Confession :: essays research papers

confessionForgive me Father, for I cave in underworldned. This simple phrase from Roman Catholic dogma conjures up images of historied Hollywood exculpations and dramatizations, but the real root of the phrase has a a lot more obscure past. Not only found in red-brick Catholicism, the confession of sin, along with the confession of faith, bathroom be seen in phantasmal practices throughout the world. The simplest definition Webster gave the confession of sin is a written or oral statement acknowledging guilt, made by one who has been accused or charged with an offense (Bookshelf). However, Webster also recognizes the less thought of definition of the confession of faith as an avowal of belief in the doctrines of a crabby faith a creed (Bookshelf). The double-edged hatching of the formulate can be partially explained by the etymology (Eliade 1). The word confession derives from the Latin word confiteor which means to confess a sin or fault, but in a more general since the word can also mean to acknowledge or avow. Thus, with the understanding of the Latin root, one may cover of the sinner who confesses his sin, or of the martyr who confesses his faith. Regardless of which usage is being applied, the apparitional rules of the confession must be followed. It must take place in front of a recipient, or one who hears the confession. In many cuticles, it is preformed in the interest not only of the one confessing but also of the residential district to which both the confessing person and the recipient belong (Eliade 1). With an understanding of the underlying meanings of the confession one may begin to explore the development of the phenomenon and its function in modern religion. A common way to view the confession of sin is as one part of the entire sacrament of penance. The confession along with the elements of prayer, sacrifice, and penance lead up to the act of absolution or lenity ( Gentz 280). In early Christian religion the confession began a s a ritualized group avowal of sin as part of Sunday idolize moreover, in Judaism it developed into the annual congregational confession of sins known as Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Gentz 290). Both examples of early confession resemble at presents modern idea of publicly professing ones faith and acknowledging ones sins before a recipient, in this case being the congregation as a whole, but it wasnt until after in Eastern and Western Christianity that the individual confession emerged.