Confession: There's an iPhone App For That 192
slshwtw writes "Pope Benedict XVI has recently encouraged priests to blog and promoted Christian Netiquette. Now apparently the Roman Catholic church has sanctioned a 'Confession App,' available through iTunes for $1.99. Apparently it doesn't replace 'traditional,' in-person confession, but walks one through the process, even suggesting sins you may wish to confess."'
I want to see it.. (Score:4, Funny)
but walks one through the process, even suggesting sins you may wish to confess.
Like a checklist?
Have you sodomized a child? (Y/n)
Have you coveted your neighbour's wife? (Y/n)
Have you murdered an infidel? (Y/n)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Like a pricelist?
Sodomized a child: $100
Coveted your neighbour's wife? $30
Murdered an infidel? $400 credit
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Taking the Lord's name in vain: Priceless.
Re: (Score:2)
I almost said "There are ladies present" but quickly realized that wasn't true.
You are right.. lady Ada [wikipedia.org] is long dead and it's not likely the (British) nobility would mix into things so vulgar as software development.
Heh (Score:3)
As I keep saying, if God didn't want me to covet my neighbour's ass, He wouldn't have given her such a magnificent ass ;)
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Heh (Score:4, Insightful)
As I keep saying, if God didn't want me to covet my neighbour's ass, He wouldn't have given her such a magnificent ass ;)
You sure ? After all this is the guy who put a fruit tree in the middle of a garden and put a "do not eat" sign on it. He's a bit of dick like that.
Re: (Score:3)
As I keep saying, if God didn't want me to covet my neighbour's ass, He wouldn't have given her such a magnificent ass ;)
You sure ? After all this is the guy who put a fruit tree in the middle of a garden and put a "do not eat" sign on it. He's a bit of dick like that.
Wow. Really? You have a pretty messed up view of god there pal. You also don't seem to believe in personal responsibility. Man was given a paradise to live in with all the food he could ever eat, immortality, a wife, the peace of mind of naivety with just one simple rule. Not 10 commandment but just one and man still had to screw that one up.
Re: (Score:2)
*Depending on who you ask.
Re: (Score:2)
Wow. Really? You have a pretty messed up view of god there pal. You also don't seem to believe in personal responsibility. Man was given a paradise to live in with all the food he could ever eat, immortality, a wife, the peace of mind of naivety with just one simple rule. Not 10 commandment but just one and man still had to screw that one up.
You do realize that it didn't actually happen [wikipedia.org] right ? It's an allegory about not listening to wimmenfolk or about never questioning authority or some other positive message like that like that, I forget. I'm really a big believer in personal responsibility but I'm also pragmatic enough to know that "you don't put the cat next to the milk" as the dutch saying goes. I was actually going for a funny mod but got an insightful instead, you got to love Slashdot.
Re: (Score:2)
You do realize that you are posting one interpretation as it was indisputable truth don't you? So... we are all supposed to just agree with you?
Re: (Score:2)
I was so ugly when I was a kid, even the priest ignored me.
Re: (Score:2)
"but walks one through the process, even suggesting sins you may wish to confess."
If one makes it through life in the Catholic Church to the point where they have an iPad or iWhatever they don't need an app to tell give them suggestions for confessions. Trust me, they'd know. :) I'm sure many would be happy if just telling them to their app was good enough to save a trip to the box.
I'd use it (Score:2)
if there were an android version.
It's sorta brilliant: if you know you have to take out your phone and mark a sin, you might be less likely to commit it. I did a quit-smoking program like that once — you had to simply mark if you were smoking. But those few seconds of "ahh, gotta get out the paper, mark it down..." etc could make it not worth the trouble.
(But yeah, i was hoping I could use the sin app, then pass the phone to the priest and he could TAP some kind of auto-penance before giving me lec
Re: (Score:2)
Are you under the age of 12? (Y/n)
Are you male? (Y/n)
Are you currently alone? (Y/n)
Do you have FaceTime installed? (Y/n)
So... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
It's louder, for one.
price (Score:2)
This one is $1.99
I wonder.. (Score:2)
swimming in the clouds? (Score:4, Insightful)
Is it a cloud app?
Re: (Score:2)
Why bother to RTFA? "If you are worried about all your personal sins being viewed in cyberspace, fear not -- the app customizes each user's list and is password protected for privacy. Once you go to confession, your nefarious revelations are wiped away."
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
More of an expert system, as best I could tell from the article, rather than a simple checklist.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
would it actually send your confession anywhere? Since your confessions are supposed to be anonymous and strictly confidential, you might as well pipe it to /dev/nulll...
No need for it... the modern gadgets have enough computation power to support Eliza and her descendants.
Re: (Score:2)
You have no idea.
It costs $1.99 to confess? (Score:3, Funny)
Martin Luther is spinning in his grave.
Re: (Score:2)
I'd have thought all the creationism would have done that. :p
Re:It costs $1.99 to confess? (Score:5, Insightful)
You do realize that the Catholic Church probably doesn't care too much about what Martin Luther thinks, right?
Re: (Score:2)
That's because they've got new damage-control issues to worry about...
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/popersquos-child-porn-normal-claim-sparks-outrage-among-victims-15035449.html [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
Re: (Score:3)
1) It's published by a private company, not the church
2) It got an imprimatur from the Vatican : "In the Catholic Church an imprimatur is an official declaration by a Church authority that a book or other printed work may be published." Basically just a label "this is OK."
3) The church teaches that absolution can only be given by God through a priest.
Let's not make this into something it's not.
Re: (Score:2)
Let's not make this into something it's not.
Agreed. Can't figure out how a call center the other side of the world would be able to absolve one for the sins of outsourcing (kidding, but only half-of).
Re:It costs $1.99 to confess? (Score:4, Funny)
But /dev/null came with my system for free!
Enough with the bashing (Score:5, Informative)
Please, people. Ha, ha, funny. RTFA.
"[T]he new app doesn't replace traditional confession. You still have to go to a priest for absolution. ... It leads you through an 'Examination of Conscience' to help you figure out what your real sins are -- and not just by retreading your run of the mill 10 Commandments."
In sacramental preparation, Roman Catholics are taught to privately undertake an examination of conscience before entering the confessional. This is just, shall we say, an expert system for the process.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Darn. I was hoping this would do away with all of the pesky washing and cleaning and bleaching between the crimes and the absolution. No more having to worry about being hit by a bus between when you hit someone with a bus and drive in to the confessional.
COMPUTERS, Y U NO FORGIVE?
Re: (Score:2)
It's my 59 seconds, so yes.
G
It's my 59 seconds, so yes~
Fixed that for you.
Re: (Score:2)
If you're Catholic (Score:2, Insightful)
It's like the guy in the $80,000 SUV with Jesus on his license plate. I think he's missing the point...
Re: (Score:3)
My iPhone cost me $25 after trading in a used hand-me-down during a sale at RadioShack. Hardly a "large ... expenditure of money," unnecessary or not. And I don't see how it's a status symbol at all.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
What does that have to do with either my spending too much on luxury goods or pride? And in any case, you have presented no evidence to substantiate your claims.
Re: (Score:2)
Alaska is sending fresh water to China in oil tankers, kind of a scary thought since I like drinking water and I don't want to compete with 3 billion Chinese for it...
What? No we're not. A few insane people are thinking about it (we've got plenty, just bring your own jar) but the catch has been the tanker. You can't just clean out anything floating and put potable water in it and the costs of making a new purpose built water tanker seem to be too high. Everything from freezing the water to shipping it in giant plastic bags has been proposed, but nothing yet has come of it.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, but that's just the cost to you. There's a much larger societal cost to getting an iPhone to you. You're just not seeing that cost because it's heavily subsidized by your monthly bill from AT&T, plus reduced by cheap Chinese labor with no environmental regulations.
And while you were typing this reply - did you think about where your computer's parts were made?
Re: (Score:3)
Wait, did I just read that? So we're both giving them jobs and letting them starve?
Re: (Score:2)
And I don't see how it's a status symbol at all.
Rationalization much?
Children.. are starving, or alternatively working in factories making mobiles devices like your shiny iPhone for mere pennies a day.
Meanwhile, you're wasting precious time and resources chiding others instead of saving the children. You really need to stop basking in the luxury of the internet while children without electricity are starving and being taking advantage of by evil multinationals. Tsk. Tsk.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:If you're Catholic (Score:4, Interesting)
Clever way of calling iPhone users idiots who couldn't possibly find utility in a particular device. Kudos on the subtle troll. Much better than comparing Jobs to the Pope. Or to Job.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, but, is the purpose of Christianity to keep a large faith going? After all, I'm talking principle here rather than practicality.
The vatican has covered up countless cases of child sex abuse by its priests. Christianity is about money and power, not principle.
1) Christianity is not the same as being Catholic. I, am Christian. I happen not to be Catholic.
2) No, that's not the purpose of Christianity.
3) Whatever the Vatican has or has not done doesn't change the fact that there are many millions upon millions of Catholics with pure, Jesus loving hearts. Yes, they sin (as we all do), but they certainly have little in common with pedophiles and sex abusers.
Re:If you're Catholic (Score:5, Informative)
[If you're Catholic] isn't an iPhone kinda incompatible with your religion?
No. A particular persons decision to purchase an iPhone given other uses of the money may or may not be prudent, and certainly might be influenced by any number of sins, but the iPhone isn't inherently incompatible with Catholicism.
It's a large, unnecessary expenditure of money and resources when there are millions of poor.
Catholic teaching does not prohibit purchasing expensive items which are not essential to survival.
Plus it's a status symbol
Purchasing an iPhone out of vanity would certainly be sinful, but the fact that society treats it as a status symbol does not make the device itself inherently sinful.
Re: (Score:2)
If you gave all your money to the poor, as Jesus commanded, you would not afford an I Phone.
Re: (Score:2)
Being Catholic means to follow orders from Vatican. Reading the bible and trying to interpret yourself what Jesus told, this is a dangerous protestant behavior.
Re: (Score:2)
If you gave all your money to the poor, as Jesus commanded, you would not afford an I Phone.
If you gave all your money to the poor, you also couldn't afford a meal.
And, of course, those you gave your money did the same with the money that was now theirs, neither could they.
But Jesus didn't say everyone should give their money to the poor, he told a rich man who was trying to approach salvation as a checklist of items to mark off that that's what he needed to do beyond what he already had. The most common interpretation of that interaction is that it has essentially the same message as the story of
Re: (Score:2)
"Catholic teaching does not prohibit purchasing expensive items which are not essential to survival."
It does not explicitly forbid it. But the church quite often brings up the saying of it being easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get into heaven. Because the issue is so controversial (and probably frowned upon by many rich backers, never mind the public at large), the church is fairly silent on the issue and leaves it up to the individual to decide whether it is sinful
Silence on economic morality? Hardly. (Score:2)
Because the issue is so controversial (and probably frowned upon by many rich backers, never mind the public at large), the church is fairly silent on the issue and leaves it up to the individual to decide whether it is sinful to buy unnecessary expensive items when you could have given the money to the poor.
Wrong. The Church is not silent on the matter, its a key part of the social doctrine of the Church. You seem to be mistaking the absence of a one-size-fits-all simple rule that lets people be lazy, look up a yes-or-no answer, and do no moral reflection for silence on the issue, but that is a mistake.
See, e.g., The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church [vatican.va] , Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (2004), which addresses this at many places. A few selections follow:
At paragraph 178:
The Church's social teaching moreover calls for recognition of the social function of any form of private ownership that clearly refers to its necessary relation to the common good. Man “should regard the external things that he legitimately possesses not only as his own but also as common in the sense that they should be able to benefit not only him but also others”. The universal destination of goods entails obligations on how goods are to be used by their legitimate owners. Individual persons may not use their resources without considering the effects that this use will have, rather they must act in a way that benefits not only themselves and their family but also the common good. [...]
And at paragraph 3
Re: (Score:2)
have you seen the vatican?
Re: (Score:2)
I don't know what world you're from where Catholics think it's a sin to buy anything expensive, but it sure isn't a sin to buy a freaking iPod. This app helps you figure out what to confess about when you go to confession. Yes, it's a sin to buy too many expensive things, but an iPod of all things isn't even close to that limit. Troll harder next time.
Re: (Score:2)
isn't an iPhone kinda incompatible with your religion? It's a large, unnecessary expenditure of money and resources when there are millions of poor.
God helps those that help themselves ... to an iphone. The catholic church, while having its ascetics like the franciscan monks, has never been anti materialistic.
Plus it's a status symbol, and I'm pretty sure pride is a sin (correct me if I'm wrong, not a Catholic).
Pride is a sin. Buy an iphone + buy this app and confess pride-fullness, problem solved.
Re: (Score:2)
Christianity per se is anti-materialistic.
To receive absolution you have to repent. If you really repent of having bought a status symbol you would give it away.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm not a Catholic, but, to be fair, spending money on yourself is not necessarily incompatible with religion. Yes, it does say in the Bible that it will be "easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven," but it's not because the person is rich. (For those who don't know, Jesus makes this statement after a rich man asked him what he needed to do to enter heaven. Jesus told him to go and sell his possessions and then follow Him. The rich man went a
Re: (Score:2)
I'm a Christian (not Catholic though), and sadly I have to agree with a lot of
Repention? (Score:2)
Is this a repentance on the part of the iPhone?
After all, it was Apple that brought us into this mess of sin in the first place.
You have achieved ... (Score:4, Funny)
... a new high score!!!
Profit? (Score:2, Interesting)
1. Write confession app
2. collect confessions + phone number / email address
3. ????
4. Profit!
Sanctioned how? (Score:3)
I see nothing in the article to support the claim that this app has been sanctioned by the Catholic Church, besides the fact the author seems to be a priest, and seems to like it. This is an app developed by a private company [littleiapps.com] with no official connection to the Church (and a horribly broken website, to boot).
Imprimatur (Score:2)
The app was developed by a small group including a friend of mine. It's sanctioned only insofar as Bishop Rhodes (his local bishop) has given it an imprimatur. An imprimatur is usually given to books. It's is not an endorsement or any kind of insistence that anyone should actually buy the product, but only a statement to the effect that nothing harmful to the faith is contained within. Not that an app really needs an imprimatur, but it's a way for the bishop to show support for Catholics utilizing contemporary media for the promotion of faith.
To be more specific, the imprimatur is not generally mandatory for anything other than prayer books and for books on religious and moral matters intended for use in the context of educational programs, though its encouraged-but-not-required for books on religious and moral topics not intended for use in educational programs, and is in theory available for any published work. Other than the form (as it is an interactive app, rather than a book) this seems to, from the descriptions, have elements of a prayer
Feature request (Score:2, Funny)
Recommendation system (Score:2)
Forgive me Confession App (Score:2)
For I have sinned. I jailbroke my iphone, carrier unlocked it to use on TMobile, then I downloaded a cracked version of Confession App through installous. Also Angry Birds.
If You're Not Catholic (Score:2, Funny)
Would it pull an Amazon? (Score:2)
Spam Submissions.... (Score:2)
They also review movies (Score:2)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also have pretty good movie reviews [usccb.org] where they cut directly to the chase as it were. Like their review of Black Swan :
"Darren Aronofsky's nightmarish, morally muddled drama plays on the extremes of sexual repression and debauched license and, whether read as insisting on the necessity of indiscriminate experience or as a cautionary tale, presents its heroine's experimentation with voyeuristic excess. Strong sexual content, including graphic lesbian and nonmar
Re: (Score:2)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also have pretty good movie reviews [usccb.org] where they cut directly to the chase as it were. Like their review of Black Swan :
"Darren Aronofsky's nightmarish, morally muddled drama plays on the extremes of sexual repression and debauched license and, whether read as insisting on the necessity of indiscriminate experience or as a cautionary tale, presents its heroine's experimentation with voyeuristic excess. Strong sexual content, including graphic lesbian and nonmarital heterosexual activity, as well as masturbation, drug use, a few instances of profanity, much rough and some crude language and numerous sexual references. O -- morally offensive.."
Makes me actually want to watch it.
That reads like it was some kind of porno, which it totally wasn't. The Catholic's who wrote that would no doubt be happier seeing small boys dancing instead.
I thought it was a pretty good film.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, you might want to watch it; but you only should if you think you might like "David Lynch does a snuff film".
Re: (Score:2)
Well, you might want to watch it; but you only should if you think you might like "David Lynch does a snuff film".
It just keeps sounding better and better :-)
But... (Score:2)
I thought everyone who owned an iPhone prayed to Jobs (thrice daily, while facing Cupertino), has WWDC and Macworld Expo instead of communion, confessed their dalliances with non-Apple products to Geniuses at the Apple Store, and did penance by lashing out at those who criticize Apple products online.
Wouldn't being involved in Catholicism violate their First Commandment or something?
Obligatory Sleeper reference (Score:2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ihD3dTVHcoY#t=134s [youtube.com]
.
How that would go. (Score:4, Funny)
I am the electrono-priest. Please, describe your problems. Each time
you are finished talking, type RET twice.
Forgive me father, for I have sinned.
Tell me something about your family.
They aren't talking to me anymore.
Why do you say they are not talking to you anymore?
Just what I said. They don't speak with me.
What makes you believe that?
Empirical evidence?
Maybe your plans have something to do with this.
What plans are you talking about? I didn't mention plans.
I don't understand.
That makes two of us.
Is it because makes two of us that you came to me?
Hey you're the priest. Who should I go to, Steve Jobs?
Earlier you said makes two of us?
You heard correctly.
Is it because of your life that you are going through all this?
Tautologically speaking, I suppose my life is the reason I'm going
through anything at all.
How do you reconcile the people you hang around with?
I pay them. Can we get to the bit about my sins please?
You mentioned that makes two of us?
Father are you brain damaged?
You seem to dwell on your family.
Who is that back there?
I'll ask the questions, if you don't mind!
Ezra is that you? Oh for Christ's sake.
It even gives pennance ... (Score:2, Funny)
Immidiate absolution. (Score:2)
Gee I guess now you can confess your sins to your phone and pay your "penance" by credit card over the phone.
"Oops I just slept with a hooker" Quick where is my iPhone I need to confess my sin NOW!
Re: (Score:3)
Any guesses on how long before we see an Church of Satan app. I look forward to confessing the sins of the Slashdot editors.
It's for iPhones. To listern to the detractors, the OS itself is a Church of Satan app.
Re:Now we just need the Church of Satan app (Score:4, Funny)
The CoS app for iPhone was "I'm rich".
Re: (Score:2)
That was the Church of Scientology app.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I heard the Church of Satan app will only run on the Windows mobile platform. Ohhh Well . . .
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
this particular quarrel is not with the catholic church, but the apple church.
Re: (Score:2)
It's called "Rational Thought" but I think you have to jailbreak to use it...
Jailbreak who or what?
Also, is it sufficient?
Re: (Score:2)
They are selling the app for $1.99 rather than giving it away. What do you think?
Re: (Score:2)
They are selling the app for $1.99 rather than giving it away. What do you think?
They are, yes. Of course, "they" isn't the Church, or even a local church.
Re: (Score:2)
Because it's kind of hard for a phone to molest a kid.
Coming soon - A vatican approved app for that.
Re: (Score:2)
Some more: http://www.evilbible.com/ [evilbible.com] :-)
Re: (Score:2)
I seem to remember from before I escaped religion that they gave you a penance each time, which ultimately amounts to reinforcement of your submission to a belief system without evidence of its validity.
If it was just a straightforward extortion, I'd almost feel better about it all. When it comes down to it, I only ever did the same things every other kid did, and nothing worth the trouble of blackmail. Certainly not worth the threat of Hell.
Re: (Score:2)
More likely, it's just the lowest common denominator that are attracted to such things - they're hitting their target market.
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe it can be auto-appended, like the "Sent from my iPhone" email signature.
Re: (Score:2)
This app offers no real service other than to point out other things for you to feel guilty about, and you have to pay them for this?
If by them, you mean the authors of the app (not the Catholic Church), the "you have to pay them for this" is correct. I'll leave aside any discussion of what the app provides.
All the Catholic Church (well, the local diocesan censor and bishop) has done is to review the content of the app and determine that it the content is free of doctrinal or moral error.