Can we judge whether or not someone's sin is mortal?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nick
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Potato1 said:
Having read and thought about this you are right and I am wrong. I have done a one 180, I ask God, and you to have mercy on my sould for I fear I have commited a mortal sin of presumption here. Thank you I know have clarity to change my ways and not commit this sin anymore.
Click to expand...
Potato, I never really believed you were committing a mortal sin as you mentioned that you understood that there could be mitigating factors to which you weren’t aware but God was. But semantically, you were using words that didn’t communicate that understanding but in fact appeared to communicate the opposite. To be effective ministers for the Holy Spirit, we need to be aware that our words can distract from our message. Forgive me if I was too hard on you.
 
Are we able to say that the Original Sin was a mortal sin since the Church teaches that because of it man lost sanctifying grace? I can’t remember if I have ever seen the original sin described as a mortal sin, however. Does anyone know if the Church teaches that the original sin was a mortal sin? It seems that our knowledge of the original sin would be different than the situations being discussed in this thread because our knowledge of it and its effects has come to us through revelation and the infallible teaching of the Church. Though now I wonder; does the Church teach that it would be possible to discern original sin and its effects through human reason alone?
 
Nick said:
Are we able to say that the Original Sin was a mortal sin since the Church teaches that because of it man lost sanctifying grace? I can’t remember if I have ever seen the original sin described as a mortal sin, however. Does anyone know if the Church teaches that the original sin was a mortal sin? It seems that our knowledge of the original sin would be different than the situations being discussed in this thread because our knowledge of it and its effects has come to us through revelation and the infallible teaching of the Church. Though now I wonder; does the Church teach that it would be possible to discern original sin and its effects through human reason alone?
Click to expand...
Different category of sin. Mortal sin is personal. Original sin is collective.
 
To answer the OP’s question…last time I looked I wasn’t Jesus, so I would say no
Kathy
 
johnstown_johnn said:
Amen. I totally agree with your analysis.
Click to expand...
Three things are necessary to make a sin mortal:
  1. A grievous matter
  2. Sufficient reflection, and
  3. Full consent of the will.
If a person is incapable of gauging his/her sins yhen it could be considered a pschological malady. If not, God has given everyone of us a FREE WILL. This is a two-edged sword.

A free will can be aimed at serving God and loving Him by keeping His commandments…it is a gift as individuals to choose eternal life, or not.

Also, a free will is what can move one away from His graces by choosing the dark pathway.

In a way, it depends a lot on ourselves. At Judgment there are NO EXCUSES.
 
Only God does the real judging. Venial and moral sin are just human concepts to help judge the seriousness of sins. They don’t really exist or matter to God.
 
Nick said:
In another thread the topic came up about the possibility to determine whether or not someone else’s sin is mortal. I maintain that it is not possible to know this unless the person himself directly tells you so or if you are a priest hearing confessions and by way of asking questions you help the penitent determine his or her culpability. I concluded that since we cannot know for certain that the charitable thing to do is to hope that some mitigating circumstances occured and therefore culpability is reduced. Others disagreed with my conclusions, and I am interested to find out how everybody else feels and why.

Lets keep the examples to hypothetical situations only.
Click to expand...
It’s not always possible to know whether a sin is mortal. It is, however, always possible to know whether the sin is grave. Since grave sin is grave sin, one is still obligated to admonish. But mortal sin requires two more conditions, that those are harder to establish.
 
porthos11 said:
It’s not always possible to know whether a sin is mortal. It is, however, always possible to know whether the sin is grave. Since grave sin is grave sin, one is still obligated to admonish. But mortal sin requires two more conditions, that those are harder to establish.
Click to expand...
A penitant, before entering the confessional, reflects on his/her sins…more in an accusatory mindset rather than a “debatable” one. The sins is confessed and it is the priest who will advise as to the nature.

Generally, we know in our hearts the degree of offense to God. We are petitioning for absolution and not making excuses or extenuating circumstances.
 
blacktiger057 said:
Only God does the real judging. Venial and moral sin are just human concepts to help judge the seriousness of sins. They don’t really exist or matter to God.
Click to expand...
They actually do exist. Read the Catechism. Man has free will and therefore the ability to choose to seperate himself from God.
 
porthos11 said:
It’s not always possible to know whether a sin is mortal. It is, however, always possible to know whether the sin is grave. Since grave sin is grave sin, one is still obligated to admonish. But mortal sin requires two more conditions, that those are harder to establish.
Click to expand...
We ALL know when we commit a mortal sin. Only a sociopath does not recognize a mortal sin.
 
Perhaps if more people expressed dismay at such terrible acts as adultery, there would be more entact families - the backbone of both our church and society. We’ve been whitewashed into thinking it’s “judgemental” to even mention sin in the context of someone’s act - even as we condone their behavior by doing so. The church instructs us not to condone the mortal sins especially of our loved ones. This makes it very difficult for people who want to keep good relationships with the wrongdoers…so much easier and more “peaceful” to pretend it isn’t happening.

But at what cost does that peace and blind eye come? Another soul may be lost - we can’t condemn the soul, but know that Jesus promised to judge our actions at the end. He is merciful, but never said He would overlook grave sins. Souls can and do go to Hell, according to what we’ve been taught.

We can pray for the conversion of the sinners we know about and should include ourselves in that every day - several times. But we also have a more active role to play and can’t always count on clergy to give reminders from the pulpit on the evils of sin or the loss to the soul.
 
Potato1 said:
But wasn’t original sin personal at the point of expellation from the garden.
Click to expand...
Personal to Adam and Eve as with regard to committing the sin. It is personal to us with regard to the consequences but we didn’t commit the sin.

Maybe a better way to address the earlier tangent: Mortal sin requres that it be committed with full knowledge and consent. I neither knew of the sin when committed and didn’t consent to it. Original sin is not a mortal sin under the definition of mortal sin. I think the confusion is related to the fact that both sins can have mortal consequences but the sins are of different categories.
 
blacktiger057 said:
Only God does the real judging. Venial and moral sin are just human concepts to help judge the seriousness of sins. They don’t really exist or matter to God.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes: You must have a special line to God since you practice three religions. “Christian, Buddhist, Wiccan” according to your profile.
 
Romick said:
Perhaps if more people expressed dismay at such terrible acts as adultery, there would be more entact families - the backbone of both our church and society. We’ve been whitewashed into thinking it’s “judgemental” to even mention sin in the context of someone’s act - even as we condone their behavior by doing so. The church instructs us not to condone the mortal sins especially of our loved ones. This makes it very difficult for people who want to keep good relationships with the wrongdoers…so much easier and more “peaceful” to pretend it isn’t happening.

But at what cost does that peace and blind eye come? Another soul may be lost - we can’t condemn the soul, but know that Jesus promised to judge our actions at the end. He is merciful, but never said He would overlook grave sins. Souls can and do go to Hell, according to what we’ve been taught.

We can pray for the conversion of the sinners we know about and should include ourselves in that every day - several times. But we also have a more active role to play and can’t always count on clergy to give reminders from the pulpit on the evils of sin or the loss to the soul.
Click to expand...
Please read through this thread again.

Question for you and everyone else: Does the Church teach that there are human souls in hell right now?
(I am not asking rhetorically, I really don’t know)
 
Nick said:
Please read through this thread again.

Question for you and everyone else: Does the Church teach that there are human souls in hell right now?
(I am not asking rhetorically, I really don’t know)
Click to expand...
The Church teaches that one who dies with an unrepentant mortal sin will end up in hell. She has not declared anyone, specifically, to be there.
 
davidv said:
The Church teaches that one who dies with an unrepentant mortal sin will end up in hell. She has not declared anyone, specifically, to be there.
Click to expand...
But has the Church declared that there are souls in hell, but that we don’t know who they are?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top