Comments on: Which Sins Do You Confess To The Bishop?

By: MCQ

MCQ — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:34:39 +0000

J, I’m not a bishop, but I am pretty certain that crossdressing is not a sin.

By: J

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:59:29 +0000

I have an addiction to crossdressing, I’ve had it since childhood. Should I confess to my bishop, is it a serious sin, and what might the consequences be if I confess? I’m a 16 year old aaronic priesthood holder. Any bishops on here that can give me some advice?

By: MCQ

MCQ — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:20:44 +0000

I don’t think that’s the reason.

By: annegb

annegb — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:08:11 +0000

My mental issues, mcq…….you know, the reason why you find me so fascinatingly alluring.

By: MCQ

MCQ — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:01:09 +0000

The elephant in the room? What do you mean?

By: annegb

annegb — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:23:18 +0000

It’s a given that I am mentally ill, a bit of a loose cannon. This buys me some leeway in my recommend interview. I’m always tense in the interviews because I’m still disappointed with some of my leaders, although I love those same guys. Frankly, I think they’re tense, too. So we try to make it quick and I don’t do much confessing beyond the elephant in the room that we acknowledge with a quick nod.

By: MCQ

MCQ — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 21:58:29 +0000

Thanks for the quotes, Rachael. It is interesting to me that we don’t hear nearly as much about The Miracle of Forgiveness as we used to. I think the Church has moved on from some of the answers SWK provided, though a lot of the book is obviously still very applicable.

By: Rachael

Rachael — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:52:50 +0000

President Kimball said: “To every forgiveness there is a condition. … The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin. There must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit. … There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil, confession of the error to properly constituted authorities of the Lord” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 353).
For many people, confession is the most difficult part of repentance. We must confess not only to the Lord but also to the person we have offended, such as a husband or wife, and to the proper priesthood authority. The priesthood leader (bishop or stake president) will judge our standing in the Church. The Lord told Alma, “Whosoever transgresseth against me … if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also” (Mosiah 26:29).
(Gospel Principles, Chapter 39: The Law of chastity)

By: Jacinta

Jacinta — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 03:53:09 +0000

The way I look at this involves understanding the Law of Moses and ancient Temple ordinances. The Bishop who is ordained with the same Priesthood as Aaron holds the keys of repentance and the atonement within the ward. It is his sole responsibility to be the Lord’s mouthpiece when it comes to matters of repentance.

This being said, it is not required to confess before him all and sundry however, there are sins that inhibit our spiritual growth that only he has the keys to, this includes those of a sexual nature.

He administers to the one seeking repentance in the manner that the Saviour would with love, kindness and compassion. He uses the scriptures to set the sinner back on the path to exaltation so they can walk ahead knowing they are forgiven and no longer accountable for those wrongs.

This Priesthood places us under the baptismal covenant. It stands to reason that there is a strong connection with the Aaronic Priesthood and the Atonement as the covenant of baptism and subsequent sacrament is directly linked with the principles of repentance.

It is pretty basic:- the laws governing repentance are handled by one with the authority, keys and ordination to that office within the Aaronic Priesthood. This is logical and orderly.

Of course, with this in mind, the logical sequence to this is the Melchizedek Priesthood has a direct connection to those we refer to as “higher” covenants.

The Bishopric counsellor was right in stopping the confession – as should anyone within the congregation – nobody but the Bishop has the right to hear of such sins.

Having had somebody spurge out about their adulterous infidelity I know personally how unpleasant it is and the weight on my shoulders that I bore after. It was made worse by the fact that she refused to see the Bishop and I was placed in a position of whether or not to say anything. That sister quickly went inactive.

I could not help her through the repentance process but the Bishop could had she given him a chance. The Lord’s organisation is logical and functional, requiring faith and trust in Him. I guess this is why we are here, to walk by faith.

By: MCQ

MCQ — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:55:07 +0000

I’m sure they don’t, but who really does annegb? Are there any people in your life who are actually on your page with you? There are very few in my life.

I guess a TR interview isn’t the proper place for that discussion anyway. There should be places in real life where we can discuss those things with our fellow ward members, but until there is, thank goodness for the ‘nacle.