Posted on 02/24/2019 7:11:03 AM PST by marshmallow
A California state lawmaker introduced a proposal on Wednesday that would require clergy to report child abuse or neglect disclosed during confession.
The bill is expected to inspire a moral debate at the Capitol about the right to private penance versus a desire to protect children, and will force legislators to wade into the debate over the intersection of religion and public safety.
“SB 360 is about the safety and protection of children,” said Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), who introduced the proposal. “The law should apply equally to all professionals who have been designated as mandated reporters of these crimes — with no exceptions, period. The exemption for clergy only protects the abuser and places children at further risk.”
Clergy, doctors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists and social workers are among some 46 categories of professionals required to report any suspicion of abuse or neglect to law enforcement.
But state law offers an exemption for any clergy member “who acquires knowledge or a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect during a penitential communication,” defined as a sacramental confession or other communication made in confidence.
The proposal received swift backlash from the California Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic Church.
“Inserting government into the Confessional does nothing to protect children and everything to erode the fundamental constitutional rights and liberties we enjoy as Americans,” said Steve Pehanich, director of communications and advocacy for the California Catholic Conference.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Jesus was very clear with His disciples about the use of that title by them.
Matthew 23:1-12 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
John 20:19-23
You asked for Scriptural support. I have given it to you. What you do with it is your business. Just don’t be one of those people who has difficulty distinguishing her opinion from fact.
This discussion is ended.
It doesn’t advocate for anonymous confession in a booth with a priest.
There is no precedent for it as Catholicism practices it and it’s just part of the Roman Hamster Wheel of Guilt and a way to control the masses and learn about their private lives.
And they dangle your eternal soul over the fires of hell for not doing it their way.
That’s wrong.
I doubt most Catholics even know the actual history of it.
“Over the centuries the concrete form in which the Church has exercised this power received from the Lord has varied considerably. During the first centuries the reconciliation of Christians who had committed particularly grave sins after their Baptism (for example, idolatry, murder, or adultery) was tied to a very rigorous discipline, according to which penitents had to do public penance for their sins, often for years, before receiving reconciliation. To this ‘order of penitents’ (which concerned only certain grave sins), one was only rarely admitted and in certain regions only once in a lifetime. During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the ‘private’ practice of penance, which does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with the Church. From that time on, the sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and priest. This new practice envisioned the possibility of repetition and so opened the way to a regular frequenting of this sacrament. It allowed the forgiveness of grave sins and venial sins to be integrated into one sacramental celebration. In its main lines this is the form of penance that the Church has practiced down to our day” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1447).
So, private confession was introduced a full seven centuries after Christ and His apostles. Ironically the Roman Church curses us if we dare assert the plain historical fact that secret confession to a priest was not observed from the beginning:
IOW, you have to agree with us, even contrary with the plain, clear teaching ofmmScripture. or you’re going to hell.
Yep! That’s pretty much what they claim. I’m so grateful to be freed from that false and accursed gospel and rejoice in knowing I have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ because of the GRACE of God.
Hat amcontrast to Scripture that simply says that ir we confess our sins HE (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The teaching of Jesus about the publican and Pharisee goes to show how difficult it is and how much is required.
I have never seen posts as EVIL as these from a Freeper. Ever.
Still no examples or explanation of how these types of laws are supposedly going to work in practice. I mean is it going to be prosecuted base on hearsay or secretly recorded confessions or what? Are abusers going to get sentencing considerations from prosecutors for alleging that they have confessed to priests? Do laws like this open up civil litigation for what was said or told in confession? Seems like they are pretty basic questions to ask.
Freegards
And here's the Scripture .....
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Just like everything else the leftists do.
Some non-Catholic perv is going to go into the confessional, give his "confession" of having abused a child (true or not, it doesn't matter, record the whole thing, and then bring a lawsuit against the priest and/or church.
The whole point is the set up, just like the gays who hunt down some Christian baker somewhere who won't compromise his faith and make a gay wedding cake.
What’s worse is that so far only ONE Catholic has called the person out on it.
Like blaming the rape victim for getting herself raped.
Doesn’t get much more despicable than that.
That’s my take on it too, at least how it has been put forth so far. Probably just another way to punish those they hate because they won’t conform. I think if it was legit they would just spell out how it is supposed to work.
Freegards
Exactly.
I think if it was legit they would just spell out how it is supposed to work.
Yup. Instead pass a vaguely worded, impossible to enforce law and let the courts decide how to implement it.
Legislation through the judiciary.
The silence is deafening and speaks volumes.
You have revealed your ignorance of scripture, because you can't back up your side.
Boatbums has contributed to that as well, and shown from church history it can’t be supported either.
Years of public penance so that maybe you could get your sins forgiven.
What a racket.
God offers us salvation and forgiveness freely and graciously.
Jesus didn’t die so someone could skim a profit off people or control them by putting conditions on the forgiveness He freely offers.
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