Sin verbs: are we desensitised?

Apologetics Moral Theology
#1

Dear CA Forum community

I am developing a study dealing with language and sin, and the impact of verbs that relate to sin?
Fictitious Jim is imaginary character. This is completly fictious.
The challenge:
Of the 5 statements, one of the verbs will make you feel more repelled, saddened than another ( pick the negative emotion of your choosing)

Read each statement slowly; which verb is the most offensive?

5 Statements

[LIST=1]
*]Jim drowned his wife’s sister.
*]Jim raped his wife’s sister.
*]Jim lied to his wife’s sister.
*]Jim sinned against God the Father Almighty.
*]Jim performed an abortion for his wife’s sister.

i) Now that you’ve read the statements, did statement 4, “sinned against God”, strike you us as being the LEAST offensive?
ii) All the sins are mortal sins, and Fictitious Jim knew they were mortal sins according to the teachings of our church.
iii) Does #4, rate as THE ABSOLUTE WORST of the 5?

I acknowledge that God our Father would view all of Fictitious Jim’s 5 mortal sins as equal, and still forgiveable if he is repentant.
I am wondering is society desensitised to reacting with horror, that Fictious Jim committed the mortal sin of: “…sinned against God the Father Almighty”.
Or do we just have a " ya whateverrrrr! But my goodness, he murdered his wife’s sister!!!"

Thank you for any (name removed by moderator)ut you may graciously offer.

Peace of Christ be with you.

#2

You are right, but I don’t know if it is because we are desensitized, or because of all the choices it is the most abstract. The others paint a solid picture of how Jim sinned. But to say he sinned without the details comes across as somehow less troublesome.

#3

The #4 choice troubled me the most, maybe because as the previous poster pointed out, it’s the only abstract choice of the five. The more we are left to our own imaginations, the more we will picture our worst fears.

Choices #3 and #4 are intransitive verbs, whereas the others are transitive. Not sure how this affects the experiement. Someone with more linguistic knowledge may be able to comment on whether or not listing five more similar uses of inflection would change the results.

#4

Sorry, this question doesn’t work.

In all five of the items, Jim sinned against God the Father Almighty. In four of them we’re told how, but in one we’re not. So how can we know that #4 is the worst?’’

“Sin is an offense against God: “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight.”…” (CCC1850)

All sin is a sin against God.

Plus, I don’t think all lies are mortal sins. “Sure, you look great in that dress,” probably doesn’t destroy the divine life in your soul.

–Jen

#5

I agree with what both the posters above me said.

#6