"With a blush on my face, and regret in my heart, I confess before God and man, that I have been, through the confessional plunged for twenty-five years in that bottomless sea of iniquity, in which the blind priest's of Rome have to swim day and night. I had to learn by heart the infamous questions which the Church of Rome forces every priest to learn. I had to put these impure, immoral questions to women and girls who were confessing their sins to me. Those questions and the answers they elicit, are so debasing that only a man who has lost every sense of shame can put them to any woman. Yes, I was bound in conscience, to put into the ears, the mind, the imagination, the memory, the heart and soul of women and girls, questions of such a nature, the direct and immediate tendency of which is to fill the minds hearts of both priests and penitents with thoughts and temptations of such a degrading nature, that I do not know any words adequate to express them. Pagan antiquity has never seen any institution more polluting than the confessional. I have lived twenty-five years in the atmosphere of the confessional just as all he priests of Rome are. It has required the whole blood of the great Victim, who died on Calvary for sinners, to purify me" (The Priest, The Woman, and the Confessional, 67-68)

"WHO CAN FORGIVE SINS BUT GOD ONLY?" (Mk.2:7)

The Church of Rome teaches her priest that:

"They pardon sins, not only as ambassadors of Jesus Christ but as judges, and by way of jurisdiction" (Council of Trent, Sess.14,9, Bellarmine, De Poenit, 3, 2).

Not only does the priest claim to have power to forgive sins, he executes judgment for the confessed sin as well. But Paul says in 1Cor. 4:4-5:

"For I know nothing by myself; yet am i not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."

The so-called "sacrament of Penance" is nothing short of blasphemy, folly and pride. To put a man in place of God, when God himself said, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man.” (Jer. 17:5) But the greatest insult of these so-called sacrament is that it undermines the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. It supposes that a "Hail Mary", or an "Our Father" is a more acceptable sacrifice than the blood shed on the cross!

“...and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”(1Jn.1:7)

Notice it says “all sin”, not some sins! I would personally like to know how a priest can deliver me from hell when he can't even deliver himself?

So, what did Jesus mean when he said in Jn. 20:22-23:

"...Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

The best way to understand the Scripture, is to see how the apostles, after receiving the Holy Ghost, understood those words. On the day of Pentecost, did the apostles teach that we must repent and do penance for our sins and confess to the nearest priest? Did the apostles listen to 3000 confessions (and that's just the men) on the day of Pentecost? Do you suppose that the apostles listened to the sordid details of women and young girls, asking them to confess their sins in shameful details? NO THEY DID NOT! There is no Biblical evidence to support the so-called "sacrament of Penance." The disciples had the key to the kingdom of God, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ! Tertullian, in the 3rd century, declared:

"All Christians have, like Peter, the power of the keys, to proclaim forgiveness and salvation through Christ."

This is the true meaning of Matt 16:19 an Jn. 20-:21-23. The apostles were given the authority to declare the terms on which god, through Christ would save us and forgive our sins. Paul also teaches us in 2Cor 5:18-21 that:

"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the WORD OF RECONCILIATION. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

What about Peter (the apostle who Catholics believe is the Rock of the Church), what did he have to say?

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins. The just for the unjust..."(1Pet. 3:18)

In Acts 8:20-22 Peter says to Simon (a sorcerer who tried to buy the gift of God for money, also where we get the word simony, a word the Catholic church is all too familiar with!):

"Thy money perish with thee. because thou has thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money....Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee."

Why did Peter tell Simon to pray to God for forgiveness? Is it because he knew that only God can forgive sins? (Mk 2:7) Is it because Peter knew that all Christians have the promise and privilege of approaching the throne of grace in the time of need? (Heb. 4:16) Maybe Peter also knew that all born- again believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, to guide them into all truth. (Jn 16:13) But Peter perceived that Simon was in "the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity".

You see, a true believer knows he can go straight to God through Christ, but a wicked man lacks the faith in the blood of Jesus to make him acceptable (Eph. 1:6-7). They turn to someone who they feel has a close relationship and will ask that person to pray for them instead of with them, or in agreement with them. Simon said to Peter, "Pray ye to the Lord for me..." And this time, Peter had the perfect opportunity to tell Simon, "If you do penance, and confess me your sins, I do have power to intercede for you, and absolve you from your sin", but he did not. I'm sure Peter knew the scriptures that said:

"Shall mortal man be more just than God?...he put no trust in his servants and his angels he charged with folly...and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?" (Job 4:17-21, 5:1, 15:15)

People are still turning to Peter to save them! But Psa. 73:25 says:

"Whom have I in haven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee."

Since there is no need for priests in the New Testament, (we are all kinds and priests before God), then there is no reason to go to them for forgiveness.

"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins:" (1Jn. 2:1-2)

Matt.18:15-20 gives us the rule for dealing with sin. 1Tim. 5:20 says:

“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”

The wages of sin is death, not purgatory! And the only acceptable sacrifice for sin is the blood of Jesus! NO other offering is sufficient. No "Hail Mary's" or "Our Father's" will please God as a payment for your sins. NO amount of money will buy you out of judgment!

"NONE OF THEM CAN BY ANY MEANS REDEEM HIS BROTHER, NOR GIVE TO GOD A RANSOM FOR HIM: FOR THE REDEMPTION OF THEIR SOUL IS PRECIOUS, AND IT CEASETH FOREVER...." (Psa.49:6-8)

By Rebecca Sexton