Could Somebody Please Elaborate on the Concept of Scandal?

[Billy112]

Hi,

I have been wondering about the concept of scandal recently and was wondering if somebody could give me a general explanation of when an action constitutes scandal and does not. Are there conditions similar to those which distinguish mortal sin from venial sin?

A few situations that come to mind specifically are the discussion of imperfect art, music, etc. the discussion of moral work by artists artists who have made immoral work, and looking through a rack of CD’s in which many are not clean in a search for one that is.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

Baltimore Catechism:

**Q. 1279. What is scandal?
**
A. Scandal is any sinful word, deed or omission that disposes others to sin, or lessens their respect for God and holy religion.

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

**2284 **Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. the person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor’s tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.

There is no absolute formula, it is situational and a matter of judgment. It is basically the idea of giving bad example.

It is also traditionally further broken down by the division of “scandal given” vs. “scandal taken.” Scandal given is when someone gives a bad example or fails to do something he should which also gives bad example. Scandal taken is when someone does or doesn’t do something for perfectly moral reasons but it might appear as a scandal to someone who doesn’t know all the facts involved. Scandal given is always wrong, scandal taken is no fault of the individual who is objectively doing a good thing.

Essentially, if what you’re doing is objectively good and you are doing it for good reasons then there is never anything to worry about. But if what you’re doing is wrong then you can compound the sin by giving a bad example that could lead others to sin.