Can a thought be a sin?

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Kathrin

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Let’s say, a doubtful thought. Or let’s say, you look at the picture of a holy man and suddenly you have this thought ‘he looks like a devil in this picture’, but then immediately you feel guilty for thinking that. Or what about a lustful thoguht, if it just comes over you?

Kathrin
 
While I shall not comment on your example, surely a thought can be a sin. As the *editio typica *of the *Confiteor *notes:
Confiteor Deo omnipotens et vobis, fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere et omissione: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

*Cogitatione *is “by thought”.

tee
 
Thoughts can be sinful if we entertain those that involve evil. To entertain is not to have the thought, but to purposely extend the time it stays in ones mind. One can be somewhat culpable for some thoughts in that one purposefully reads, watches, or listens to things that cause these thought to arise. One example would be the man who spends time pouring over pornography and then later has flashbacks in his mind of what he purposely looked at. Our minds are very interesting in that unlike a filing cabinet, once stuff is taken in it rarely totally goes away. It may persist for many years in the subconscious. If one makes the mistake of taking in evil stuff, the best solution is to pour in lots of good stuff which can push it to the back of ones mind; that is if one does not keep dragging it up again and thinking or worrying about it. It is very true that we “become” what we read, watch, etc.
 
Kathrin said:
Let’s say, a doubtful thought. Or let’s say, you look at the picture of a holy man and suddenly you have this thought ‘he looks like a devil in this picture’, but then immediately you feel guilty for thinking that. Or what about a lustful thoguht, if it just comes over you?

Kathrin
Click to expand...
Yes thoughts can be sins; however, only thoughts that you consent to. In terms of lust, lustful fantasies are sins, but fanatasies are different than un consented un wanted thoughts
try thinking of it as if you were on your computer and a pop-up appeared for a pornographic web site, you were not searching for it, it just came up and you quickly got rid of it. This would not be a sin and most likely temptation to lead you into sin. After all its foolish to think that we can close our minds to outside influence, if we could how would the devil be able tempt us. Some people like myself have ocd and one of the effects of ocd is that you get unwanted obsessive thoughts, things that just pop up in your mind, and you end up feeling guilty about them even though you didnt consent to the thoughts which may have been impure or uncharitable. The thoughts you have are not sins unless you willingly pursue and take pleasure in them.
 
Great image, the pop-up! 👍 It’s only a sin if you click on it.

Shows how time and technology have progressed. Long ago I was told it’s like the difference between birds flying around your head, and you shooing them away, vs. allowing them to make a nest in your hair.
 
I love the pop-up analogy too, and the added-on “it’s only a sin if you click on it” part. 👍

Aarons, I do have some OCD/scrupulosity too. In terms of OCD intrusive thoughts, that’s actaully a good question to ask oneself: “Do I take pleasure in it?” If it’s OCD, it causes anxiety rather than pleasure, right?

Fortunately I don’t get intrusive thoughts very often (maybe partly due to medication).

Oh, I love the advice to pour in lots of good stuff too!

I noticed there was another related thread especially about lustful thoughts.
I don’t have much of a problem with lustful thoughts usually. But I did have a bad thought about a picture I saw. It was maybe just not a very good picture though, and the person on it almost looked “evil”. It was the Pope!! THAT made me really feel guilty. To have that thought.

But I asked God for forgiveness.🙂

Kathrin
 
Kathrin said:
I love the pop-up analogy too, and the added-on “it’s only a sin if you click on it” part. 👍

Aarons, I do have some OCD/scrupulosity too. In terms of OCD intrusive thoughts, that’s actaully a good question to ask oneself: “Do I take pleasure in it?” If it’s OCD, it causes anxiety rather than pleasure, right?

Fortunately I don’t get intrusive thoughts very often (maybe partly due to medication).

Oh, I love the advice to pour in lots of good stuff too!

I noticed there was another related thread especially about lustful thoughts.
I don’t have much of a problem with lustful thoughts usually. But I did have a bad thought about a picture I saw. It was maybe just not a very good picture though, and the person on it almost looked “evil”. It was the Pope!! THAT made me really feel guilty. To have that thought.

But I asked God for forgiveness.🙂

Kathrin
Click to expand...
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=171248 is the thread you’re refering too. Some good adive related to this
 
Kathrin said:
I did have a bad thought about a picture I saw. It was maybe just not a very good picture though, and the person on it almost looked “evil”. It was the Pope!! THAT made me really feel guilty. To have that thought.
Click to expand...
Kathrin, this kind of thing is not a sin at all, by any stretch of the imagination.

Neither is a momentary doubt. You need to distinguish here between actually entertaining a doubt and having a temptation. Scrupulous people often confuse temptation with sin. Think it through!

Betsy
 
It has to do with, if you enact your will. You may start thinking about something inaproprate, once you relise where your thoughts are and you choose to continue with those thoughts, thats where sin comes into play
 
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