If I have a addiction to cocaine, gay-porn and rock-and-roll, where does the Bible indicate I need to confess my sins to the elders instead of confessing my sins here and have members pray for me? Whose brain-child was this idea? I would rather confess my sins to you because the elders are not known for keeping their mouths shut. Have any of the writers here had your sins shared to your wife from the wife of a elder, it's very humbling!
Confessing Sins to Elders for forgiveness, Can Elders Forgive Sins?
by SanLuisObispoTruthSeeker 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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mindnumbed
I think they use Matthew 18:18 to justify this.
“Truly I say to you, whatever things you may bind on earth will be things already bound in heaven, and whatever things you may loosen on earth will be things already loosened in heaven.
and James 5:14,15
Is there anyone sick among you? Let him call the elders of the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, applying oil to him in the name of Jehovah. And the prayer of faith will make the sick one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
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stillMS
Is there anyone sick among you? Let him call the elders of the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, applying oil to him in the name of Jehovah. And the prayer of faith will make the sick one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
... and they will lay restrictions on him, send an inquiry about what to do with him to the branch office and if he is repentant, they will not by no means disfellowship him"
LOL
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Laika
Do elders apply John 20:23 to themselves? I think Catholic and Lutheran priests do.
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DesirousOfChange
That's a man-made tradition that was instituted by some Pharisees in Brooklyn.
Doc
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problemaddict
Its not like in the first century there were no "elders" or "servants" or people who "took the lead". There were. They just don't resemble the evolution of those terms as told by the WT society.
In James, it states that the prayer and discussion with the older ones, if you are spiritually sick, will benefit you. It also says your sins will be forgiven. So simply the contrite act of seeking wisdom from those that should have it in and of itself, puts you on the path to forgiveness? Well yes and no. Forgiveness in the bible happens only through repentance and recognizing Jesus sacrifice for your sin.
The elders have no control over either one of those things. You should WANT to go to the older men and then be MOVED to repentance. The act of going to them in and of itself is NOT repentance.
This is the trouble.
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blondie
The WTS says that elders cannot forgive sins (see Catholic priests) but they can determine repentance....
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daringhart13
No they cannot. Most elders that I served with had never read the Bible in it's entirety and were borderline dumb as stumps. But they got 10 hours of field service in (read: rode around in a mini-van for 7 hours, went to Starbucks for 2.....actually knocked on a door for 1)
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SanLuisObispoTruthSeeker
Pastor Jack from the Morningstar church in Southern California does not ask you questions and details describing your sinful actions, church elders and leaders will pray to God and ask Jesus to bring healing over you and avoid sinning again. No details, times and dates are required by eager freaks wishing to hear your intimate sins. My friend a neuroscientist and practicing Catholic said when he goes to Confession, he sits in a Confession Booth and dialogue goes like this:
Sinner “father forgive me for I have sinned, it’s been one years since my last confession.”
Father: “What have you done my child? Why are you here today?”
Sinner: ““Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been two years since my last confession. These are my sins.” I had sex with my college teacher and her best friend; I was “Hot for Teacher”. My life is filled with sex, drugs and heavy metal music, will you please help me?
Father: “Are those all your sins my child? You know the “Prayer of Contrition?”
Sinner: “Sinner prays his prayer asking God to forgive him and does his best to demonstrate to God his is very sorry, mentions to God his sins he feels are egregious.” Sinner knows the Catholic Father will be praying on his side, even though the father did not require a detailed accounting of the sins committed, days, positions, was it “oral or anal sex” was alcohol or drugs involved? The father usually does not attempt to judge the person as repentant because the action of coming to Confession demonstrates the sinner is heartbroken!”
I spoke with another church-goer who said his Pastor did not require detailed accounts of sins and dates she committed her sins. Prayer and counseling are offered if required; the Pastor and Catholic Fathers do not claim they are self-made psychiatrist or mental health counselors. This approach differs with the Watchtower’s practice of claiming they can forgive sins by (quoting Isaiah chapter 1) and proven by various Apostasy judicial committees when elders quote Isaiah:
“ 16 Oh, wash yourselves! Be clean! Let me no longer see you doing all these wicked things; quit your evil ways. 17 Learn to do good, to be fair, and to help the poor, the fatherless, and widows.
18 Come, let’s talk this over, says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool! 19 If you will only let me help you, if you will only obey, then I will make you rich! 20 But if you keep on turning your backs and refusing to listen to me, you will be killed by your enemies; I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Twenty years ago I was foolish enough to tell the elders I had sex with one of the elders daughters in Atascadero and another sister in Morro Bay, i was 18 years old when I had sex with several JW girls older than me. Did you know my sins are known by every elder body in the Kingdom Halls I attended? One elder brought this up to me last year, he said he saw some notes about my woman chasing ways! I was stupid to have faith Jehovah's Witnesses elders were different, different they would keep my sins secret! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! They can keep a secret about a Friendly Roaming Pedophile" but a kid who had consensual sex with girls three to five years my older, that's worthy of death!
Lesson learned, the sins I spoke in private to were shared with the entire elder-body in my Kingdom Hall even though the elders told me (a naive 18 year old) "Our Lips Are Sealed!", Lying Elders!
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DesirousOfChange
Lesson learned, the sins I spoke in private to were shared with the entire elder-body in my Kingdom Hall even though the elders told me (a naive 18 year old) "Our Lips Are Sealed!", Lying Elders!
The reason it got talked about so much amongst them is they were all jealous as hell!
Hope that makes you feel a little bit better.
Doc