Did I sin here?

  • Thread starter Thread starter coolcatholicguy
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

coolcatholicguy

Guest
I was singing (more like humming) “Awesome God” to myself near my teacher today, and when she asked me what I was doing and what song I was singing, I said I wasn’t singing anything in particular. Did I sin by saying this?

The reason I am asking this is because in Psalms 119:116 it says: “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.” (NASB). Also in various other Bible verses it says not to be ashamed of The Lord.
 
If you avoided answering truthfully solely because you were afraid that your teacher would think you were “silly” for humming a Christian song, then I would say yes, you sinned, though it’s most likely a venial one.

Actually, I’ve been thinking recently about how I am occasionally “ashamed” of the Lord, too. Sometimes when I go to make the sign of the cross after a silent prayer in public, I get embarrassed and refrain from doing it. Lately, though, I’ve been asking myself, “What am I ashamed of?” And I’ve forced myself to make the sign anyways, despite my embarrassment. What Jesus said in Mark 8:38 comes to mind: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (NIV)
 
You have failed to tell the truth and lied. It is not a question of grave matter in this instance for sure and so your sin would be venial.
 
TiggerS said:
You have failed to tell the truth and lied.
Click to expand...
Hmm… if he had said “nothing in particular” in an off-hand kind of way, without any shame for what he was humming, I don’t think that’s a lie. People ask me all the time, “What are you thinking about?” or “What are you doing?” Half the time I just answer “Ah, nothing,” or something like that. I wasn’t ashamed of whatever it was I was doing or thinking about (it wasn’t even sinful!), I just didn’t think it was important. People understand “it’s nothing” to mean that you were either doing something so trivial or irrelevant that’s it not worth talking about, or it’s private and you’d rather not discuss it.
 
suissemissed said:
Hmm… if he had said “nothing in particular” in an off-hand kind of way, without any shame for what he was humming, I don’t think that’s a lie. People ask me all the time, “What are you thinking about?” or “What are you doing?” Half the time I just answer “Ah, nothing,” or something like that. I wasn’t ashamed of whatever it was I was doing or thinking about (it wasn’t even sinful!), I just didn’t think it was important. People understand “it’s nothing” to mean that you were either doing something so trivial or irrelevant that’s it not worth talking about, or it’s private and you’d rather not discuss it.
Click to expand...
I agree with you that it is intention behind an act that most often defines the morality of that act.

TS
 
Do you spend your entire day worrying about sins? I mean, everytime I see a thread of yours it seems to be some obscure event. Neither do you respond to the thread later. You could save people trouble and:
  1. Go to confession weekly and tell them to the priest
  2. Seek professional psychological help
Perhaps both would be good.

I’m inclined to think that you’re doing this as a joke, there’s no way someone on Earth can be this scrupulous.
 
I’m not trying to be scrupulous and I’m not joking, I’m just searching for answers.
 
Suspicious_Mind said:
Do you spend your entire day worrying about sins? I mean, everytime I see a thread of yours it seems to be some obscure event. Neither do you respond to the thread later. You could save people trouble and:
  1. Go to confession weekly and tell them to the priest
  2. Seek professional psychological help
Perhaps both would be good.

I’m inclined to think that you’re doing this as a joke,** there’s no way someone on Earth can be this scrupulous.**
Click to expand...
Actually there is. Sadly. Luther was. And many others.
 
there’s no way someone on Earth can be this scrupulous.
Click to expand...
You’re wrong about this one, but absolutely right about your advice.

The OP needs to have a regular confessor and/or spiritual director and take these kinds of questions to that confessor–asking for this kind of advice in these kinds of forums is not healthy for someone who suffers from scrup/OCD…
 
Leave him alone hes trying to be a christian i Do the same thing he’s just seeking Help, i Would say it’s venial
 
I totally agree with the way suissemissed describes it, in that when people say, “nothing” it really means “too trivial to discuss” or “private.” If the teacher needed to know anything more, the teacher could very well have asked for expansion because the teacher is not an idiot – you were doing SOMETHING or there would not have been a question.

I don’t call it sinful to answer the way you did, at all. Venial, no. If you were loud enough so that others could have heard it, then the details would have been made their business.

Also, if it was in the public school, it could have even raised legal issues if the mention of God in class ticks off some little atheist twit with a lawyer daddy. No point in doing that damage.

BTW I have a special like for Mullins; once I got to move my own piano to our church for him to play a concert on it. Awesome! How can anybody not want to hum “Awesome God?”

Alan
 
Suspicious_Mind said:
Do you spend your entire day worrying about sins? I mean, everytime I see a thread of yours it seems to be some obscure event. Neither do you respond to the thread later. You could save people trouble and:
  1. Go to confession weekly and tell them to the priest
  2. Seek professional psychological help
Perhaps both would be good.

I’m inclined to think that you’re doing this as a joke, there’s no way someone on Earth can be this scrupulous.
Click to expand...
You never read my threads probably 😃
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top