I was in an argument recently and I was told that some sins can be worse than others. One spouse committed the sin of masturbation while thinking of their spouse, the other committed adultery with someone other than their spouse. While we agreed that both sins were mortal, their argument was told that the first spouse committed less sin than the second. Is there such a thing as some sins being worse than others?
The bible tells us that there are two kinds of sins:
1 John 5:16-17 (RSV): “If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is a sin which is not mortal.”
We refer to these as “mortal sin” (a sin that leads us to spiritual death), and “venial sin” (a sin that is lesser than mortal).
Masturbation is considered a “mortal sin” by the Church:
2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. “Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action.” “The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.” For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of “the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved.”
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects’ moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability. (
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 3: Life in Christ; Section 2, The Ten Commandments; Chapter 2: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself, Article 6: The Sixth Commandment)
The Church also teaches that adultery is a mortal sin as well as fornication:
2353 Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.
2380 Adultery refers to marital infidelity. When two partners, of whom at least one is married to another party, have sexual relations - even transient ones - they commit adultery. Christ condemns even adultery of mere desire. The sixth commandment and the New Testament forbid adultery absolutely. The prophets denounce the gravity of adultery; they see it as an image of the sin of idolatry.
2381 Adultery is an injustice. He who commits adultery fails in his commitment. He does injury to the sign of the covenant which the marriage bond is, transgresses the rights of the other spouse, and undermines the institution of marriage by breaking the contract on which it is based. He compromises the good of human generation and the welfare of children who need their parents’ stable union. (CCC, same as above)
In the Church’s eyes, the sins of masturbation, fornication, and adultery are on the same level because of their related disordered actions.
