Can stress relieve culpability for mortal sin? (Masturbation-specific)

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OldSchoolChops

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Hello,

My general understanding is that one’s emotional state may in some circumstances lessen or even eliminate one’s culpability for mortal sin.

Is there any definite, quantifiable amount of stress, or anxiety, or depression (or similar) that accomplishes this?

I’m NOT looking for any loopholes. I was making progress in overcoming a masturbation/porn addiction for the past several months, which began eroding recently. I just recently made a huge lifestyle change that involved a move to a different state to go to law school.

I’m finding law school much more “stressful” than anything I’ve yet encountered in my life (which in a way, I’m thankful for to God - in that I’m not among the poor, the sick, etc.)

Nevertheless, I’ve found myself thinking more frequently about sex, perhaps as a “comfort” mechanism… I’m not sure.

Anyway, at what point can a person’s stress be said to reduce one’s culpability for [mortal] sin? If it “depends on the person,” which I imagine the answer to be, then what is the measure?

Would one have to be positively in despair/fuming with rage/inconsolably sad?

Or just mildly so?

It seems it’s hard to determine what constitutes an “addiction” as well, so maybe I’m wrong on that count as well, but I won’t get into that for now.

Does anyone have any thoughts? For what it’s worth, I make an effort to go to confession as soon as possible thereafter. It helps.

Thanks.
 
Wow. I really don’t know. Maybe it would be good to talk to a priest about this. I do know (from my dh’s struggles) that a true addiction is something that starts to take over your entire life and will continue to grow and destroy until you deal with it.
 
We all have stress and busy schedules. You said you are not looking for an out.

The behaviors you describe are serious sin, apparently you know they are serious sin, and if you do them any way, those are all the elements for mortal sin, so be careful.

I would say keep your eyes on Jesus. Spend some time before the Blessed Sacrament. The closer you get to Jesus, the more you will hate sin. Also go to confession often. If you fall, get to confession immediately, you will recieve many graces from the sacrament to help you fight temptation. Spend time doing devotions. Say the Rosary, our Blessed Mother will wrap her mantle around you and help you.

If the problem with porn is on the computer, your desk top could be a picture of Jesus. Install parent controls and have a friend set the password so you do not know it. A big picture of Jesus in your bedroom might be helpful. If you truely want to get pass this tempation there are ways of helping yourself.
 
I believe it is at the point or state of mind wherein you can be diagnosed as no longer being able to distinguish from “right” or “wrong”.

I would suggest that the physical release you are receiving from your self satisfaction, can be substituted for “walking, jogging, weight lifting, tread mill, swimming etc” some “other” physical activity that will provide the physical release you need to relax.

Now, that being said, the Rosary has always provided me comfort and release from anxiety in times when I feel stressed. The “mind/heart” connection can be made from prayer or physical exercise and it is that connection that caused the body to relax.

I will pray for your continued strength to St. Michael the Archangel
 
I am not a male, so I know very little about your particular issue, however, as a law student I can say you need to find healthier outlets for your stress. Law Students (and lawyers) are notorious for their unhealthy habits. Alcoholism, drug abuse etc. Many of my classmates stated smoking cigarettes for the first time in law school and now you can see them all standing outside the doors smoking between classes. Many are wasted 3 or 4 nights a week, because they do not have healthier ways to deal with their stress (and they don’t know how to have fun without alcohol).

So you should work out, or pick up a sport, go golfing, find friends to grad some dinner or just hang out. Or get into a computer game or something like that if you are not the athletic type.
 
It seems that all the prior posts sums it up. First pray. When? When the temptation starts and quit when it goes away. If it starts again go back in prayer. Prayer is disgusting to the devil, therefore he leaves anyone in prayer. He’ll come back though. Normally when you aren’t praying. Go to Mass everyday. Spiritual nourishment. As an alcoholic goes to meetings because he’s a drunk, go to Mass because you’re a sinner. Confession. As long as sin is in you, your either weak or dead. Exercise. Self mortification can be in the form of exercise. Don’t beat yourself with a whip. Sacrifice yourself for yourself. Fasting is good also, I just prefer exercise. Your thoughts are not your own. There are only two types of thoughts. Good and evil. Pray when you find yourself in evil thoughts. Nip it at the bud. You can do it. My sister is a lawyer. God bless:thumbsup:👍👍
 
God needs to be what you desire. He is where you should turn when you are having troubles, or you are stressed out. Not pornography or masturbation. The devil wants you to think that it’s ok, that because you are stressed, it’s not that big of deal. Wrong. Don’t believe it.
 
The desire to be free from this addiction and strive to turn to good things when you feel stressed is whats most important. I can’t say whether or not your culpability is reduced because of the stress. This is really something that you aught to talk to a Priest about, because each situation varies. The more you tell your Priest about this sin and what drives you to commit it, the better of a response you’ll get from him.
 
Here is a powerful prayer that our deacon gave to my husband and me. Whenever you feel your stress building, say this prayer, as many times a day as you need to. You are engaged in a spiritual battle with Satan. Call upon the power of Jesus, and you will win 🙂

Start with an Act of Contrition

Prayer Against A Demonic Power

I come against this demonic power through the Blood of Jesus,
and I command this power to be broken within my Life.
I Cast it to the outer darkness of this earth.
I call upon the Holy Spirit to empower me with a new peace,
a new joy,
a new endurance,
to come forth, to experience
the presence of God’s Love
within my life,
within my family,
all in the name of Jesus.
Amen

May God bless you with strength!
 
OldSchoolChops said:
My general understanding is that one’s emotional state may in some circumstances lessen or even eliminate one’s culpability for mortal sin.

Is there any definite, quantifiable amount of stress, or anxiety, or depression (or similar) that accomplishes this?

I’m NOT looking for any loopholes. I was making progress in overcoming a masturbation/porn addiction for the past several months, which began eroding recently. I just recently made a huge lifestyle change that involved a move to a different state to go to law school.

I’m finding law school much more “stressful” than anything I’ve yet encountered in my life …
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You may want to ask that question to the priest you go to for confession. Rather than trying to figure out where to draw the line, however, I applaud your progress toward overcoming this addiction in the past, and urge you to get back on the path to purity.

One thing that was very helpful to me is the acronym “H.A.L.T.” which stands for "Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired. I try to avoid getting into those states by eating, sleeping, and exercising on as regular a schedule as possible. Let’s face it, surfing for porn takes a lot of time that could actually be spent on something positive.

I also used to turn to those impurities for some form of comfort and consolation during times of stress. Now, however, I get more reassurance from the fact that this aspect of my life is no longer out of control - that I no longer have to feel guilty several times a week.

You might be interested in joining our CAF support group for people walking the path toward purity (link in my sig). One of our founding members is a lawyer and I would be happy to put you in touch with him if you wish.

Praying for us all,
  • curl
 
If you are in law school, and you’re a Catholic, you should have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In there, you will find the vague statement about masturbation being a grave sin.

The Catholic Church has held that there are venial sins and mortal sins. This is based on a scripture in the New Testament that says something like “there are some sins that are not unto death.”

In the Old Testament, there were sins or conditions that got you kicked right out of the camp. Then there were unintentional sins, where you were obligated for such-and-such a sacrifice along with repentence, etc. I haven’t figured all that out.

Then, along comes the Catechism and now there are “grave” sins. If it’s a mortal sin, then why didn’t it come right out and use the correct term.

Fr. Corapi, on EWTN, says that masturbation is a mortal sin, period. That’s not what the Catechism says. It may be “grave” but it may be less grave if some vague conditions apply.

At some point in each of our lives, we have to decide what we believe and what we’re going to do about it.

Read Deut 6:4 and following. Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your strength (resources). Jesus added “with all your mind.”

Deuteronomy says that the Jew is supposed to pray this upon rising and before going to bed. It’s an oath of allegiance to God. In the concentration camps of World War II, the Jews in the gas chambers were heard expressing their allegiance to God, that they accepted this fate even if it was “the end” – they were glad to go to their death expressing there allegiance.

Where is your allegiance? Don’t quibble at masturbation. Where is your allegiance? Answer these questions honestly to yourself, privately, and to God.

Recall the expression of truth in Psalm 1. Blessed is the man who walks not in the company of the wicked (godless), stands not in the way of the sinner, and sits not in the counsel of the scornful (atheists). Where do you walk? Where do you stand? Where do you sit?

a Venial sin is still the second-worst thing you can do. The universal call to holiness. We’re all called to be holy, to love and serve the Lord. Do you think about these things? (answer privately to yourself and to God).

No one has the right to throw stones at you. Everyone is a sinner.

I can’t think of that Lutheran minister who was executed by the Nazis at the end of World War II. He wrote a book called the Cost of Discipleship (Friedrich Bonhoeffer?)

Consider yourself a possession of Jesus Christ. View the world through the lens of Jesus.

It’s as if you are on one side of the Grand Canyon, and your temptations and “the world” is on the other side of the Grand Canyon.

Masturbation: don’t think about it, don’t talk about it, push it out of your life. It’s very lonely, it seems, but you are with Jesus.
 
Crumpy said:
Then, along comes the Catechism and now there are “grave” sins. If it’s a mortal sin, then why didn’t it come right out and use the correct term.

QUOTE]

The Catechism in paragraph 2352 states that masturbation is a “gravely disordered action” not a grave sin. The CCC hasn’t created another category of sin. There is still mortal sin and venial sin. For an offense to be a mortal sin, it has to be a grave matter (which masturbation is), you have to know it is a grave matter, and you have to go ahead and commit the offense anyway.
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DairyWife said:
Crumpy;7171464:
Then, along comes the Catechism and now there are “grave” sins. If it’s a mortal sin, then why didn’t it come right out and use the correct term.

QUOTE]

The Catechism in paragraph 2352 states that masturbation is a “gravely disordered action” not a grave sin. The CCC hasn’t created another category of sin. There is still mortal sin and venial sin. For an offense to be a mortal sin, it has to be a grave matter (which masturbation is), you have to know it is a grave matter, and you have to go ahead and commit the offense anyway.
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Thanks. It would have been simpler and clearer if they had stated that masturbation is a mortal sin, period. but the Catechism does not say that. It says that there are circumstances that lessen the culpability for this sin. Don’t quote the “gravely disordered action” out of its context.Years ago, when I was in Catholic high school, the priest-teacher of our senior religion class told us that masturbation was a venial sin, and could become a mortal sin under some (again) vague circumstances.

40 years ago, and today, it is still vague.

My previous post, in its entirety,suggests some thoughts to help one overcome the temptation to masturbation, or to any sin, really. And, one of the things I suggested was along the line of general evangelization – to become holy, to learn how to become closer to God, and further from all sin.

There’s a lot of inspiration in the Bible, James 1:1, for example. “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

If we are addicted to masturbation (or any sin) can we say that WE are a servant of God? a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Consider Paul’s letter to the Phillipians:
4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

We need to grow OUT of the temptations of our culture and INTO the faith which we hold true. For eternal salvation, it is worth working at it.

(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.)
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=mgannome;8272431]People, look in the Catechism. it addresses the moral culpability regarding masturbation. There are legitimate circumstances when the culpability is lessened or even eliminated.
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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."138 “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."139
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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.
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My dear friend in Christ, your on the cusp of hersey with your position.

While cupability can be redused, it is VERY unlikely that it become ONLY a venial sin.

This is a MATTER to be discussed with ones priest, not lay-folk. There are MANY issues and factors to be consicered. Do NOT make the mistake that becasue of stress ot habit, that one is NOT committing a MORTAL SIN.

PLEASE see a priest ASAP,

God Bless,
Pat
 
OldSchoolChops said:
Hello,

My general understanding is that one’s emotional state may in some circumstances lessen or even eliminate one’s culpability for mortal sin.

Is there any definite, quantifiable amount of stress, or anxiety, or depression (or similar) that accomplishes this?

I’m NOT looking for any loopholes. I was making progress in overcoming a masturbation/porn addiction for the past several months, which began eroding recently. I just recently made a huge lifestyle change that involved a move to a different state to go to law school.

I’m finding law school much more “stressful” than anything I’ve yet encountered in my life (which in a way, I’m thankful for to God - in that I’m not among the poor, the sick, etc.)

Nevertheless, I’ve found myself thinking more frequently about sex, perhaps as a “comfort” mechanism… I’m not sure.

Anyway, at what point can a person’s stress be said to reduce one’s culpability for [mortal] sin? If it “depends on the person,” which I imagine the answer to be, then what is the measure?

Would one have to be positively in despair/fuming with rage/inconsolably sad?

Or just mildly so?

It seems it’s hard to determine what constitutes an “addiction” as well, so maybe I’m wrong on that count as well, but I won’t get into that for now.

Does anyone have any thoughts? For what it’s worth, I make an effort to go to confession as soon as possible thereafter. It helps.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Be on the safe side and treat it as a mortal sin in all cases – avoid it where possible, and if you succumb, repent of it, confess it, and be absolved. Better to have been wrong and gone too far then to have been wrong and not gone far enough.
 
PJM said:
My dear friend in Christ, your on the cusp of hersey with your position.

While cupability can be redused, it is VERY unlikely that it become ONLY a venial sin.

This is a MATTER to be discussed with ones priest, not lay-folk. There are MANY issues and factors to be consicered. Do NOT make the mistake that becasue of stress ot habit, that one is NOT committing a MORTAL SIN.

PLEASE see a priest ASAP,

God Bless,
Pat
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So, the Catechism is on the cusp of heresy?
 
=RyanBlack;8272581]So, the Catechism is on the cusp of heresy?
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:rolleyes:*** OFF course NOT. :eek:

But ANY understaning that accepts this foolish notion certainly is.

Why is it foolish?

Because if “stress” were a LIGITMENT excuse to maturbate; sin free, guilt free so to would pre material sex, contraceptive sex and homosexually. One can’t apply ONES own desired understnading to what is CLEARLY defined TRUTH.***

God Bless you,
Pat
 
“Back in the day”, people avoided the crass words that graphically specified things like, like the M-word. They used eupemisms like, “flying the baker’s flag”, to indicate menses, and stuff like that. Can’t we get back to that finesse?

Sorry, just prudish mother hen chiming in.
 
=Ceil-1;8276424]“Back in the day”, people avoided the crass words that graphically specified things like, like the M-word. They used eupemisms like, “flying the baker’s flag”, to indicate menses, and stuff like that. Can’t we get back to that finesse?
Click to expand...
Sorry, just prudish mother hen chiming in.
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Sorry to disagree, but in the times we live canor and franness seem to count for something…

God Bless,

Pat
 
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