Well, since this woman has publicly spoken about her sins in a newspaper article, what would be the point in the church elders making more of it in church on Jan 4? Ah, yes, thanks for bringing this up, OP, I now once again realize what it is that makes me avoid churches like a plague. My mom divorced my dad. The minister's wife told my mom that she would go to hell if she remarried. Heh. Oh, she was quite a b!tch about it all, too. Later we found out she was busily bumping uglies with a married member of the congregation and had been for quite some time. Hello, kettle meet pot.

Why stop there? Why not have all sins of all the members exposed? They could hold a special service the next Sunday where only the sinless could show up. That way God would have the place to Himself to rest.

[edit on 18-12-2008 by saint4God]

That's the last time I go to confession! This is astonishing. Whateve happened to treat one another with kindness and do not cast stones.

That's why I'm a Christian who doesn't belong to or attend any kind of church. It's the system of religious organzation that corrupts people..not all, but the majority. They start thinking alike, becoming single-minded and thus close-minded, judgmental and hostile towards the sins and mistakes of others, without looking at their own....they are, as Jesus said, snakes in the grass......sad but true for a lot of modern day churches.

Originally posted by Replikant
They start thinking alike, becoming single-minded and thus close-minded, judgmental and hostile towards the sins and mistakes of others, without looking at their own...

Is this not too a judgemental statement?

well, as long as she is a legal member of that church , she can expect that the church will behave according to their doctrine. However, once she is out (i beat she signed memebership papers in the past ) she should not be pressed in any way as she does not identiffy herself with the other members of the church or their belief.
I guess the church just tries not to encourage adultery , and very possible she is still a member of that churh as not going to church does not undo her signature. And the article does not states any confession made public, rather a behaviour the church did not agree.
Conclusion - do not sign papers if you do not udnerstand them!

Why don't they just put the big A or F placard on her chest! What's next? Witch trials, burning sinners at the stake, or putting them in stocks?

A lot of raging going on!!

Originally posted by Jkd Up
That's the last time I go to confession! This is astonishing. Whateve happened to treat one another with kindness and do not cast stones.

This story has nothing to do with the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) in the Catholic Church in which the seal of the confessional is sacrosanct on penalty of automatic excommunication for any confessor who would divulge what he heard. Breaking the seal is a "reserve sin" meaning absolution is reserved to the Apostolic See itself and is usually only granted (on the rare ocassions where the offence is committed) with restrictions placed on the pastors faculties to hear confessions.

This is not about "the Church" but about "a church", the definite article being used a bit too liberally on this forum to paint the Church with all the aberations of those institutions which pretend to be Christian.

Originally posted by Supercertari
This story has nothing to do with the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) in the Catholic Church in which the seal of the confessional is sacrosanct on penalty of automatic excommunication for any confessor who would divulge what he heard. Breaking the seal is a "reserve sin" meaning absolution is reserved to the Apostolic See itself and is usually only granted (on the rare ocassions where the offence is committed) with restrictions placed on the pastors faculties to hear confessions.

This is not about "the Church" but about "a church", the definite article being used a bit too liberally on this forum to paint the Church with all the aberations of those institutions which pretend to be Christian.

I think the reason why this makes the news is because it is the exception, not the rule. It's very hard for me to imagine that they're not the only church who would do this. It's a 'doube-fault' as I see it and would have expected the church leadership to 'not go there' and instead approach admonition with a bit more mercy and grace. This measure seems very extreme. This church appears to have something to learn from the Church, that is to say the rest of the Christian community. I think the Catholics in particular understand keeping a confession confidential (as do many Protestant churchs) and don't like to see wedges of politics and division.

Actually things like this happen more often that many care to know, specially in small towns where everybody's business is public knowledge as you can not hide.

Sad that this time around rather than gossip been spread around behind her back the church is taking the task of exposing her sins.

But like somebody already posted now that she is done this public the church is been put on the spot.

I can only see many of the so call sinners will be steeping back and away from that particular church now.

Interesting.

Originally posted by Replikant
It is not meant towards all churchgoing people, only the ones that -do- act in such a way..I've seen too many like that especially in my town and it seems like they are becoming more and more common ...but you are right, in condemning those that condemn others, I'm doing the same thing: pointing fingers....thanks.

*slaps forehead*

Hehe, what a cool response . It's awesome to meet someone here willing to change paradigm and look at things objectively.

You're right, that these things are more likely to happen at church rather than shoppers at Wal-Mart, but there is a reason for that. Wal-Mart shoppers don't know each other. When you have a community of people who regularly get together, get to know one another and get involved in one another's life (although originally intentioned to be helpful) sometimes the well-intentioned turns into poor deliver which I think is the case here. If you want someone to step into the Light, I don't think this is the proper way to encourage it. Christ didn't say to the adultress about to be stoned, "I shall tell the town of your evil deeds! Your sinning makes me sick!" In truth, check out John 8 to see what he really said.

Originally posted by saint4God

Originally posted by Replikant
They start thinking alike, becoming single-minded and thus close-minded, judgmental and hostile towards the sins and mistakes of others, without looking at their own...

Is this not too a judgemental statement?

Quite honestly it sounds like fact to me. Been there and seen that I looked to find a church for a long time but all of them are judgmental in some way the only exceptions I found were ones I could not attend due to distance.

When I see a family morning their dead son and hear the priest damn's that son to hell at his own funeral for committing suicide and talks trash about him I came to realize it's not about who goes to church or what one does to impress the church, but the false beliefs that are used to keep and scare current members into staying so they don't go to hell. In return ensuring the revenue of the church pours in.

After that no more churches done with them as they are hypocritical.

Not all churches but about 99% of them demonstrate this on one way or another. I find it sad when a satanic church (or cult if you prefer it) has more compassion for their members than a standard christian church does.

Originally posted by marg6043
Actually things like this happen more often that many care to know, specially in small towns where everybody's business is public knowledge as you can not hide.

Sad that this time around rather than gossip been spread around behind her back the church is taking the task of exposing her sins.

But like somebody already posted now that she is done this public the church is been put on the spot.

I can only see many of the so call sinners will be steeping back and away from that particular church now.

Interesting.

You're right Marg, and things haven't changed in 2,000 years. Paul had to write many letters to the churches about these kinds of problems.

"I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good." - 3 John 1:9-11

To the church of Corinth:

"For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
" - 2 Corinthians 12:20

The problem with church is not that it is a place to come pray, praise and worship God, the problem is that people who enter it lose focus on the reason why they're here. Regarding myself, guilty as well so it's a work that requires constant attention.

The best way I've learned to handle such words in any community (work, school, church) is to ask, "How would s/he like us to help?" or "if I were doing the same thing, how would I want someone to help me?"

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." - John 13:14

Saint4God, I came from a small town that the Catholic church was the dominant church in town, I remember so many secrets been exposed because confessions.

But that is part of the human nature that we all share.

While the lady in the Op is outrage of what happen to her by the church she is attending, she was daring enough to come forward and expose the church tactics.

I am still kind of doubtful about the whole story, I wonder if she is blowing the issue more than it really deserve.