Actual Christians profess their sins directly to the Father, as intended by Christ. There is no Biblical basis for a middle man like a priest.
So... um...
Catholic priests are going to give up illegal aliens who are going to there parishes? Is that what California hopes to achieve? Or is California going to dismiss those confessions and only consider other types of confessions.
Seems to me California will pick and choose the confessions that they are willing to prosecute. But I will say this - not everybody confesses fully to their priest. My father once told me there are some things you just take to the grave ... And from what I have observed over the years there are plenty of people that take a lot of stuff to the grave... either that or they ask for the Lord’s forgiveness on their own... and they don’t need a crowd to do that.
It is asking the Lords forgiveness a Christian fundamental that secular politicians and legislators just can’t seem to grasp?
Why would they need biblical permission for enacting the sacraments (e.g. Baptism, Reconciliation, The Sacrifice of the Eucharist)? They were doing those things for years before the Gospels were written down.
But anyway - here you go:
"If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld."
John 20:21-23:
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Not only this. You said: “Actual Christians...”. So, Catholics are not Christians in your world view? I tend to disagree. Study history, that’s why I converted back in the 80s.
Also, you mentioned one can go straight to the Father for forgiveness. True. But Jesus gave that power to the ones He put in charge of the church also.