Thanks also for the correction. I’m no expert and so can only go on what I find.

That seems to answer E’s questions so I shall leave it to her to read and respond to if she would like…

A person write up their transgressions. They also pay the Church to professionally pull the withholds….that is in a room with a meter, to find the sins that need to be yanked out.

It is kept in records forever.

Confessionals are liberating except when used against the innocent in subtle ways. Just the fact that its in writing could be intimidating.

And also not subjecting each other to fair, consistent terms and standards of behavior. The craftier people get away with all kinds of things! While the innocent are confessing, thinking their ideals are being met.

A friend of mine even had a technique used on him which was that it’s a given that everyone is hiding something — so when you “get off” (confess) a “small” sin they encourage you that there must be something more and huge. They bait people to get pretty wild in their confessions. Even things like blowing up planets, according to a first hand account from people who experienced it.

1) Nowhere can I find any reference to him making confessions. It sounds like the onus falls solely on the wife. Also, I love the comedy examples.

2) It would become glib, as Tom might say, after a while. The woman barely leaves his side… how much trouble could she possibly get into???

1. Is this reciprocal? Does he have to write weekly confession letters to HER? Although, honestly, since she only has to report anything that violates the “moral code” of their marriage, seems to me the only time she’d have to confess anything is if she decided to give an interview that yes, it IS all a sham, and yes, Tom IS gayer than a treeful of monkeys on nitrous, and yes, Suri IS the result of donated sperm and a turkey baster, and yes, she DOES feel a little foolish for going along with it all so long.

2. How does any logical person think that this “confession” scenario is going to work, anyway? Honestly, what, a spouse is going to sit down on Saturday afternoon and write a letter that says, “Dear Honey, I forgot to tell you that I met with a friend on Wednesday. I also forgot to tell you that the friend and I met in a luxury hotel room, and that within 45 seconds of my closing the door we were naked as the day we were born and bonking like bunnies. I may have also forgotten to mention that after the first 3 hours of crazy-wild animal sex (out of a total of 8 – it would have been only 6 hours but you had Pilates that day so we had extra time), we ordered room service and I ate an entire piece of bread. With butter. Also, I bumped the door on your Ferrari with my watch and made a teensy little scratch. Sorry.”

Even if it is true, it’s just dumb. If someone is doing something they want to hide, they’re not going to hide it all week and then go, “Oh dear, it’s Confession Writing Day, I have to face the music now!”