on faith and scripture that their sins will be forgiven in their account in heaven, wheras Catholicism gives conrcete assurance of forgiveness."

Don't really understand the difference. But I am sure that BluffThis will be weighing in on this shortly and will explain it further.

[/ QUOTE ]

Confession is the normal mannter in which serious sins, which we call mortal sins, are forgiven, but not the only way. What is called "perfect contrition", which means being truly sorry for your sins because they have offended God and not partially because you fear punishment for those sins, is sufficient in itself, and that means for non-catholics as well. However, since it is extremely hard to be sure one is perfectly contrite since a person pscyhologically is not the best judge of himself often, the normal manner is confession in which that perfect contrition is not necessary. However one thing is necessary SDM, and that is some level of sincerity. Just because you think you con a priest who is required to take at face value your false claims of repentence and grant absolution, you have not conned God and have not really obtained absolution when you have no sincere sorrow and no intent to try to avoid such sin in the future. You have only compounded the original offenses.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahh but what if I take 15 minutes before the church opens and think about how I have offended God and when I go to confession, I carry TRUE guilt like some protestantys have when they ahve to pray directly to God asking for forgeveness for failing him?

It is human nature to be forgetful and lapse into sinful ways, so I could be truhful and repentatnt on Saturday but but by Wednesday paying prostitutes x $ per hour to act out some kinky Roman Emperor fantasy with me in a high class bordello.

I so wish I was catholic. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]