Should i mention names and explain the sin in detail during confession?

[girll]

Hello,

I am an Orthodox Christian and that is why I want only orthodox answers on this question.

During a confession:

1. Should i mention names of people whom i have sinned against?
2. Should i explain the sin in detail?
2. Should i explain why i did the sin, not to defend or justify myself, but in order to explain the sin in more detail, so that the priest will know exactly what sin i did and also god will know about what sin i confess
3. What if you have sexual thoughts about your priest to whom you go to a confession, so during a confession, should you confess to him that you had sexual thoughts about him or just say that you had sexual thoughts about some priest, without telling him that you had sexual thoughts about him?

 

[Willie-T]

Are you talking about a Catholic-type Confession Booth scene?

BTW, God probably already just might have some vague idea what you've done..... I doubt you need to fill Him in on the details.

 

[Test_F_i_2_Luv]

So many people in the USA confuse the Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholic Church...I wonder how often she's going to be given grief for being a Roman Catholic even though she's not Roman Catholic.

Hello,

I am an Orthodox Christian and that is why I want only orthodox answers on this question.

During a confession:

1. Should i mention names of people whom i have sinned against?
2. Should i explain the sin in detail?
2. Should i explain why i did the sin, not to defend or justify myself, but in order to explain the sin in more detail, so that the priest will know exactly what sin i did and also god will know about what sin i confess
3. What if you have sexual thoughts about your priest to whom you go to a confession, so during a confession, should you confess to him that you had sexual thoughts about him or just say that you had sexual thoughts about some priest, without telling him that you had sexual thoughts about him?

Girll...I don't think there are that many Orthodox believers here. I could be wrong...time will tell.

 

[Ahwatukee]

Hello,

I am an Orthodox Christian and that is why I want only orthodox answers on this question.

During a confession:

1. Should i mention names of people whom i have sinned against?
2. Should i explain the sin in detail?
2. Should i explain why i did the sin, not to defend or justify myself, but in order to explain the sin in more detail, so that the priest will know exactly what sin i did and also god will know about what sin i confess
3. What if you have sexual thoughts about your priest to whom you go to a confession, so during a confession, should you confess to him that you had sexual thoughts about him or just say that you had sexual thoughts about some priest, without telling him that you had sexual thoughts about him?

Greetings Girll,

First of all, if you are concerned about what the word of God has to say regarding these things, confessing to priest is not one of them. We are to go the throne of grace, directly to our heavenly Father, confessing our sins, giving thanks and making all requests in the name of Jesus Christ. There is no need, nor is it scriptural to confess to a priest, but you can go directly to God in the name of His Son.

If you have committed something specific, then confess it and God doesn't need the details, because He already knows your sin. If you haven't committed anything specific, then just pray that God would forgive you for any and all sins that you may have committed against him, whether in deed or in thought.

When the scriptures say for us to confess our sins to one another, it mean to each other, not to a priest. The reason for this is that, it is edifying to other believers when we confess our weaknesses and sins because they know that they are not the only ones dealing with these issues. They are not the lone ranger! Satan likes to separate and make us believe that we are the worst of all sinners and that what we have done is unforgiveable.

You obviously belong to the Roman Catholic church or some sect of it. My advice to you is to study the word of God and if what they are teaching does not fit with what the word of God says, then remove yourself from it and find a place that does teach the truth. The only way for you to be able to discern the truth from false teachings, is to study the word of God.

Blessings in Christ!

 

[Locutus]

Orthodoxy confessional is very much Roman Catholic like:


The gift of God's forgiveness is received through private prayer, corporate worship, the disciplines of prayer and fasting, penitential services and above all through the sacrament of Holy Confession.

The value of Holy Confession is twofold. First, through this sacramental act of the ordained priest and the Christian believer we have the assurance of divine forgiveness, according to the words of Christ (Jn 20:23).

Secondly, Holy Confession provides the opportunity to talk about one's deep concerns, to receive counsel and to be encouraged toward spiritual growth, all of which are universally recognized as extremely beneficial to personal life.

Holy Confession is appropriate whenever an Orthodox Christian feels the need for it. It is also a part of our total spiritual preparation during the fast periods leading up to the great feasts of Easter, Christmas, the Falling Asleep of the Theotokos and the Feast of Twelve Apostles. However, Holy Confession is especially necessary:

1. when a serious sin has been committed;
2. when a habitual sin has overwhelmed a Christian, or
3. when a Christian has stopped growing spiritually and needs a reexamination of priorities.

​

We confess our sins to God and the power of forgiveness is God's. However, the gift of God's forgiveness, although assured, is not magical. It does not automatically spare us from spiritual struggle - the continual vigilance against evil and the unceasing warfare against sin. Holy Confession will bear fruits in the Spirit only when the believer hates evil, utterly rejects sin and patiently cultivates positive habits of the life in Christ. "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ Jesus. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wicked ness, but yield yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life" (Rm 6:11, 13)

https://www.goarch.org/-/preparation-for-holy-confession

 

[Test_F_i_2_Luv]

Greetings Girll,

First of all, if you are concerned about what the word of God has to say regarding these things, confessing to priest is not one of them. We are to go the throne of grace, directly to our heavenly Father, confessing our sins, giving thanks and making all requests in the name of Jesus Christ. There is no need, nor is it scriptural to confess to a priest, but you can go directly to God in the name of His Son.

If you have committed something specific, then confess it and God doesn't need the details, because He already knows your sin. If you haven't committed anything specific, then just pray that God would forgive you for any and all sins that you may have committed against him, whether in deed or in thought.

When the scriptures say for us to confess our sins to one another, it mean to each other, not to a priest. The reason for this is that, it is edifying to other believers when we confess our weaknesses and sins because they know that they are not the only ones dealing with these issues. They are not the lone ranger! Satan likes to separate and make us believe that we are the worst of all sinners and that what we have done is unforgiveable.

You obviously belong to the Roman Catholic church or some sect of it. My advice to you is to study the word of God and if what they are teaching does not fit with what the word of God says, then remove yourself from it and find a place that does teach the truth. The only way for you to be able to discern the truth from false teachings, is to study the word of God.

Blessings in Christ!

What are the 5th & 6th words in her post?!?!?!?!

Unbelievable!

 

[hornetguy]

What are the 5th & 6th words in her post?!?!?!?!

Unbelievable!

dang.... lighten up, Francis....

While I don't know the answer to her question, or how the Orthodox church practices confession, having other viewpoints is not a bad thing... even though it doesn't giver her a direct answer.

As stated previously, there probably aren't many Orthodox folks on here...

I do work with a woman at work that is an Orthodox Christian.... I can check with her tomorrow to see what her feelings are..

I think, IN GENERAL, when talking about confession, specifics are not necessary... simply give as much information as you are comfortable giving as to the nature of your sin... such as "I have been having lustful thoughts lately".... I don't think you should say "I'm having lustful thoughts about Mrs. Jones, the piano player, because she wears tight blouses...."

Or, "I have had extramarital sex..." NOT "I have had extramarital sex with Mrs. Jones, 7 times".....


The "specifics" are not important... the sin is.

 

[Test_F_i_2_Luv]

dang.... lighten up, Francis....

While I don't know the answer to her question, or how the Orthodox church practices confession, having other viewpoints is not a bad thing... even though it doesn't giver her a direct answer.

As stated previously, there probably aren't many Orthodox folks on here...

I do work with a woman at work that is an Orthodox Christian.... I can check with her tomorrow to see what her feelings are..

I think, IN GENERAL, when talking about confession, specifics are not necessary... simply give as much information as you are comfortable giving as to the nature of your sin... such as "I have been having lustful thoughts lately".... I don't think you should say "I'm having lustful thoughts about Mrs. Jones, the piano player, because she wears tight blouses...."

Or, "I have had extramarital sex..." NOT "I have had extramarital sex with Mrs. Jones, 7 times".....


The "specifics" are not important... the sin is.

dang.... lighten up, Francis.... Reading the 5th & 6th words of her post explained her religious background. It wasn't buried between the lines, saved for the last paragraph, put in secret coding, or written in some foreign language.

As stated previously, there probably aren't many Orthodox folks on here... You made it past the 5th & 6th words of my post to reiterate this!

 

[trofimus]

Hello,

I am an Orthodox Christian and that is why I want only orthodox answers on this question.

You probably already realized that this web page is full of various protestants. There are only few orthodox christians (I met maybe two? here in all the years).

So I am afraid your question will not be answered by an orthodox Christian. Most people will not even know what "orthodox Christian" is.

You can either rework your question like "what does Bible say about..." or wait for a long time...

There are specialized orthodox christianity forums on the internet, you can check them out.

 

[blue_ladybug]

You shouldn't be confessing to a priest. You should be confessing directly to GOD. Bypass the priest entirely.

 

[Adstar]

So many people in the USA confuse the Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholic Church...I wonder how often she's going to be given grief for being a Roman Catholic even though she's not Roman Catholic.





Girll...I don't think there are that many Orthodox believers here. I could be wrong...time will tell.

The Eastern Orthodox religion is just as lost as the catholic religion.. Indeed the opening posts shows just how close these two religions are in their traditions..

 

[Grace777x70]

It is only acceptable if it's your mother-in-law....( no...just kidding ) Speak to the Lord about everything and to men what you feel the Lord wants you to share.

I see you are from Macedonia.

Acts 16:9 (NASB)
[SUP]9 [/SUP] A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

 

[Utah]

Orthodoxy confessional is very much Roman Catholic like:


The gift of God's forgiveness is received through private prayer, corporate worship, the disciplines of prayer and fasting, penitential services and above all through the sacrament of Holy Confession.

The value of Holy Confession is twofold. First, through this sacramental act of the ordained priest and the Christian believer we have the assurance of divine forgiveness, according to the words of Christ (Jn 20:23).

Secondly, Holy Confession provides the opportunity to talk about one's deep concerns, to receive counsel and to be encouraged toward spiritual growth, all of which are universally recognized as extremely beneficial to personal life.

Holy Confession is appropriate whenever an Orthodox Christian feels the need for it. It is also a part of our total spiritual preparation during the fast periods leading up to the great feasts of Easter, Christmas, the Falling Asleep of the Theotokos and the Feast of Twelve Apostles. However, Holy Confession is especially necessary:

1. when a serious sin has been committed;
2. when a habitual sin has overwhelmed a Christian, or
3. when a Christian has stopped growing spiritually and needs a reexamination of priorities.

​

We confess our sins to God and the power of forgiveness is God's. However, the gift of God's forgiveness, although assured, is not magical. It does not automatically spare us from spiritual struggle - the continual vigilance against evil and the unceasing warfare against sin. Holy Confession will bear fruits in the Spirit only when the believer hates evil, utterly rejects sin and patiently cultivates positive habits of the life in Christ. "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ Jesus. Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wicked ness, but yield yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life" (Rm 6:11, 13)

https://www.goarch.org/-/preparation-for-holy-confession

Regarding your first paragraph, above all, having faith in Jesus.

 

[hornetguy]

dang.... lighten up, Francis.... Reading the 5th & 6th words of her post explained her religious background. It wasn't buried between the lines, saved for the last paragraph, put in secret coding, or written in some foreign language.

As stated previously, there probably aren't many Orthodox folks on here... You made it past the 5th & 6th words of my post to reiterate this!

Yes, I realize that.... I was just saying there's no need to yell about it.... lol

It IS frustrating, though, for people to go off on a tangent from the original question... this seems to happen pretty frequently here, and on other forums. I don't think people were going off on a tangent in this thread, they were simply answering the question as completely/accurately as they could, given the nature of the question.

Gun/shooting forums are probably the worst.... "What kind of shotgun is best for home defense" "I recommend a 9mm handgun, preferably a Glock".....

Anyplace where people have strong opinions there will always be this sort of thing going on..

anyway, no harm, no foul... hope you took my response with the humor that was intended..... guess I should have put a smiley face afterwards...

 

[Depleted]

Hello,

I am an Orthodox Christian and that is why I want only orthodox answers on this question.

During a confession:

1. Should i mention names of people whom i have sinned against?
2. Should i explain the sin in detail?
2. Should i explain why i did the sin, not to defend or justify myself, but in order to explain the sin in more detail, so that the priest will know exactly what sin i did and also god will know about what sin i confess
3. What if you have sexual thoughts about your priest to whom you go to a confession, so during a confession, should you confess to him that you had sexual thoughts about him or just say that you had sexual thoughts about some priest, without telling him that you had sexual thoughts about him?

Should you gossip during confession?
I don't think so. This is about YOUR sin, not who you sinned against.

 

[seed_time_harvest]

Orthodox Christian<----