Did I sin? I am not sure!

[Angel7]

While watching the new “Karate Kid” movie (I am a fan of the original) I think I may have sinned.
The USCCB’s rating was A-II Adults and Adolescents.

So I didn’t expect anything bad, they even listed out all the bad stuff in it.
(remember I have some problems with scrupulousity)
So I will list everything that tempted me.

1. The character in the story who bullied the main character. There was a time when I was watching it where I wanted him to get hit/hurt. He was bullying Dre, and I wanted Dre to fight back and win. (Is this sinful?) (Is it sinful to want a fight to happen?)
2. Enjoying the fight scenes, (especially during the end).
3. The movie has a theme of “Far Eastern Spirituality”. I don’t think I did anything that might have led to a sin. I do remember thinking that it was “cool”.
   (The advertisements before the movie showed a trailer for a movie that had an elemental theme. (( fire/earth/wind/water elements)) something I was attracted to, or enjoyed.) I hope these weren’t sinful.
4. A scene in the movie had what I think is immodest dancing. I looked away, but glanced a few times (to see if it was off the screen) hopefully I didn’t enjoy it. (There was also revealing clothes throughout the movie, I am afraid I enjoyed this too.)

( I hope the original had nothing sinful or bad in it)

I have trouble knowing if I consent to things.

Any help and advice is very much appreciated.

May The Lord Our God Bless You All!

 

[teachccd]

My friend, you seem much too scrupulous. One cannot walk through the world with one eye closed and the other squinting with the thought that the next visual is sinful. You went to see a movie in good conscience and there were some questionable situations. Everything that you described seemed like a reasonable response to an action movie. You enjoyed the fight scenes and it was all in the nature of what a karate movie has to offer. Many people take martial arts and enjoy the sport and going to tournaments for the competitive aspect.

You obviously guard your thoughts to a point whereby you should feel confident that you are in good standing with God. Confession is always available and the graces received make this sacrament a necessity for our many trials and temptations. But remember that satan always wants you to feel that you are offending God and thus not worthy of His love. You know your heart and your relationship with God. He knows what is set before you and He also knows our weaknesses. You do well in maintaining such concern but I would caution you about going overboard when thinking that everything is a sin… God bless… teachccd

 

[VetA]

While watching the new “Karate Kid” movie (I am a fan of the original) I think I may have sinned.
The USCCB’s rating was A-II Adults and Adolescents.

So I didn’t expect anything bad, they even listed out all the bad stuff in it.
(remember I have some problems with scrupulousity)
So I will list everything that tempted me.

1. The character in the story who bullied the main character. There was a time when I was watching it where I wanted him to get hit/hurt. He was bullying Dre, and I wanted Dre to fight back and win. (Is this sinful?) (Is it sinful to want a fight to happen?)
2. Enjoying the fight scenes, (especially during the end).
3. The movie has a theme of “Far Eastern Spirituality”. I don’t think I did anything that might have led to a sin. I do remember thinking that it was “cool”.
   (The advertisements before the movie showed a trailer for a movie that had an elemental theme. (( fire/earth/wind/water elements)) something I was attracted to, or enjoyed.) I hope these weren’t sinful.
4. A scene in the movie had what I think is immodest dancing. I looked away, but glanced a few times (to see if it was off the screen) hopefully I didn’t enjoy it. (There was also revealing clothes throughout the movie, I am afraid I enjoyed this too.)

( I hope the original had nothing sinful or bad in it)

I have trouble knowing if I consent to things.

Any help and advice is very much appreciated.

May The Lord Our God Bless You All!

dont be so scrupulous my friend it was a fighting movie, meant to entertain, as long as you didnt buy into like buddhism and doubt the existence of God i think you are good, and i hardly think that looking at the screen to see if the dancing was over was a sin…

 

[EricFilmer]

A scene in the movie had what I think is immodest dancing. I looked away, but glanced a few times (to see if it was off the screen) hopefully I didn’t enjoy it. (There was also revealing clothes throughout the movie, I am afraid I enjoyed this too.)

Once I was walking through a mall and came upon some women wearing, as you put it, “revealing clothes.” I remembered the teachings from a book on Catholic moral theology about “custody of the eyes.” Therefore I glanced away from these women and, lo and behold, found myself looking at a giant Victoria’s Secret poster. As you can imagine, the model in the poster was clad in far more revealing attire than the women I was initially looking at!

The point to my story is that many of us live in societies where lustful imagery is incredibly pervasive (and it is this way for the simple fact that “sex sells”). It’s on TV, in the movies, on billboards, in the lyrics of music, in books and magazines, etc., etc. Therefore, you should not feel guilty for unintentionally coming across lustful imagery, because it is unavoidable (as my story illustrated).

And if you unintentionally come across lustful imagery and find yourself initially enjoying it, then that does not necessarily mean you are a sinner. Rather, it means that you are human. The appreciation of enticing sexual imagery is a natural reaction, an emotional one, and it arises within us with or without or consent. It would be difficult for the human race to “be fruitful and multiple” if we were not “hard-wired” like this. We are not responsible for what we really don’t have any control over. In terms of moral theology, the question is what do we do with these feelings that naturally arise? If we dwell on the imagery, ogle it and use it to as fuel for fantasizing in a sensually pleasurable way, then that is the sin of lust.

But if we find another person attractive, we can choose not to walk the path of lust, but instead react in a positive way. We can rejoice in the beauty of humanity and give God praise, saying, “Lord, you do good work!”

 

[excubitor]

While watching the new “Karate Kid” movie (I am a fan of the original) I think I may have sinned.
The USCCB’s rating was A-II Adults and Adolescents.

So I didn’t expect anything bad, they even listed out all the bad stuff in it.
(remember I have some problems with scrupulousity)
So I will list everything that tempted me.

1. The character in the story who bullied the main character. There was a time when I was watching it where I wanted him to get hit/hurt. He was bullying Dre, and I wanted Dre to fight back and win. (Is this sinful?) (Is it sinful to want a fight to happen?)
2. Enjoying the fight scenes, (especially during the end).
3. The movie has a theme of “Far Eastern Spirituality”. I don’t think I did anything that might have led to a sin. I do remember thinking that it was “cool”.
   (The advertisements before the movie showed a trailer for a movie that had an elemental theme. (( fire/earth/wind/water elements)) something I was attracted to, or enjoyed.) I hope these weren’t sinful.
4. A scene in the movie had what I think is immodest dancing. I looked away, but glanced a few times (to see if it was off the screen) hopefully I didn’t enjoy it. (There was also revealing clothes throughout the movie, I am afraid I enjoyed this too.)

( I hope the original had nothing sinful or bad in it)

I have trouble knowing if I consent to things.

Any help and advice is very much appreciated.

May The Lord Our God Bless You All!

Scrupulosity is a pathological and morbid guilt about religious and moral issues. Its a particularly distressing psychological disorder. I think sometimes we witness true Christians examining themselves and their conscience, wrestling with issues of morality and guilt and we wrongfully dissuade them from doing so by saying that they are being scrupulous. In fact, in every other context being scrupulous is a virtue. Really it is only when taken to the extreme like an obsession that it becomes harmful.

I do not believe that you are suffering from scrupolosity but rather that you are seeking guidance in examining yourself. I commend you in your efforts.

To help I would like to point you to the scriptures. james 1

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, [3] neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

So temptations will come when we live in this wicked world. We are blessed when we are tested and resist the temptation (stage 1). I think you have done this admirably. If however you were allow yourself to dwell upon those images and flatter your sensuous desires then you are now into the next stage (stage 2) “you are being drawn away by your lust and being enticed”. At some point this lust kind of “locks in” or is conceived (Stage 3). I believe this is when you start to be aware that you are being enticed and you deliberately allow yourself to be enticed and persist in soaking up the lust. Its hard to know when this point of sin (stage 4) really comes in but it is particularly evident when further deliberate actions are instigated. For example as a result of this enticing you may seek out further overtly violent movies for the specific desire of of lust of violence, or sex for that matter. This is definitely sin. Then when you persist in sin to the point that it becomes your style of life and you no longer resist it then sin is "finished and you are facing death (stage 5).

So I regard that you have reached Stage 1 and have resisted temptation and so are blessed.

But does the fact that we are blessed by temptation mean that we make an effort to put ourselves into situations where we will be tempted. Absolutely not. God forbid as Paul would say. Rather we should avoid situations where we will be tempted. Therefore we might avoid shopping malls where there are lots of scanty billboards. We might more carefully check out the movies before we go to them. We all have a prideful belief that we will be able to resist temptations, but I believe the more times we are exposed to sensuous images the more immune we become to them. We start to be absorbed into it so we no longer perceive anything markedly wrong with it. Therefore we need to drastically limit the number and frequency of these “exposures” to keep our consciences clear. Otherwise we may find that we fall into temptations without even recognising it.

So no I do not think you have sinned, however I advise that this leads you to more prudence in the future as to what you watch at the movies so that you may avoid further temptations.

 

[baltobetsy]

I do not believe that you are suffering from scrupolosity but rather that you are seeking guidance in examining yourself.

If you had read more of this member’s posts, you would know that she suffers terribly with extreme scrupulosity. I don’t know if it’s practical for you, but before I give advice when there is a question about this issue, I take a look at other posts by the questioning member.

Just a thought.

Betsy

 

[Yomic]

If you are making comments like, “I hope I didn’t enjoy it,” then give youself the benefit of the doubt. God will not condemn you have what you do not know. Be at ease with yourself and avoid things you think may guide you to temptation, but know that as long as you live you WILL be tempted. You cannot avoid it. So steel your mind against it, but don’t let it cripple you with fear.

May the Holy Spirit guide you to wisdom and peace.

 

[Zatzat]

Have you considered talking to a doctor about the severe concern, worry and anxiousness you feel over things that be regarded as trivial?

Talk to your doctor, there’s help.

I suffered for years with severe anxiety…until I talked to a doctor and got the help I needed.

 

[IntegraCatholic]

One cannot walk through the world with one eye closed and the other squinting with the thought that the next visual is sinful.

But one can choose to watch or not to watch a movie and to turn it off or leave if there are inappropriate scenes or themes.

Angel, as you admitted, you seem to suffer from some scrupulosity, but that is not the worst thing in the world. Many of the saints say that this is frequently the only way to develop a tender conscience. It isn’t a good stopping point, but it can be useful as a stage. If you find a good spiritual director (may I recommend a FSSP or ICR priest?), you will be able to discern over time what is and is not sinful or imperfect and to what degree. Most people here have not had any training in moral theology and have consciences that favor laxity rather than scrupulosity, partially because they do not know the principles and partially because we are so surrounded by sin in our society that we treat many things as trifles that are, in fact, more serious.