We do not get off the hook that easy. We are obligated to rightfully form our conscience. If we never cared to learn what we should know about sin, especially Mortal sin, it is still our fault and we are held accountable. Also Gods commandments are written in our hearts anyways. Nobody can say that they did not know murdering someone was wrong even if nobody told them. It is written in our hearts. So no, choosing to remain ignorant does not reduce culpability. It takes time to learn all the types of ways we can sin though. God does not expect more from us than what we are capable of. But we have to try, not choose to remain in the dark and then claim ignorance.
I would like to point out that that rule my not apply for someone who is scrupulous and basically thinks EVERYTHING that they do could be a sin. Such a person should handle questions about “I wonder if X is okay” with the advice their spiritual director gives them. Even one of the ten commandments of The Scrupulous written by a priest says that when a scrupulous person is not sure if they are obligated to do something, they can be certain that they are not obligated to do something and to proceed without fear of sin.
Some things seem more in the grey area than things like murder though. What if a woman knows that murder is wrong but she does not know that the birth control that she is taking is a abortifacient? That would mean that she does not know she is cooperating in killing a baby, so she does not have “Full Knowlegde” so she is not guilty of murder in the true meaning of murder.
We will make a lawyer of you yet. LOL
That’s true, but I also think the burden of proof, so to speak, is on going to be heavy before you can say avoiding scrupulosity gets you a pass on investigating whether something is moral. And I think it’s clear that for the OP, this isn’t the case!I would like to point out that that rule my not apply for someone who is scrupulous and basically thinks EVERYTHING that they do could be a sin. Such a person should handle questions about “I wonder if X is okay” with the advice their spiritual director gives them. Even one of the ten commandments of The Scrupulous written by a priest says that when a scrupulous person is not sure if they are obligated to do something, they can be certain that they are not obligated to do something and to proceed without fear of sin.
But this is ONLY for the scrupulous. That advice would be terrible for someone with a normal or lax conscience.
Although even someone who is scrupulous is obligated to rightly form their conscience. But the thing about us is that we tend to try to do that very much, we just have trouble applying what we learn sometimes
“Written on our hearts” is a poetic way of expressing that certain things can be understood as immoral based on proper philosophical reflection. In other words, one can potentially understand that things like murder or adultery are grave offenses based on reason alone. One does not need divine revelation in order to understand that.
Ignorance is not bliss. It is incumbent on Catholics to learn what the Church teaches. If a Catholic is too lazy to learn or refuses to learn what the Church teaches they will be held accountable when they die.
Avoiding scrupulosity does not give us a pass for anything. Scrupulosity is hell on earth.
There’s a legal/moral concept called “culpable ignorance”. Knowledge and guilt for a sin may be imputed to one who deliberately avoids learning/confirming that something the person suspects is a sin, is, in fact, sinful. It’s a ruse and God sees right through it.