| Answer
from Jesus:
There is much confusion
associated with the ritual of confession. Let me first state very clearly
that the idea that an outer church can remove someone’s sins is
a concept that encourages abuse. If you look at the history of the orthodox
Church, you will see many examples of such abuse. Letters of absolvency
being just one. (For a more detailed explanation, see the answer to
the question about reincarnation)
It is true that I gave some of my disciples the power to redeem people’s
sins through the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit bloweth where
it listeth and cannot be controlled by human beings or organizations.
I never said that anyone who confessed their sins to a church representative
would automatically receive forgiveness of those sins.
As I have explained elsewhere,
the vicarious atonement did not remove people’s sins or karma.
When you commit an act that violates the laws of God, you automatically
make karma. The confession of sins does not remove the person’s
karma. The person will still have to balance that karma. However, the
confession of sins can, if approached correctly, have a beneficial psychological
effect.
We of the Ascended Host do not desire to see anyone be burdened by guilt
or the sense of being a sinner. We want people to let go of their past
mistakes and to focus all of their energy and attention on climbing
the spiritual path. To successfully climb the path, you must overcome
the guilt that causes many people to feel that they are not worthy to
approach God.
The essence of the spiritual path is that you come closer to God. If
you feel that you are unworthy to approach God, then you cannot climb
the path. For many people, the confession of sins can have the beneficial
psychological effect of helping them leave behind guilt.
Unfortunately, the confession of sins can also have a negative effect.
Some people faithfully go to confession every Sunday. They confess their
sins, feel free of any guilt, and then joyfully commit the same sins
next week. God’s mercy is infinite, and God’s forgiveness
is instantaneous. However God’s forgiveness does not occur until
you have forsaken the state of consciousness that causes you to sin.
If you review my Sermon on the Mount, you will see that I told people
to rise above the consciousness that causes them to commit sinful acts.
In today’s age, it is necessary to go one step further. People
need to rise above the entire carnal mind with all of its relativity
and duality.
What I am saying here is that a sin is forgiven at the moment you forsake
the consciousness that causes you to violate God’s law (this forgiveness
does not remove your karma). However, if you confess your sins without
forsaking that consciousness, then it is naive to believe that your
sin is forgiven.
The value of the ritual of confession is in direct proportion to the
attitude with which people approach this ritual. If confessing a sinful
act can help people overcome the consciousness that causes them to sin,
then by all means go to confession. However, to fully overcome the lower
consciousness, it is often necessary to go through a process of healing
the psychological wounds that cause a person to remain attached to that
state of consciousness.
Through this psychological healing, a person can come to a conscious
recognition of why that state of consciousness is wrong. Through this
recognition, a person can then make a conscious choice to abandon the
state of consciousness.
For many people, the act of confessing a sin will not bring about the
psychological healing. If people think that all they have to do is confess
their sins, then the ritual of confession can actually hinder their
spiritual growth. Obviously, I do not desire to see this happen to anyone.
Therefore, I encourage people to sincerely strive for personal Christhood
instead of thinking that the ritual confession will get them into Heaven.
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Copyright
© 2003 by Kim Michaels |
