Do I need to confess sins committed without full knowledge?

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I have a question about mortal sin. I know that for a sin to be a mortal sin, it must be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Now, suppose I engaged in premarital sex and didn’t know it was a sin. Then, the “full knowledge” requirement is not met and I have not committed a mortal sin. Then, I later find out that premarital sex is a mortal sin. Even though this sin was committed without full knowledge, do I still need to confess it? Or is this only if I commit the sin after knowing it is a mortal sin?
 
RRusso1982 said:
I have a question about mortal sin. I know that for a sin to be a mortal sin, it must be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Now, suppose I engaged in premarital sex and didn’t know it was a sin. Then, the “full knowledge” requirement is not met and I have not committed a mortal sin. Then, I later find out that premarital sex is a mortal sin. Even though this sin was committed without full knowledge, do I still need to confess it? Or is this only if I commit the sin after knowing it is a mortal sin?
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How is it possible to not know that married people are the ones who should have sex? Where do you live that the question of the morality of it and if God would say it is holy and ok has not been addressed to you?
I suppose, if you never were told about God, or never bothered to ask what a wedding was or why people got married then you perhaps did not know it was wrong. But there are things that God writes on the hearts of all humankind. And this I believe is one of them. Perhaps you should confess it and see what the priest says.

Confess and the priest will guide you. This is the only way to be sure. Not what someone on the internet says about if you sinned or not.

EDIT:
I see from previous posts that you have indeed confessed the sin of premarital sex. Since this has already been confessed you do not have an issue here at all. Rest assured that what has been confessed is done. And after that confession you cannot make the claim you did not know it was wrong. It is done, over with. Why do you still have a question about this?
 
Until becoming Catholic, I didn’t know there was a sin that could separate a person from God. Seriously.
 
SoulSolace said:
Until becoming Catholic, I didn’t know there was a sin that could separate a person from God. Seriously.
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You were raised in a area where cold blooded murder or cannibalism or rape could not separate one from God. The God? Which God did you hear of?
 
RRusso1982 said:
I have a question about mortal sin. I know that for a sin to be a mortal sin, it must be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Now, suppose I engaged in premarital sex and didn’t know it was a sin. Then, the “full knowledge” requirement is not met and I have not committed a mortal sin. Then, I later find out that premarital sex is a mortal sin. Even though this sin was committed without full knowledge, do I still need to confess it? Or is this only if I commit the sin after knowing it is a mortal sin?
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I would confess it and explain your situation to the priest. 👍
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
Ok but that still supposes that one has to be “saved” Not that sin does not separate.🤷
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But, I believed I was “saved”, and therefore nothing could separate me from God, no sin or misdeed, etc… I was really surprised when I learned about “mortal” sin, and kind of did a “uh oh”.

Imagine my first confession. :eek:
No, wait, maybe you shouldn’t.
In any case, it was still necessary to confess all, even those things which I did not realize were mortal at the time I did them.
 
It is good practise to confess all sins that are objectively grave matter (fornication being one, of course), regardless of whether the other two conditions are present.

When in doubt, always confess. It is better to be embarassed for a few minutes than suffer more in Purgatory/ go to Hell! 🙂
 
JRTJ said:
It is good practise to confess all sins that are objectively grave matter (fornication being one, of course), regardless of whether the other two conditions are present.

When in doubt, always confess. It is better to be embarassed for a few minutes than suffer more in Purgatory/ go to Hell! 🙂
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Agree wholeheartedly. 👍
 
SoulSolace said:
But, I believed I was “saved”, and therefore nothing could separate me from God, no sin or misdeed, etc… I was really surprised when I learned about “mortal” sin, and kind of did a “uh oh”.

Imagine my first confession. :eek:
No, wait, maybe you shouldn’t.
In any case, it was still necessary to confess all, even those things which I did not realize were mortal at the time I did them.
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Usually in the OSAS camp it is explained away that if a person rapes and murders then they were not saved to begin with. Nevertheless it is a topic for another thread. Bottom line is that the OP and you even when you were saved would understand that premarital sex was against the will of God and therefore a sin… If it was a sin that damned you or not could be argued theologically but the OP already did confess this so the entire exercise is moot.

Obviously she knew it was a sin because she confessed it. I think what we are dealing with here is residual guilt.
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
Usually in the OSAS camp it is explained away that if a person rapes and murders then they were not saved to begin with. Nevertheless it is a topic for another thread. Bottom line is that the OP and you even when you were saved would understand that premarital sex was against the will of God and therefore a sin… If it was a sin that damned you or not could be argued theologically but the OP already did confess this so the entire exercise is moot.

Obviously she knew it was a sin because she confessed it. I think what we are dealing with here is residual guilt.
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Actually, this is the right thread for it, as I am hoping the OP will see through this exchange how to deal with this issue.

Though I was thoroughly steeped in OSAS and truly did not know there was such a thing as mortal sin (thus in a state of “ignorance”), I knew no peace until I confessed all.
It truly is the only way (for me at least) to receive healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

If OP has already confessed, then it [likely] truly is a case of residual guilt, and possibly some scrupulosity, or a need to make reparation somehow. (which many times simply means avoiding the sin again)

God bless Hoosier.
And you too OP. RRusso1982
🙂
 
You completely misunderstand the concept of “full knowledge”. One doesn’t need to agree that action ‘x’ is mortally sinful, for action ‘x’ to be mortally sinful. This interpretation would lead to the absurd conclusion that someone who doesn’t believe in mortal sin would be able to commit as much evil as possible (murder, rape, genocide, slavery, etc) and still be rewarded with heavenly bliss.

The Catechism talks about full knowledge in paragraphs 1859 and 1860. You’ll note that no one is ignorant of the principles of the moral law - no one. Having sex outside of marriage is a part of the moral law. Therefore “no one” (including you) lacks “full knowledge” here.
CCC 1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice.** Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.**

CCC 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.
Lack Full Knowledge only comes into play on violations other than those of the Moral Law. Thus, Hitler can’t get off by claiming that he really thought killing the Jews was a grand thing to do. You have to remember the Church isn’t peddling Relativism when she speaks of Full Knowledge.
 
RRusso1982 said:
I have a question about mortal sin. I know that for a sin to be a mortal sin, it must be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Now, suppose I engaged in premarital sex and didn’t know it was a sin. Then, the “full knowledge” requirement is not met and I have not committed a mortal sin. Then, I later find out that premarital sex is a mortal sin. Even though this sin was committed without full knowledge, do I still need to confess it? Or is this only if I commit the sin after knowing it is a mortal sin?
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You will have to ponder it. Note in the text following that “no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law,”

Look at these items from the 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.

I. THE NATURAL MORAL LAW
1956 The natural law, present in the heart of each man and established by reason, is universal in its precepts and its authority extends to all men. It expresses the dignity of the person and determines the basis for his fundamental rights and duties:
For there is a true law: right reason. It is in conformity with nature, is diffused among all men, and is immutable and eternal; its orders summon to duty; its prohibitions turn away from offense . . . . To replace it with a contrary law is a sacrilege; failure to apply even one of its provisions is forbidden; no one can abrogate it entirely.9
1960 The precepts of natural law are not perceived by everyone clearly and immediately. In the present situation sinful man needs grace and revelation so moral and religious truths may be known "by everyone with facility, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error."12 The natural law provides revealed law and grace with a foundation prepared by God and in accordance with the work of the Spirit.

More On Mortal Sin

1857 For a *sin *to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.” 131​
1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: “Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.” 132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart 133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
 
RRusso1982 said:
I have a question about mortal sin. I know that for a sin to be a mortal sin, it must be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Now, suppose I engaged in premarital sex and didn’t know it was a sin. Then, the “full knowledge” requirement is not met and I have not committed a mortal sin. Then, I later find out that premarital sex is a mortal sin. Even though this sin was committed without full knowledge, do I still need to confess it? Or is this only if I commit the sin after knowing it is a mortal sin?
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The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not about finding loopholes and minimizing or dismissing wrong acts because they perhaps “not mortal”. It’s about seeking forgiveness. You did wrong, seek forgiveness, lay it at the feet of Christ. He will forgive you. The power of the confessional is unbelievable. Soak up Gods mercy. You won’t regret it.
 
JRTJ said:
It is good practise to confess all sins that are objectively grave matter (fornication being one, of course), regardless of whether the other two conditions are present.

When in doubt, always confess. It is better to be embarassed for a few minutes than suffer more in Purgatory/ go to Hell! 🙂
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:clapping:

My thoughts exactly.
 
RRusso1982 said:
I have a question about mortal sin. I know that for a sin to be a mortal sin, it must be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Now, suppose I engaged in premarital sex and didn’t know it was a sin. Then, the “full knowledge” requirement is not met and I have not committed a mortal sin. Then, I later find out that premarital sex is a mortal sin. Even though this sin was committed without full knowledge, do I still need to confess it? Or is this only if I commit the sin after knowing it is a mortal sin?
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I would certainly confess it. Sins such as sex activity outside of marriage should not just sit on your soul.

If you’re worried about the priest saying something to ridicule you, I would relax because it is, unfortunately, a common sin.
 
SoulSolace said:
I was thoroughly convinced of OSAS.
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I can believe it. Until I became Catholic I didn’t know having a vasectomy was a mortal sin. I had one following the birth of our youngest child 31 years ago because our doctor said my wife shouldn’t have anymore kids. There were other things I didn’t know were mortal sins. Sin was sin. I also heard of the once saved always saved idea. I was so confused I hardly could tell down from up.
 
LegoGE1947 said:
I can believe it. Until I became Catholic I didn’t know having a vasectomy was a mortal sin. I had one following the birth of our youngest child 31 years ago because our doctor said my wife shouldn’t have anymore kids. There were other things I didn’t know were mortal sins. Sin was sin. I also heard of the once saved always saved idea. I was so confused I hardly could tell down from up.
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I am still learning down from up. Best rule of thumb for me is to confess all, even things that I didn’t know at the time were mortal. There was no peace in my life until I did so (confessed all)
I think it is difficult for some to understand when they’ve always been taught what mortal sin is and what it does to the soul.
Did I know right from wrong? In many instances I did, but I didn’t know I was separated from God because of those things.
I was taught that the Holy Spirit would “finish the good work that was started in me”.
But Hoosier is right, I think this is for another thread.

RRusso1982, please understand, if you’ve confessed the sin, you truly are forgiven.
If there are sins you committed not knowing they were mortal, as other posters have said, it is good to confess them. For myself personally that is the only way I found any sense of peace or forgiveness.

God Bless
 
A lot of the converts around here (of which I am one) sometimes misapply terms and theological principles. Mortal and Venial sin are usually Catholic terms and someone in a OSAS camp would have no concept of any “mortal sin” the way a Catholic would understand it. So, while you may not know that sin (x) was mortal. Many mortal sins are written on the heart. So for example you may not know that Murder is a mortal sin while maybe having impatience with the driver in front of you is venial, One, if human, certainly knows that Killing an innocent person is contrary to God’s will. Where a Vasectomy might be something where Catholics and Protestants differ. It is grave matter without full knowledge. But certainly your theology would be lacking if you made the argument that it is Holy to do so. You would misunderstand the theology of sex and of marriage. While protestant, it might not constitute mortal sin (although it might) it certainly cannot be arrived at from an understanding of scripture or the teachings of Jesus. Though “Pastor Bob” might not object, your heart should. Especially if you took the time to have a “relationship with Jesus”

But like I said, you cannot apply Catholic terms, (mortal venial) to non Catholic concepts of sin. But it is grave matter and there was (usually)full will anyway. The argumetn is jsut knowledge. And if one wants to hang eternal salvation on the idea that they are ignorant of a surgery done voluntarily to them and the motivations behind it, then go ahead.🤷 The good news is that confession cleanses all.

However sin is sin, and mortal sin is mortal sin. Culpability is what we are talking about here. And culpability can be mitigated. But who knows how much? Certainly weather one knows the grave matter is grave or not, it is a stumbling block to heaven and is a path to hell, if one is fully culpable or not. There is NO redeeming grace in grave matter. (sin)
 
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