Caveats for mortal sins

[Polak]

Something brought up in another thread has prompted me to create this one.

Concerning sin, I understand there are essentially two types. There are venial sins and there are mortal sins. I also understand that for a sin to be mortal, a sin of grave matter must meet particular criteria (knowledge it is a sin and be committed in deliberate and complete consent).

I have two questions in relation to sins. The first relates most to my topic title.

When going through the different sins of grave matter, I notice some of them have caveats, and it makes me wonder if for some of those sins, those caveats or exceptions, could not be claimed by a lot of people who commit those sins.

A good example is masturbation. It is a grave matter sin and potentially a mortal sin, although there are caveats that prevent it from being considered a mortal sin. Whether it is or isn’t a mortal sin is measured by 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.

Surely a lot of people claim say that social factors (i.e the environment or culture that surrounds them) cause them to masturbate. Then there is Acquired habit, in other words an addiction. Would most people who masturbate not be able to claim this to? Much like alcohol, masturbation is an addition that people struggle with. I don’t think a person who knows it is a sin, chooses to just go ahead and masturbate, even without having that urge, just want to anger God. The same excuse of ‘social factors’ or ‘acquired habit’ could surely also be used for other sexual sins such as fornication or adultery?

My second question is about, let’s call it, the ‘grading’ of sins.

I have noticed people point out in other threads that sins are sins and there are no better or worse sins, with the exception that some are venial and some are mortal. From what I gather, that seems to be the only difference between them. Does this mean therefore there is no different between the mortal sin of masturbation and adultery or between envy and abortion? In both cases, one sin certainly seems worse than the other.

 

[dscath]

Does this mean therefore there is no different between the mortal sin of masturbation and adultery or between envy and abortion? In both cases, one sin certainly seems worse than the other.

As far as ultimate harm to the soul and our relationship with God, no there is no difference between any mortal sin…an analogy I like is, are you any more dead if you are at ground zero of a nuclear bomb explosion, or if shot in the head with a hand gun? Dead is Dead; Sin is Sin.

 

[Polak]

So in God’s eyes, a person who is envious of someone else is just as bad as a murderer?

 

[F_Marturana]

Envy is a deadly sin. Not mortal.

Deadly sins are attitudes that cause us to commit sins.

So let’s say my neighbor gets a brand new pool and I think, “Gosh I’m jealous I wish we had a poo!l” That’s just a thought. Thoughts come into our heads all the time.

It becomes a sin when the envy “feeling” becomes envy “action”, It could be a venial sin triggered by envy, or a mortal sin triggered by envy.

Mortal sins require grave matter. Grave matter has to do with breaking of a commandment.

 

[Vico]

…

Yes, a person that knows something is a moral sin can commit it:

Catechism of the Catholic Church

1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest

1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.

Note below, It is not necessary to have the explicit intention to offend God with mortal sin.

Catholic Encyclopedia

The division of sin into original and actual, mortal and venial, is not a division of genus into species because sin has not the same signification when applied to original and personal sin, mortal and venial. Mortal sin cuts us off entirely from our true last end; venial sin only impedes us in its attainment. Actual personal sin is voluntary by a proper act of the will. Original sin is voluntary not by a personal voluntary act of ours, but by an act of the will of Adam. Original and actual sin are distinguished by the manner in which they are voluntary (ex parte actus); mortal and venial sin by the way in which they affect our relation to God (ex parte deordinationis). Since a voluntary act and its disorder are of the essence of sin, it is impossible that sin should be a generic term in respect to original and actual, mortal and venial sin. The true nature of sin is found perfectly only in a personal mortal sin, in other sins imperfectly, so that sin is predicated primarily of actual sin, only secondarily of the others. …

… it is clear that for an actual personal sin a knowledge of the law and a personal voluntary act, free from coercion and necessity, are required. No mortal sin is committed in a state of invincible ignorance or in a half-conscious state. Actual advertence to the sinfulness of the act is not required, virtual advertence suffices. It is not necessary that the explicit intention to offend God and break His law be present, the full and free consent of the will to an evil act suffices.

O’Neil, A.C. (1912). Sin. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm

 

[c4csp]

When going through the different sins of grave matter, I notice some of them have caveats, and it makes me wonder if for some of those sins, those caveats or exceptions, could not be claimed by a lot of people who commit those sins.

Folks can claim whatever they want but must remember there is no need to justify to any person that your sin is not mortal. God knows what is in your heart and He is the judge not man whether a sin is mortal.

Surely a lot of people claim say that social factors (i.e the environment or culture that surrounds them) cause them to masturbate. Then there is Acquired habit, in other words an addiction. Would most people who masturbate not be able to claim this to? Much like alcohol, masturbation is an addition that people struggle with. I don’t think a person who knows it is a sin, chooses to just go ahead and masturbate, even without having that urge, just want to anger God. The same excuse of ‘social factors’ or ‘acquired habit’ could surely also be used for other sexual sins such as fornication or adultery?

Many men developed a masturbation habit over decades. It is probably not mortal sin, but there comes a time when they learn doctrine and realize it is grave sin. They may realize it is mortal sin but they have an addiction which may lessen the culpability because there is not full deliberate consent. Here is the big kicker though. Now that they know this is grave, what action do they take? Do they strive to recover from this vice, go to confession when they fall, seek professional help, etc.? Or do they “claim” they have an addiction therefore the acts of masturbation are ok? God knows what is in our hearts and when we strive to live according to His will. However, we should not put God to the test and try to circumvent or make excuses so we can continue to sin because we enjoy it.

Here is the thing. God wants a relationship with us. He wants us to love Him. If we truly love Him, we will do everything we can to avoid sin, but also knowing we may fall from time to time. Practicing Catholicism requires us to pick up our crosses and suffer. I think many do not understand that living your Catholic life is not easy. We are called to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus, and that means following Him to Calvary.

 

[kapp19]

The Catechism is very unhelpful on this point. While it is circling a good answer, the categories it is using are so unclear that it makes it almost impossible to know what is really true… you seem to be aware of this. Well, I will just affirm that your suspicion is correct.

There are levels of sin within both kinds - venial and mortal. There is literally an order indicated in the Ten Commandments. For example, murder is a mortal sin, but perjury is much worse.

-K

 

[Polak]

Another one is ‘encouragement of another’s grave sins or vices’ which seems to have the following exception

‘Adulation is a venial sin when it only seeks to be agreeable, to avoid evil, to meet a need, or to obtain legitimate advantages’.

What on earth does it mean by ‘obtain legitimate advantages’? Is that like, I can praise you for doing bad things, if you are my boss and it could lead to me getting a raise?