Doctrinal Question - Someone Please Take a Shot at This.

[Neck]

Originally Posted by TRFrance

I was thinking recently about the Catholic doctrine of confession (to a priest), which we of course know is an unscriptural practice.

However, the Catholic church feels they have biblical justification for it. The scripture they use is (John 20:22-23):

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Therefore according to this argument, Roman Catholic priests, based on the authority handed down from the apostles, have the power to remit or retain sins.

Your thoughts please... How would you respond to someone who is Catholic, and defends the practice using that particular scripture?

I have always thought of this as a forgiveness passage...