If a child rapist tells a priest in confession, “I’ve raped a child and I’m going to do it again,” and the priest tells no one, that’s protecting a child rapist.
I don’t think your religious beliefs are a valid excuse to put others in harms way. If a therapist is a mandatory reporter, then a priest should be too.
EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
A child rapist wouldn’t say that in confession. Confession is a sacrament where you confess your sins with regret, for the purpose of earning forgiveness. If somebody was not only not remorseful for what they’ve done, but are already determined to continue in the future… why would they be at confession? Your example makes no sense.
Putting aside the total lack of reason and sense in your hypothetical question, you’re asking what would happen if a criminal went into a confessional booth not to engage with the sacrament of confession, but to brag to a priest about a crime that they committed and boast that they’re planning to do it again? That would not be protected by the seal of confession since it isn’t one, and the priest could report that person.
And one of the founding principles of our nation can hardly be considered a “loophole” when it was placed there on purpose with cases exactly like this in mind.
onslaught545@lemmy.zip 6 hours ago
You’re making overly broad generalizations about a religion with over 1 billion members.
There are absolutely people who abuse the confession system as a get out of jail free card for their guilt with no intention of changing their ways.
Again, there are absolutely restrictions to freedom of religion, just like there’s restrictions on every other 1A right.
EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
That’s not how confession works. It’s not a “get out of jail free card”, and it doesn’t take a broad generalization to know that even somebody deluded enough to think that it is, is going to tell a priest “and I’ll do it again” and still think they’re getting anything out of it. That’s just a scenario made up entirely in your head, and I wouldn’t waste too much of your energy worrying about scenarios that only exist in your head. We have enough real problems to worry about.
Yes, and the seal of confession is not one of them, nor should it be.
onslaught545@lemmy.zip 4 hours ago
You must be a child rapist since you know so authoritatively what they’d say in confession.