Do pagans never commit a mortal sin?

[HSTV]

So for a sin to be mortal, the condition are:

1. Its subject matter must be grave.
2. It must be committed with full knowledge (and awareness) of the sinful action and the gravity of the offense.
3. It must be committed with deliberate and complete consent

Pagans do not have full knowledge, so they also do not have “complete consent”.

It baffles me, because if these are the conditions for a sin to be mortal, then catholics are the only ones who can commit a mortal sin, since they have knowledge of what is a sin.

 

[Bonaventurian]

This is where the natural law comes into play. If they know that something is wrong, like murder, and they commit that act then they commit a mortal sin. But if they are ignorant of the One True God and worship their idols, then that act would be a venial sin because they were in ignorance. Yet it doesn’t matter, because the unbaptised are in the state of original sin which prevents them from entering heaven.

 

[Sbee0]

So for a sin to be mortal, the condition are:

1. Its subject matter must be grave.
2. It must be committed with full knowledge (and awareness) of the sinful action and the gravity of the offense.
3. It must be committed with deliberate and complete consent

Pagans do not have full knowledge, so they also do not have “complete consent”.

It baffles me, because if these are the conditions for a sin to be mortal, then catholics are the only ones who can commit a mortal sin, since they have knowledge of what is a sin.

I’d say they certainly can. If they deliberately (full consent) commit murder (grave matter), surely they know it’s wrong (full knowledge). All 3 conditions for mortal sin as we Catholics understand it.

 

[Genesis315]

They certainly can. As the Catechism notes, “But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man.” (CCC1860)

In fact, not adoring God, but rather adoring creatures–which is what a pagan does–is just one of these principles for which there is no excuse:

Romans 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;

 

[phil19034]

So for a sin to be mortal, the condition are:

1. Its subject matter must be grave.
2. It must be committed with full knowledge (and awareness) of the sinful action and the gravity of the offense.
3. It must be committed with deliberate and complete consent

Pagans do not have full knowledge, so they also do not have “complete consent”.

It baffles me, because if these are the conditions for a sin to be mortal, then catholics are the only ones who can commit a mortal sin, since they have knowledge of what is a sin.

1. pagans DO have full knowledge regarding the sinfulness of several sins
2. pagans DO have complete consent

For example: practically every culture understands that murder is evil. There might be some blurred edges where the line between what is murder and what isn’t; but it’s still understood that murder is evil.

Example 2: practically every culture understands that one must honor you mother & father; so children must honor and respect their parents (even as adults)

Example 3: practically every culture understands that incest is evil.

Example 4: practically every culture understands that adultery is sinful

Point is a great number of sins are understood to be wrong because of the way God created us.

 

[stpurl]

Wait. So a pagan has no knowledge that killing is bad, stealing is bad, etc? I think not. They may or may not think that killing offends God (or ‘a god’) but they know it is a wrong action at the very least against another person, so yes, they can commit a mortal sin.

 

[HSTV]

• pagans DO have full knowledge regarding the sinfulness of several sins
• pagans DO have complete consent

Our society does not have the knowledge that sex before marriage is a sin.
so when people have sex out of marriage is that still a sin?
Everybody thinks it is ‘‘normal’’ nowadays, nobody thinks it is ‘‘bad’’.

 

[Sbee0]

phil19034:

• pagans DO have full knowledge regarding the sinfulness of several sins
• pagans DO have complete consent

Our society does not have the knowledge that sex before marriage is a sin.
so when people have sex out of marriage is that still a sin?
Everybody thinks it is ‘‘normal’’ nowadays, nobody thinks it is ‘‘bad’’.

Yes it’s still a sin.

 

[phil19034]

phil19034:

• pagans DO have full knowledge regarding the sinfulness of several sins
• pagans DO have complete consent

Our society does not have the knowledge that sex before marriage is a sin.
so when people have sex out of marriage is that still a sin?
Everybody thinks it is ‘‘normal’’ nowadays, nobody thinks it is ‘‘bad’’.

It’s always still a sin.

The question is whether it would be considered a Mortal Sin or Venial for that individual. It’s POSSIBLE that it might be mitigated by God, but only God knows for sure.

 

[HSTV]

Obviously I am talking about the personal situation.

Is THAT person still commiting a sin if he/she thinks it is not evil to have sex out of marriage?

Nobody in our society still thinks sex before marriage is bad.

 

[phil19034]

Obviously I am talking about the personal situation.

Is THAT person still commiting a sin if he/she thinks it is not evil to have sex out of marriage?

Nobody in our society still thinks sex before marriage is bad.

Yes, they are still committing a sin.

But they might be committing a venial sin instead of a Mortal Sin. But only God knows.

 

[HSTV]

This is what baffles me.
So it is much harder for us catholics to be saved.

For a pagan, they are commiting a venial sin. But if a catholic has sex out of marriage, then this is a mortal sin.

 

[phil19034]

This is what baffles me.
So it is much harder for us catholics to be saved.

For a pagan, they are commiting a venial sin. But if a catholic has sex out of marriage, then this is a mortal sin.

Well, we DON’T know this for sure. For some pagans, it might still be moral.

Also, hell is not the same experience for everyone.

We love Jesus. So it’s only logical that we show Him our love.

People who don’t love Jesus might likely will wind up in hell and/or a form of limbo. However, Jesus MIGHT show Mercy by allowing some of them to be saved via a VERY LONG time in purgatory.

NONE of us deserve to be saved. However, some will have less time in purgatory than others.

And as someone once said, we want to do our best to go straight for Heaven because if we aim for Purgatory - we might miss.

I hope I’m making sense.

 

[Sbee0]

This is what baffles me.
So it is much harder for us catholics to be saved.

For a pagan, they are commiting a venial sin. But if a catholic has sex out of marriage, then this is a mortal sin.

That’s one way to look at it but I prefer to think the opposite - we are already revealed the truth of the one holy Catholic and apostolic Church founded by Christ himself and what it really takes to be saved.

 

[LawyersGunsAndMoney]

Our society does not have the knowledge that sex before marriage is a sin.
so when people have sex out of marriage is that still a sin?
Everybody thinks it is ‘‘normal’’ nowadays, nobody thinks it is ‘‘bad’’.

Potentially, the person might not be fully blamed for the sin if they sincerely didn’t know that what they were doing was wrong. Some things, though, are so wrong that human beings just instinctively know they’re wrong. Almost everyone knows that murdering an innocent person, for example, is wrong, even if no one “told” them. They just know it in their gut.

 

[Sbee0]

HSTV:

Our society does not have the knowledge that sex before marriage is a sin.
so when people have sex out of marriage is that still a sin?
Everybody thinks it is ‘‘normal’’ nowadays, nobody thinks it is ‘‘bad’’.

Potentially, the person might not be fully blamed for the sin if they sincerely didn’t know that what they were doing was wrong. Some things, though, are so wrong that human beings just instinctively know they’re wrong. Almost everyone knows that murdering an innocent person, for example, is wrong, even if no one “told” them. They just know it in their gut.

Yeah. And “full knowledge” doesn’t necessarily mean full knowledge of the canon law of the Catholic Church saying that something is a sin.

 

[HSTV]

So my friends who are not catholic/christian can have sex with their boyfriends and still go to heaven, while I cant do that because I would go to hell.

 

[angel12]

Pagans do not have full knowledge, so they also do not have “complete consent”.

It baffles me, because if these are the conditions for a sin to be mortal, then catholics are the only ones who can commit a mortal sin, since they have knowledge of what is a sin.

Why do you think pagans can’t know that something is objectively wrong?

 

[Sbee0]

So my friends who are not catholic/christian can have sex with their boyfriends and still go to heaven, while I cant do that because I would go to hell.

Scripture says fornicators (+ adulterers, and other types of sinners) will not enter the kingdom of God. For Catholics we have the sacrament of Reconciliation to reconcile sins like that with God.

They don’t have that. Which may have eternal consequences.

 

[LawyersGunsAndMoney]

So my friends who are not catholic/christian can have sex with their boyfriends and still go to heaven, while I cant do that because I would go to hell.

I wouldn’t think of things in such black and white terms if I were you. God is a little more complex than a machine that just sorts people into two piles.