Bishop/Stake President "meetings"

[_Themis]

No, they didn't. All they knew was that I had "passed" my worthiness interview, and my father ordained me to the priesthood. It didn't occur to me to tell them the details of a private interview.

Sure they did, or at least your father would have, unless he was a convert. They don't complain because it was just how things were.

[_Themis]

Interesting how you worded your recollection of the question. As for myself, I've never been asked nor have I asked about masturbation since I began doing interviews in the late 1970's.

I have learned not to believe most of what you say. I am not sure why some who want to defend the church always have to say they never heard or experienced what everyone else has including most apologists have. I also doubt you have done very many interviews in which you could ask about masturbation since I am not aware you were ever a Bishop or BP. Lets hope you never are with some of the extreme ideas you have. I would hate to see you get excommunicated or early release, but I suspect your leaders already know better. :)

[_why me]

But really the point here is not what is expected in confession but that confession itself is voluntary, no priest questions you about your behavior, they accept what you confess, and assume you are being forthright. No priest will ask if you masturbate and then after finding out you don't know what that is explain it to you and ask if you've done it.

As to masturbation being a sin in need of confession I never commented on that I said I don't believe you know what other boys confessed. All in all I don't believe many of the "Catholic experiences" you describe are your own, I believe they are a montage of things you've read or seen in movies and on TV, in short fiction.

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Confession is technically voluntary. But actually in the old days one could not get communion unless one confessed their sins to the priest before the Mass and this confession had to be a good confession, which would include all the sins that one commited. This was usually done on a saturday. Whether a church has confession booths or some room with a screen is moot. Since boys masturbate and since masturbation is a sin, I would leave it up to your imagination as to what was confessed by boys or even young and old men in a confession.

Are you sure you are catholic? You need to check with your friends on the taliban site. Maybe you should stop commenting on Mormonism on that site and discuss more on the catholic beliefs section.

[_cafe crema]

But really the point here is not what is expected in confession but that confession itself is voluntary, no priest questions you about your behavior, they accept what you confess, and assume you are being forthright. No priest will ask if you masturbate and then after finding out you don't know what that is explain it to you and ask if you've done it.

As to masturbation being a sin in need of confession I never commented on that I said I don't believe you know what other boys confessed. All in all I don't believe many of the "Catholic experiences" you describe are your own, I believe they are a montage of things you've read or seen in movies and on TV, in short fiction.

.

Confession is technically voluntary. But actually in the old days one could not get communion unless one confessed their sins to the priest before the Mass and this confession had to be a good confession, which would include all the sins that one commited. This was usually done on a saturday. Whether a church has confession booths or some room with a screen is moot. Since boys masturbate and since masturbation is a sin, I would leave it up to your imagination as to what was confessed by boys or even young and old men in a confession.

Are you sure you are catholic? You need to check with your friends on the taliban site. Maybe you should stop commenting on Mormonism on that site and discuss more on the catholic beliefs section.

Confession has to be voluntary otherwise it's pointless, someone who is corned into admitting sins lacks a contrite heart, something integral to reconciliation.
You are just wrong about having to go to confession before receiving at Mass, going back to the Middle Ages Catholics have been required to go to confession once a year, this was codified in 1917 in the Canon Law. Everyone in my family and my husbands family is/was aware of this. Ever hear the phrase Easter Duty? Oh of course not you're not really Catholic you're LDS. One doesn't have to confess every single sin in order for it to be a good confession and you don't have to go to confession to confess venial sins, these are forgiven at Mass, you should know this occurs since you say you go to Mass.

As to imagining what boys confessed to doing, why would I do that, it's none of my business what other people do, the idea of thinking about what others confess is repugnant I'll leave the imaging to you since you appear to be a natural, swimming in the waters of the gutter.

[_Jason Bourne]

A bit more on interviews and confessions in the LDS Church.

Youth have an annual interview with the bishop from 12-18. Happens around their birthday. Also, a six month interview should be taking place with a councilor to the bishop. This interview is more casual and less detailed than a bishops interview. I believe the bishop is supposed to see the 16-18 year old youths twice a year.

He also should be interviewing annually young single adults though many don't always do this due to work load constraints.

The youth interview really depends on the bishop. He has no set guidelines unless the youth is seeing him for a limited use temple recommend (only good for proxy baptisms). So you will get a range of interview types. Me, when I did it I spent time getting to know the kid, seeing what their interests were, how they were doing in school etc. I would talk about church standards by using the booklet For the Strength of the Youth. The covers lots of things like education, music, friends, faith in Christ, modesty, law of chastity, word of wisdom, etc. I always kept in general and never asked specifics. If a kid needed to confess something I let them do it and bring up the specifics.

For adults the only time a bishop needs to interview them is for a temple recommend ( and bishop counselors can do these for renewals) or a calling. TR interviews are specific questions and callings can just be will you do the job and are you worthy to have this calling?

For both adults and youth they can set a meeting with a bishop to confess something specific. Then the schedule an appointment and meet with the bishop and then confess the sin. The bishop then councils, helps repent, may pursue some sort of action of discipline if he judges it is necessary and so on.

Hope this helps.

[_Scottie]

I specifically avoided going to interviews because I knew I was going to be asked if I masturbated, and I'd have to lie and say no.

I'm curious. Do they withhold the priesthoods if you actually confess that you do, indeed, masturbate?

If there is ONE thing I would like to see the church do away with is the incessant fixation on teenage masturbation. It is perfectly natural and healthy. The fact that they have turned it into some kind of boogeyman that is the gateway to all sick perversion is disgusting.

I swear, the line of thinking in the Mormon church is that every pedophile started by masturbating, and therefore you shouldn't masturbate or you'll turn into a pedophile! Well, no crap genius!!! That's because ALL boys masturbate!! You could just as easily say that they all got their start by eating cheeseburgers.

[_why me]

Confession has to be voluntary otherwise it's pointless, someone who is corned into admitting sins lacks a contrite heart, something integral to reconciliation.
You are just wrong about having to go to confession before receiving at Mass, going back to the Middle Ages Catholics have been required to go to confession once a year, this was codified in 1917 in the Canon Law. Everyone in my family and my husbands family is/was aware of this. Ever hear the phrase Easter Duty? Oh of course not you're not really Catholic you're LDS. One doesn't have to confess every single sin in order for it to be a good confession and you don't have to go to confession to confess venial sins, these are forgiven at Mass, you should know this occurs since you say you go to Mass.

As to imagining what boys confessed to doing, why would I do that, it's none of my business what other people do, the idea of thinking about what others confess is repugnant I'll leave the imaging to you since you appear to be a natural, swimming in the waters of the gutter.

http://catholicism.about.com/b/2008/05/ ... ession.htm

I think that you need to bone up on the past and just how it was. Once a year is a new policy. But in the past it was once a month and some devout catholics which you are not would still recommend once a month.

[_schreech]

That's good. I wish there were more people who recognized that it's not an appropriate topic of discussion in an interview, particularly with a minor.

I don't recall the exact wording of his question. Over the years, I heard the following:

1. Do you have a problem with masturbation?
2. Do you masturbate?
3. Have you engaged in masturbation?
4. Do you engage in self-stimulation?
5. Do you fondle yourself?

I'm not sure it matters how it was phrased, but when I was 12, I'm pretty sure it was either "Do you have a problem with masturbation?" or "Have you engaged in masturbation?" I don't know why you think my recollection is "interesting." Shrug.

I have been asked all those questions myself, quite often by friends of the family as i grew up in a place where there were not many momos...the craziest question i was asked is:

"have you ever had inappropriate sexual relations with an animal" (i was actually asked this question 2x - maybe it was because i was raised in VA:))...I actually started laughing and the guy (some BYU SP guy doing interviews for prospective missionaries) - he actually said..."yea, its pretty sad that we have to ask this question..." - WTF!?...apparently it was a problem for many prospective missionaries at BYU...lol...

[_Buffalo]

I have been asked all those questions myself, quite often by friends of the family as i grew up in a place where there were not many momos...the craziest question i was asked is:

"have you ever had inappropriate sexual relations with an animal" (i was actually asked this question 2x - maybe it was because i was raised in VA:))...I actually started laughing and the guy (some BYU SP guy doing interviews for prospective missionaries) - he actually said..."yea, its pretty sad that we have to ask this question..." - WTF!?...apparently it was a problem for many prospective missionaries at BYU...lol...

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."

[_schreech]

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."

apparently many young men "knew" their animals in a biblical sense....ack!