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confession
Confession
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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1997
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© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information)
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Confession Christianity
1. An affirmation or profession of faith: (i) the testimony of a
martyr or
confessor (e.g. 1 Timothy 6. 13); (ii) a doctrinal statement in the Orthodox Church; (iii) Protestant professions of faith, especially of 16th/17th cents.
2. An acknowledgement of
sin. In Christianity, this may be made either in worship by a congregation (‘general confession’), or privately to a priest (‘auricular confession’: Lat.,
ad auriculam, ‘to the ear’), who mediates God's willingness to forgive, and pronounces God's
absolution.
The recognition and acknowledgement of fault occurs in all religions, and the term ‘confession’ is applied widely, although what is happening in the context of each religion may be very different.
Judaism
Confession of sin in Judaism (Heb.,
vidduʾi) is an essential prequisite of expiation. Prayers of confession are part of the
synagogue liturgy, particularly at
Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur, and well-known prayers include Ashamnu (We have incurred guilt)
ʿAl het (For the sin), and
Avinu malkenu (Our father, Our king).
Buddhism
In Buddhism confession is not made to a divine power and there is no concept of absolution or the forgiveness of sins. The act of confession (
pāpa-desanā) is the owning-up to one's failings or shortcomings in order to cultivate greater self-awareness and be freed from the burden of persecutory guilt. The occasion for confession in monastic Buddhism is a formal public event which takes place at the
Uposatha ceremony. There is no counterpart to this formal ceremony for lay Buddhists.
Jainism
Confession (
alocana and
pratikramaṇa) occurs twice daily for monks; laypeople make confession to their
guru.
Cite this article
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Confession and atonement in contemporary fiction: J. M. Coetzee, John Banville, and Ian McEwan.
Magazine article from: CRITIQUE: Studies in Contemporary Fiction; 9/22/2006; ; 700+ words
; ...importance of confession in Western...Troubling Confessions, remarks...of secular confessions that confront...transferring confession from a religious...wrote in Les Confessions (34). The...unwritten law of confession stipulates...
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Troubling confessions: Speaking Guilt in Law and Literature
Magazine article from: Comparative Literature; 4/1/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...Troubling Confessions addresses...specific drama of confession-which is...suspicion of confession" (p. 9...want to hear confessions, and yet...aspect of the confession problem is...context of legal confessions, which in...
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Confessions of a Don Abu Salem finally faces charges for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. However, his conviction hinges on how prosecutors navigate the legal maze enveloping his confessions where he has implicated Sanjay Dutt
Newspaper article from: India Today; 4/3/2006; ; 700+ words
; ...hold any ground and confessions are admissible in court...of the TADA Act, the confession of the accused is required...In this case, the confessions were retracted on an...likely to suffer from his confession," said Nikam. Nikam...
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 "The Kentucky Post (Covington, KY)")
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CONFESSION FOR PRIESTS, BISHOPS, TOO.(Kentucky Life)
Newspaper article from: The Kentucky Post (Covington, KY); 4/3/2003; 700+ words
; ...surveys found that monthly confession among American Catholics...Catholics" never went to confession and another 35 percent...hard to know how many confessions priests hear these days, said Moroney. Confession is a private matter...
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Confessions of Judgment. (Legal Jargon).(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: Business Credit; 1/1/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...customer execute a Confession of Judgment: 1...jurisdiction allow Confessions of Judgment at...jurisdiction permits Confessions of Judgment generally...may not permit a Confession of Judgment for...Document the Confession of Judgment carefully...jurisdictions which permit Confessions ...
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Troubling Confessions: Speaking Guilt in Law and Literature. (Book Reviews).
Magazine article from: Argumentation and Advocacy; 1/1/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...As McVeigh's confession was criticized...the meaning of confessions--what their...the "truth" of confessions be considered more...accuracy of the confession "may be secondary...accepts that same confession as justification...notably Rousseau's Confessions, Dostoevsky...
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 "Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)")
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Confession booths go silent; A one-time pillar of the Catholic Church is crumbling, and many who still perform the sacrament are changing how they clear their consciences.(Main)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 6/24/2007; 700+ words
; ...Brien's last confession, and a few days...confesses that hearing confessions is one of his favorite...College who studies confession. An emerging confession style that is attracting...cyber-dish their confessions to the world. And...
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 "Times Union (Albany, NY)")
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Confession booths go silent.
Newspaper article from: Times Union (Albany, NY); 6/24/2007; 700+ words
; ...Brien's last confession, and a few days...confesses that hearing confessions is one of his favorite...College who studies confession. An emerging confession style that is attracting...cyber-dish their confessions to the world. And...
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COERCED CONFESSION RULE ALTERED.(Main)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 3/27/1991; 700+ words
; ...the use of a coerced confession in a criminal trial...coerced or involuntary confession can never be regarded...held view that coerced confessions are almost in a class...White said coerced confessions were different in kind...Permitting a coerced confession to be part of the evidence...
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Confession Rite Evolves To Meet Changing Need;
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 10/5/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...Rockville schedules weekend confessions, "no more than half...have recently been to confession. There are many reasons for the decline in confession-going. Many Catholics...revival of interest in confession, especially among young...
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Confession
Encyclopedia entry from: West's Encyclopedia of American Law
...start to admit only confessions that they deemed trustworthy...trustworthiness of a confession, judges considered...addressed the issue of confessions in the 1884 case of...incrimination to confessions in federal courts...exerted to obtain a confession would render the confession...
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Involuntary Confession
Encyclopedia entry from: West's Encyclopedia of American Law
INVOLUNTARY CONFESSION An admission...system relies on confessions by defendants to...determine whether a confession must be excluded...the validity of confessions gained momentum...obtain about as many confessions now as they did...could make the confession involuntary. It...
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Coerced Confessions
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States
...obtained by coerced confessions drew on Fourteenth Amendment...Hogan ), coerced confession claims were reviewed...reviewing claims of coerced confessions. One of the earliest...the Court presumed a confession involuntary because...
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The Whitmore Confessions and Richard Robles Trial: 1965
Book article from: Great American Trials
...leading to the confession. The police announced...beyond a doubt. Confessions Discredited Brooklyn...that Whitmore's confessions to the Edmonds...Wylie-Hoffert confession. In May 1965...evidence of his "confession." After a stormy...accusation that his confessions had been beaten...
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Confessions
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice
CONFESSIONS Confessions have played an ambiguous and paradoxical...In many religious traditions, a confession begins the process of expiation and...within this contradiction. Because confessions appear to create unmediated access...
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