Forgiveness of sin is one of the key Christian doctrines. Jesus preached the good news that God is always forgiving people, no matter what wrongs they commit. He treated good people and bad people the same way. Roman catholics Celebrate this extraordinary generosity of God in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Original sin is the tendency in all people to turn away from God. All people are therefore born into a sinful world, they are apart of it and, at what ever level, contribute to it. When a person is baptised there is a promise to reject this sin - water represents a death to sin and a new life in Christ.

Personal sin still occurs after baptism. The church has traditionally seen there to be two types of sin - very serious called ‘mortal’ sin or less serious sin called ‘venial’ sin. All sin can be thought of as thoughts or actions which do not reflect the love of God for people.

Catholics can seek God’s forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation. It traditionally took place in a confessional where the penitent (sinner) and the priest could not see each other. A more modern way is for the penitent and the priest to face each other in a conversational way.

This sacrament can be shortened if necessary (e.g. if the person was dying)

The sacrament can also be given within a service of reconciliation where a group of people will come together as a community and ask for God’s forgiveness.

This sacrament is meant to help a Roman Catholic mend their relationship with God if they have sinned against him. The sacrament of reconciliation (penance) asks a person to have second thoughts about their lives, to confess their sins and to reform their lives for the future. These ideas have an application to the problems faced by modern society. Healing (Reconciliation) of relationships is needed by:

Three areas that deal with reconciliation in society are:

The purpose of law and order is for the common good of all - so that people are protected.

When people are put in prison there may be various motives for a persons imprisonment:

To protect society

For revenge

To deter others from crime

To reform the offender

For New Testament teaching look up ‘respect for all people’James 2: 1-9

In the Gospels Jesus deliberately mixed with people who were discriminated against by the rest of society.

In the Gospels Jesus taught that you must love your enemies

The Church teaches that if a war is to be fought it must be a ‘Just war’ -

There are seven conditions for a war to be considered just - see page 105 in ‘Dimensions of Christianity’