tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166385576103527525.post2893385089876799916..comments2023-07-22T05:31:36.488-04:00Comments on Lutheran in SC: "Private" ConfessionPastor John Rickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951197786058002830noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166385576103527525.post-66151980352537897722010-05-01T11:28:46.800-04:002010-05-01T11:28:46.800-04:00Hi Dave. Thank you for the comment. In the US “the...Hi Dave. Thank you for the comment. In the US “the Federal government defines a felony as a crime punishable by death or imprisonment in excess of one year. If punishable by exactly one year or less, it is classified as a misdemeanor.” (Wikpedia) If we use the legal felony-misedmeanor distinction to guide what is shared with the authorities and what is kept confidential, then a cheating spouse would be safe, but someone selling majuania, or transporting stollen items across state lines, or making moonshine, or an illegal alien, or even someone who vandelises Federal property (like grafittie) could not count on confidentiality. The felony-misedeamonor distinction seems to add complecatoins to me.Pastor John Rickerthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951197786058002830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166385576103527525.post-65441477219218276742010-05-01T10:46:52.691-04:002010-05-01T10:46:52.691-04:00I received the following e-mail concerning this po...I received the following e-mail concerning this post: "I read your posting on confidentiality, and it is an interesting moral issue. Obviously if a priest confessed to his superior, that would be the same as a congregant confessing to his pastor. Maybe none of this would have ever come out had the victims as adults not told what had happened. The Catholic church has certainly received much criticism for the way in which they handled these situations, but perhaps their hands were tied, so to speak. Certainly thought-provoking. Hazel"Pastor John Rickerthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951197786058002830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166385576103527525.post-86026760889598802952010-04-30T02:37:57.215-04:002010-04-30T02:37:57.215-04:00John, you raise a lot of good and thoughtful quest...John, you raise a lot of good and thoughtful questions. In the cases that have been in the news we are not just talking about sinful sexual practices. We are talking about felonies. If there is evidence that a crime has been committed, then yes, I do believe that evidence needs to be shared with the authorities. Not shouted from the rooftops, but put into the hands of those who are responsible for protecting the public.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468973006071119583noreply@blogger.com