Defending pro-life to secularists

  • Thread starter Thread starter CompSciGuy
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
SteveVH said:
Yes, mortal sin is a serious offense against God. In fact, it is a deadly offense.

Taking one’s own life, if that one has all of his faculties, is a mortal (deadly) sin. But the Church does not just go down a checklist and proclaim that one is damned out of hand. It recognizes extenuating circumstances such as mental illness, undue pressure or extreme abuse that mitigate one’s culpability. Christ did not command his Church to go out and condemn people. It is to be an instrument of his saving mercy and grace. It is not contrary to love to inform people of the eternal consequences of their actions. To those of us who do violate God’s commands the Church is there to forgive and heal, if we only ask.

Then what is the problem? Do you believe that a person with all of his or her faculties that commits suicide is not guilty of a serious sin? Should this just be an option for every person with no consequences?
Click to expand...
There is none. You asked if I had read what you had written and said what you had written was opposite of what I interpreted. But there is no problem that I can see.
 
atheistgirl said:
I believe you are wrong.

And I don’t you would find many who would think that someone who is clinically depressed *to the point *of self harming is either fully in control of their thoughts, has sufficient emotional resilience or is in any way culpable for a sin of self harming.

As I said, what these people need is medical, social and psychological help along with lots of patience, understanding, love and care from those around them and their community.

It’s saddens me to think in the moments of their deepest, darkest crises, there are some who find it in them not to reach out in love and compassion, but to compound their feels of despair by adding a layer of ‘‘sin’’ to their woes.

Sarah x 🙂
Click to expand...
Was I denying that?

Be careful. You’re making a lot of assumptions about me. I know more about depression than you probably think I do. That’s not the point of the thread, though, so I won’t pursue this further.
 
drac16 said:
Be careful. You’re making a lot of assumptions about me.
Click to expand...
I didn’t assume anything.

You said and I quote:
Have they sinned? I believe so, yes.
Click to expand...
People who self harm have reached a point where their emotional resilience is shot to pieces and they are not fully in control of their own thought processes.

What they do not need is to then be told they have also sinned, something quite likely to compound their depression even further.

I have no idea what you know about depression and have made no assumptions there either. Regardless of what you personal direct or indirect experience may be, I am addressing the claim you made that they have sinned. Nothing else.

The full knowledge and full free consent components of the mortal sin test would fail right there in the case of clinical depression.

This is my opinion of course and the only person who can make that call is the priest in the confessional.

Sarah x 🙂
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top