Are we too lenient on sin in this day and age?

[CRATUS]

A lot of people say yes. I say no. Are we too sensitive or too people-pleasing in the Catholic Church? I do think sin within ourselves should always be tackled. Is it laziness that keeps us from becoming saints? Most Catholics have the tools. While I do think we should ever excuse sin in ourselves or in others, I do not think it always the time or place to point it out. Some people say if now, then when, after all we do not know the time or the hour of our death. This is just a concept I am struggling with. Ultimately, we will transgress the law - maybe this is the lenient side of me, or maybe I am simply being realistic or I just do not see sin the same way most people do yet. Sometimes I think too much focus on sin leads us to neglect other important aspects of Christianity like providing services for others, compassion, etc. I think all sin is a lack of faith. While I do think sin is a big deal, I do not think every last sin should be treated like an emergency. Perhaps if we try to replace our bad deeds with good ones we would stop sinning. Sometimes I think people can be TOO FOCUSED on POINTING OUT SIN rather than HELPING THE SINNER. If I spend all my effort being the best student I can, I would wonder online - by spending time online I fall into the temptation of pornography.

 

[Confiteor_Deo]

I would say that we have become too lenient on sin since it seems that society has largely lost the sense of sin. This is evident in the evils that are being pushed by the government in its legislations and in the great lack of fidelity to the Church & her teachings. I agree, though, that sin is not the only teaching of the Church and that, while focusing on sin since it is important to avoid, we should not ignore our duty to do good. It is true that we will eventually commit some sort of sin due to our concupiscence from original sin.

I think that pointing out sin is what needs to be done to help the sinner in the first place. We must bring to their attention that they are doing something that is sinful so that they can begin to see the evil in their ways, from there we can help them in other ways to get back to the Church.

 

[CRATUS]

I would say that we have become too lenient on sin since it seems that society has largely lost the sense of sin. This is evident in the evils that are being pushed by the government in its legislations and in the great lack of fidelity to the Church & her teachings. I agree, though, that sin is not the only teaching of the Church and that, while focusing on sin since it is important to avoid, we should not ignore our duty to do good. It is true that we will eventually commit some sort of sin due to our concupiscence from original sin.

I think that pointing out sin is what needs to be done to help the sinner in the first place. We must bring to their attention that they are doing something that is sinful so that they can begin to see the evil in their ways, from there we can help them in other ways to get back to the Church.

I am sure some people know what they are doing is a sin, they simply do not care or they do not want it to be labeled a sin because they do not want to feel bad. It is very fine with love the sinner, but hate the sin.

 

[SuperLuigi]

One of the biggest problems we have is excuse-making. It’s just easier to go along with societal trends, and that’s further mired in people doing it for selfish reasons.

 

[truetofaith]

All you hear today are young people living with each other, without marriage, having babies…and their parents don’t even try to correct this lifestyle.

Yes, I think even the Church is too lenient on sinners. I see single mothers getting their babies Baptized at mass & no one says anything.

 

[Kurisu35712]

All you hear today are young people living with each other, without marriage, having babies…and their parents don’t even try to correct this lifestyle.

Yes, I think even the Church is too lenient on sinners. I see single mothers getting their babies Baptized at mass & no one says anything.

There is a fine line between being appropriately vigilant and excessively overbearing. While it is convenient to generalize, it is disingenuous to paint the world as though all young people are living together in sin or that young people are having babies and their parents don’t care. There are quite a number of people, and not just Catholics, who are the same age and doing none of these things. As if people haven’t been fornicating since the beginning of society.

I agree with the OP, I think. If we spend all our time focusing on calling out every other person’s sin, we eventually stop seeing them as a person and rather as a problem we need to correct. And I apologize if I’m misrepresenting you here, but that last sentence reads as somewhat presumptuous. We have no way of knowing the reason a single mother is baptizing their child without asking. They could very well be widows or have husbands in the military. I feel like that kind of statement is the reason the OP started the thread in the first place.

 

[powerofk]

The problem, again, is the fact that, in this day and age, people are more “catechized” by the world than we are by the Church, especially with regards to sexuality. Even faithful Catholics who go to Mass weekly spend more time each week being catechized by television, radio, and the Internet than we are by the Church. So when the Church states that a given act is an “intrinsic evil” and the world states that the same act is not only not evil, not only morally acceptable, but even that it would be morally evil to NOT commit the act? This is the case with artificial birth control. So it’s no wonder why over 80% of weekly Mass attending Catholics don’t follow Church teaching on artificial birth control. And for many other things that the Church considers intrinsically evil, such as masturbation, same-sex “marriage”, and abortion, the culture considers morally acceptable. So this explains why still more than half of weekly Mass attending Catholics consider some of these things morally acceptable.

 

[CRATUS]

All you hear today are young people living with each other, without marriage, having babies…and their parents don’t even try to correct this lifestyle.

Yes, I think even the Church is too lenient on sinners. I see single mothers getting their babies Baptized at mass & no one says anything.

What are supposed to tell a single mother who wants her child baptized? I think maybe her friends or family can say something. Maybe the priest. I do not know what I would say.

 

[Trident_H]

A lot of people say yes. I say no. Are we too sensitive or too people-pleasing in the Catholic Church? I do think sin within ourselves should always be tackled. Is it laziness that keeps us from becoming saints? Most Catholics have the tools. While I do think we should ever excuse sin in ourselves or in others, I do not think it always the time or place to point it out. Some people say if now, then when, after all we do not know the time or the hour of our death. This is just a concept I am struggling with. Ultimately, we will transgress the law - maybe this is the lenient side of me, or maybe I am simply being realistic or I just do not see sin the same way most people do yet. Sometimes I think too much focus on sin leads us to neglect other important aspects of Christianity like providing services for others, compassion, etc. I think all sin is a lack of faith. While I do think sin is a big deal, I do not think every last sin should be treated like an emergency. Perhaps if we try to replace our bad deeds with good ones we would stop sinning. Sometimes I think people can be TOO FOCUSED on POINTING OUT SIN rather than HELPING THE SINNER. If I spend all my effort being the best student I can, I would wonder online - by spending time online I fall into the temptation of pornography.

I think what you said has a ring of truth. CRATUS, I think you’re close to figuring out this one pretty well. I’m proud of you here. I’m glad you’re working this stuff through on your own. I’m glad you’re getting the puzzle fixed.

Peace.

-Trident

 

[CRATUS]

All you hear today are young people living with each other, without marriage, having babies…and their parents don’t even try to correct this lifestyle.

Yes, I think even the Church is too lenient on sinners. I see single mothers getting their babies Baptized at mass & no one says anything.

Young people are the future of the Catholic Church. I do not think they are only sinners that should be pointed out. There are plenty of nasty mother-in-laws, overbearing parents, racist old people, etc. For some reason after a while NO ONE SEEMS TO CORRECT OLD PEOPLE FOR BEING MEAN. Sexual sins are not the only sins, I guess people are pressing so hard for them to no longer be considered sins.

 

[CRATUS]

I think what you said has a ring of truth. CRATUS, I think you’re close to figuring out this one pretty well. I’m proud of you here. I’m glad you’re working this stuff through on your own. I’m glad you’re getting the puzzle fixed.

Peace.

-Trident

Thank You & God Bless

 

[Mummsie]

Once we recognize we are all sinners, the rest becomes easy. Remove the log from our own eye before asking our neighbor to remove the splinter from theirs (not an exact quote, obviously

Cratus is right. Most of us can easily focus on commission of sins while totally missing our sins of omission. If we concentrated more on doing for others, we could become living examples of Christ.

BTW, are babies of unwed mothers to be denied baptism? I certainly hope not. This goes against everything we believe. And can’t an unwed mother be forgiven? I think we could be more successful by engaging our youth and encouraging them to Chastity.

God Bless You.

 

[Graceful_Lamb]

All you hear today are young people living with each other, without marriage, having babies…and their parents don’t even try to correct this lifestyle.

Yes, I think even the Church is too lenient on sinners. I see single mothers getting their babies Baptized at mass & no one says anything.

My understanding of Catholic teaching is that the baby’s legitimacy doesn’t matter in terms of the child obtaining a baptism.

Why should someone say something about a single mother having her child baptized in church? There are a whole slew of reasons why she could be a single mother. A woman could be a single mother because her husband cheated on her and she has divorced. She could have been in an abusive marriage. One really doesn’t know unless they know the full circumstances.

 

[eazyduzit]

I don’t see lenient as the problem. We no longer understand the SERIOUSNESS of sin. All sin is serious because of the one whom it offends. Second, we don’t understand how sin gives the enemy a way in and makes us a loser.

 

[CRATUS]

I don’t see lenient as the problem. We no longer understand the SERIOUSNESS of sin. All sin is serious because of the one whom it offends. Second, we don’t understand how sin gives the enemy a way in and makes us a loser.

I agree with this.

 

[CRATUS]

I don’t see lenient as the problem. We no longer understand the SERIOUSNESS of sin. All sin is serious because of the one whom it offends. Second, we don’t understand how sin gives the enemy a way in and makes us a loser.

Sin should be taken seriously, but at the end of the day, we are human, in a little or big way we will transgress the law (maybe I am justifying it). I just think sometimes replacement works better to eliminate a sin.

 

[Robert_Sock]

O Jesus, Who shall give to my eyes a torrent of tears, that day and night I may weep for my sins? I beseech Thee, through Thy bitter and bloody tears, to move my heart by Thy divine grace, so that from my eyes tears may flow abundantly, and that I may weep all my days over Thy sufferings, and still more over their cause, my sins.
–Saint Francis of Assisi

It’s too easy to make going to confession a habit that minimizes us amending our life along with TRUE repentance.

 

[truetofaith]

My understanding of Catholic teaching is that the baby’s legitimacy doesn’t matter in terms of the child obtaining a baptism.

Why should someone say something about a single mother having her child baptized in church? There are a whole slew of reasons why she could be a single mother. A woman could be a single mother because her husband cheated on her and she has divorced. She could have been in an abusive marriage. One really doesn’t know unless they know the full circumstances.

I know the family & the girl having her baby, baptized. She was an altar server a few years ago. After her boyfriend got her pregnant, he took off. Her parents are now watching the child while she works.

I shouldn’t have used this as an example…it just bothered me, the pastor held up the baby in front of the whole congregation at the Baptism & the pictures were in the next week’s bulletin.

I’m just trying to answer the OP’s original question about leniency.

 

[maryjk]

I know the family & the girl having her baby, baptized. She was an altar server a few years ago. After her boyfriend got her pregnant, he took off. Her parents are now watching the child while she works.

I shouldn’t have used this as an example…**it just bothered me, the pastor held up the baby in front of the whole congregation at the Baptism & the pictures were in the next week’s bulletin. **

I’m just trying to answer the OP’s original question about leniency.

Maybe what they should have done was to have the new mother walk in, while everyone shouted “sinner” at her?

You are right, you shouldn’t have used this as an example. In fact, this example is perfect if you wanted to show the love of God. How everyone sins. How we are a fallen people. And how the grace of Confession can bring us back into Communion with Him.

 

[truetofaith]

Sorry, maryjk…my point is yes we have gotten lenient on sin!

I ‘m not going to post anymore on any Topic…I will read others’ answers & eventually leave CAF.