As a Reformed believer I've always admired the Catholic practice of confession. I think that it ends up having some theological pitfalls and my Catholic brothers are welcome to correct me if I'm misunderstanding them. But to me, the pitfalls are:
Why not? Wouldn't we benefit from it?
- A notion of penance which appears to be a form of re-payment for our sins.
- The insistence that an ordained priest must hear confession in order for a person to receive forgiveness (extenuating circumstances aside).
Why not? Wouldn't we benefit from it?