Waaa? Would you rather I slight yours??
I believe James 5:16 says exactly what it means and means exactly what it says - not your own personal interpretation, because it is unscriptural to do as your suggest ‘confess your sins to God’:
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
secondly did you never thoughtlessly or otherwise slight your wife or daughter? - because if you haven’t you are a better man than I am.
In addition, we should examine our conscience DAILY and make an Act of Contrition afterwards:
“Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because I have offended Thee, Oh My God, who art 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.”
BTW, If your haven’t performed 1) a through Examination of Conscience, 2) don’t confess ALL your sins, 3) don’t make the Act of Contrition and 4) don’t attempt to actually amend your life - IT DOESN’T COUNT.
BTW you should try telling your sins to a priest some time - face to face.
For the Greater Glory of God
So what's this about continuing to repeat you've been sinned against?
Citing James 5:16 doesn't help much -- if one is confessing others sins committed against themselves --- unless it was yourself who slighted your wife and daughters? uh ...I didn't consider that possibility. Perhaps you can clear up just what this "slighting" you mention was more specifically all about.
Besides... you may not know how I as you put it --interpret -- that passage --- for I otherwise much recommend that we confess our sins to on another.
Yet at the same time it is also scriptural to confess one's sins to God, particularly those which be not committed against another person, but against God more directly.
Still, confessing our sins to one another (and that we have sinned against God, too) that we may be healed -- is right and proper.
What is less than fully scriptural, if you would take us towards delving into that further, is concept of all sins being needed to be confessed to a [Roman] Catholic priest (in good standing with that church?) or else we cannot be "forgiven" --- or possibly -- healed, either. But please take note that confessing to a priest is certainly not precluded or excluded.
Now since you made some public confession, and being that this then was followed by appeals towards legalism be applied to myself (and what you perceived or assumed be my own beliefs) should I then do much the same in return?
What then? Would you be then restricted to only gaining for yourself "healing" --- but according to legalisms within [Roman] Catholicism, and need to yet go elsewhere (other than we here present on FR) for "forgiveness"?
What gives? Just what was this offer to "slight" my own [wife and daughters] by asking if I would prefer you do that, all about?
How would that remedy in any manner that having done (as you have said it did) to your own?
Or would it be more simple to just forgive that person that "slighted" those dear to yourself?
“BTW you should try telling your sins to a priest some time - face to face.”
1. Priests are not an official office of the Church. All Christians are now priests.
2. Nowhere are we commanded to confess to a priest. We are commanded to confess our sins to one another.