Can Someone Explain Scrupulousness To Me?

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RastaPasta

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Hello:

Websters Dictionary defines scrupulous as:

1: having moral integrity : acting in strict regard for what is considered right or proper.

Insofar as sin is concerned, if one is scrupulous, wouldn’t that mean that they are neurotic with regard to committing any sin?

Reason why I ask is because I think of our Catholic Saints.

Weren’t some of them a bit scrupulous?

Thank you in advance for your response to this post.
 
It’s going to Confession and confessing sneezing inappropriately.
 
One must distinguish between a scrupulous conscience and a delicate conscience.

A ‘tender conscience or delicate conscience’ sees the finer distinctions and seeks very much to avoid even very small sins …and …who can judge normally between mortal and venial sin…when in doubt is able to make judgments overcoming his doubt by prudence or abide by good advice etc

as for scruples…or scrupulosity

scruples or those who are even of a higher degree of scrupulosity take venial sin to be mortal…or non sins to be sins…or are plagued by doubts…unreasonable fears/anxieties about sins…seeing them or fearing them where they need not…or unfounded concerns about confession etc etc

The french call it the doubting disease (though it is not a disease) for one has lot of problems knowing one knows…thus with doubt (or more often “apparent doubt”)

of course there are degrees and it is possible for a person to have generally a delicate conscience or a normal conscience and still have a struggle with scruples in certain areas (or have a tendency to scruples)…or have very transient scruples at the time of their conversion …

and a person may go from one to the other…

one combats scruples with a good regular confessor…

by forming ones conscience…(with such as the Catechism etc)

and with his guidance acting against ones scruples…

possibly by general principles given often historically by confessors to deal with scruples

by prayer…

by trust and joy in living the Christian life…

Etc

(and yes some canonized Saints struggled with scruples…either at the beginning of their spiritual lives or some to a greater extent…but many had rather a delicate conscience that saw without scruple the finer aspects)
 
Scrupulosity is a religious form of OCD.
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Note: while a person who is scrupulous may have OCD as well scrupulosity or various degrees of scruples does not per se = OCD. Though there can be similarities.

One who is thinks they may be scrupulous ought to get a regular confessor.
 
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