Why I Believe the Roman Catholic Confessional is Really a License to Sin
I remembered one reason why I got into a real spiritual crisis with Roman Catholicism was because of how so many Roman Catholics are so religious while living a life of sin. It can be easily observed many Roman Catholics (not all) have the pattern of worldly living from Monday to Friday, confession on Saturday, go to Mass on Sundays then it's time to rinse and repeat. Remembering my confession, I remembered how the priest would say, "Go and sin no more. Now pray X Our Fathers, Y Hail Marys and Z Glory Bes as your penance."
The problem with Roman Catholic doctrine is that it confuses penance and repentance. To do penance is voluntary self-punishment to atone for what's wrong. On the other hand, repentance starts from within and it springs from the inside to the outside. The Roman Catholic system's repentance doesn't really value any genuine repentance based on practice. To ask the person to simply pray memorized prayers is ritualism. It's dead repetition. The whole practice is nowhere in the Bible but they just misquote the verses without taking anything into context! I don't see anybody confessing their sins to the apostles and getting absolution in the Bible. Most of the claims of the Roman Catholic institution are based on fabrications to deceive the gullible.
The problem with Roman Catholic doctrine is that it confuses penance and repentance. To do penance is voluntary self-punishment to atone for what's wrong. On the other hand, repentance starts from within and it springs from the inside to the outside. The Roman Catholic system's repentance doesn't really value any genuine repentance based on practice. To ask the person to simply pray memorized prayers is ritualism. It's dead repetition. The whole practice is nowhere in the Bible but they just misquote the verses without taking anything into context! I don't see anybody confessing their sins to the apostles and getting absolution in the Bible. Most of the claims of the Roman Catholic institution are based on fabrications to deceive the gullible.
The confessional isn't really a sin buster as the Roman Catholic church claims it to be. So many people go to confession, live wicked lives, attend Mass and the priest knows it. Corrupt politicians and wealthy criminals give generous donations and they get the support of the Vatican. When somebody else is in the death row the Vatican doesn't seem to care. But when it's their generous donors they start misquoting judge and you will not be judged. Martin Luther thought the confessional could absolve him of his sins. While reading "The Holiness of God" by Dr. Robert C. Sproul Sr., I remembered how the priest told Luther to only return if he's done something grievous. Here's what many people miss - no matter how big or how small your sins are they'll all send you to Hell anyway (Romans 3:10-19, James 2:10-11). But God demands we confess every tiniest sin to get right with Him.
It's so hypocritical for Roman Catholics to start saying that born again Christians are teaching a license to sin with the doctrine of eternal security. They could go ahead and start their accusations but actions speak louder than words. What I've observed is that the more loyal the confessor the more sinful that person tends to be. Many faithful confessors show the fruits of their degenerate character. It's because they're not saved that's why they act the way they do. In their mind, they might be thinking that as long as I confess my sins to the priest and do penance then I'm okay. No, you're not okay. Just because you haven't committed any sin that the Roman Catholic institution considers as "mortal" doesn't mean you're not headed for Hell. James 2:10-11 says you only need to break the Law once to be damned in Hell forever. Ever told a lie? Ever stole anyone? Ever lusted after someone? Ever wanted to murder someone? Even if you did just one "tiny" sin, God considers it extremely offensive because His holiness means no sin should be allowed in His presence.
Not to mention, the Roman Catholic institution always acts she's above the law of the state and even the Law of God. She's always been protecting any religious evildoer under her service. Corrupt politicians go and see the Pope to have an audience with him. It's no wonder why many theologians consider the Roman Catholic institution to be the Great Whore of Revelation 17-18. She's got purple and scarlet where she claims authority. She counterfeits some Old Testament rituals by having a celibate priesthood, she has her own golden cup but it's filled with filth, she's got her claim she's the true Church but she's a harlot. She's a counterfeit church. Roman Catholics may claim that born again Christians are jealous with all the attention the Pope and their religion gets. Yet John 15:18-19 warns that the true Church of Jesus Christ doesn't belong to the world.
If you're a Roman Catholic reading this post, I pray that God will open your eyes to the truth. Come out of her so you won't share in her plagues one day. She may live deliciously right now but one day, judgment is going to hit her from above. It wouldn't be a pretty picture. The world may wail at her destruction one day but God won't change His mind a bit about destroying the Great Whore.