A sin in a Dream?

[Angel7]

What about my initial reaction after I woke up? and how I reacted to the dream?

 

[ElizabethPH]

What about my initial reaction after I woke up? and how I reacted to the dream?

For your own peace of mind talk to your priest. Dreams can be very vivid and make us think we are in control of them. I don’t think we are at all. Like someone has already mentioned the smoking dreams. An ex-smoker who has a dream they smoked is so real when they wake up they really believed they smoked and there is an overwhelming feeling of guilt. but they didn’t smoke it was just a dream. Usually this feeling goes away after they realize it was a dream. Hence the strong feelings you have of guilt in that what you did in your dream was a sin. Your scrupulosity is not letting you let it go. So please talk to your confessor.

 

[Ponyguy]

But part of my scrupulosity/problem is that I have trouble knowing if I intended/consented to a sin.

If you honestly don’t know, then you didn’t really consent.

Angel7, I’ve noticed many of your threads are questions concerning your actions and reactions to situations… most of which are beyond your control. Clearly, if you did not choose to do the act or omission in question, or if you don’t know that the entity is sinful, then you have no reason to question yourself.

I’m a life-long Catholic, my life spanning eight decades, and scrupulosity seems to have been a problem with many Catholics since I became aware of what the term meant… it’s truly a widespread problem that troubles a good many people, especially adolescents.

 

[SteveGC]

As a former lucid dreamer, I’d like to submit here that unless you have experienced genuine lucid dreaming, as defined and characterized by scientific communities in the formal study of the phenomena, then it is quite likely that your opinions on this matter are clouded by presuppositions and guesswork surrounding the nature of human consciousness in these types of dreams. I’d recommend some more in-depth research into lucid dreaming for those that are quick to doubt the level of awareness, control and consent of activities performed while sleeping.

I’m not saying, however, that I myself believe that actual sin is possible in dreams. I’m not sure of my stance on that, the jury is still out for me. But I am saying that there seems to be a gross under-estimation by some on this thread regarding the degree of consciousness achievable while dreaming, and the subsequent possibilities for acting consciously on sinful thoughts.

And I would also submit that “full knowledge” as the CCC presents it perhaps does not necessarily equate to a scientifically measurable “100%” consciousness requirement. I’m just saying that we can’t be too quick to decide on the complex dynamics of consciousness especially when not all humans dream the same way, with the same levels of consciousness.

Lastly, the consciousness and consent parts are not the real issue in question. I do believe that some can be conscious and consenting enough in lucid dreams to meet the criteria for mortal sin. The question for me is the “gravity” of the matter. Is murder or fornication in dreams as grave a matter as it would be in the flesh? That’s the more interesting debate.

Very engaging topic…

 

[choy]

I know that when you are dreaming you do not have full consent, or full knowledge because you are not in full control.
But I have had 2 “controllable” dreams. Where I could choose what I was doing.
I believed I sinned in both.
Because I chose to do what was wrong.
Is it a mortal sin?
Or am I still missing one of the 3 conditions?
even if the dream was “controllable”.

i would still contest your full knowledge and consent in a dream
i have had dreams where i was able to make choices, but i wouldn’t say my mind was in a right state to make an intelligent choice on the matter. a lot of the choices i made in dreams where more impulse or instinct

 

[tstan]

I don’t think you can sin in a dream.

It is also possible that their sinful nature produces the brain damage that we can observe.

btw, our nature is not sinful. God created us good; what we do with our free will is not due to the nature He created. We have an inclination to sin due to original sin, but no sinful nature.