Does it count as lust

[historyfanatic03]

I was scrolling through tik tok and saw this girl who was clearly trying to be tempting and clicked on her account. I had God in the back of my head the whole time, watched maybe 10 seconds of a video and then clicked off and then slid past another tempting video. Would this count as lust?

 

[AlNg]

Would this count as lust?

I know what you mean, since things like that are all so prevalent and difficult to avoid unless you are in a monastery. Now according to:
Matthew 5: 28 “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
I am sorry if this offends the MeToo movement, but quite honestly, I don’t see how a man can avoid committing the mortal sin of adultery today. All around, you see women dressed in tight fitting clothes, in bikinis, in low cut dresses, in sexy dances, in sexy situations in advertising, in the movies, on TV, on the internet. And women are using this provocatively sexy language in many of the American movies today. Unless you are a hermit, or a homosexual, I don’t see how you can avoid this mortal sin of adultery by having a certain amount of lust for a beautiful woman?

 

[Vico]

…

Temptation → Partial Consent (slight sin) → Evil Desire with Enjoyment (interior sin) → Commission (Exterior sin)

Bishop of Krishnagar Louis LaRavoire Marrow, My Catholic Faith - A Manual of Religion pp. 50-51, Copyright, 1949, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963 by Louis LaRavoire Morrow

1. Sin is not committed without temptation. First an evil thought comes into the mind. This in itself is not sinful; it is only a temptation.

• A man may be in a jewelry store looking at some jewels. The salesman turns away to talk to someone else, leaving a precious diamond ring on the counter. The thought enters the man’s mind that it would be easy for him to take the ring and walk away unnoticed. This is temptation, not sin.

1. If we do not immediately reject the thought, it awakens in the mind an affection or liking for it.

• If the man in the above example does not resist and reject the thought, but plays with it, and becomes pleased with the idea, he thereby gives partial consent, and commits a slight sin.

1. Next the thought is followed by an evil desire in which we take pleasure.

• If, still playing with the thought, the man wishes that he could take the diamond ring without being noticed, the consent is complete, and he commits a sin in his heart (interiorly).

1. The resolution to commit the sin when occasion presents itself follows. Then the exterior act is committed.

• Finally, the man glances to see if the salesman is still busy. Then he takes the ring and walks away with it. Thus the wish or desire has been translated into an exterior act. Even should the man be prevented from stealing, he is guilty of grave sin.

An exterior sin is more evil than an interior sin, because it is attended by worse consequences.

• An exterior sin often causes scandal, and is therefore more severely punished by God here on earth as well as after death.
• Drunkenness reduces the drunkard and his family to poverty and sickness. Impurity destroys the body, sometimes producing insanity. Murder often leads the culprit to the electric chair.
• And worse, an exterior sin increases the malice of the will, and destroys the sense of shame. The repetition of exterior sins forms the habit of sinning, and vice is formed. The conscience goes to sleep, and the sinner becomes so hardened that he no longer sees the evil and wickedness of his sin.

 

[SeekHisFace]

I’m not a man, and not a Catholic and not an expert on your distinctions of mortal and venial sin, but my two cents:
Did you have a lustful thought - probably. Did you lust in your heart - I don’t know, but you do.

I think the good rule of thumb is see, but don’t look. Clicking was probably from a bad intention but may have been subconscious.
If you cannot stop yourself from looking after you see, then I would suggest deleting the app, and practice turning away, even physically, at the beginnings of temptation.

Though I don’t pretend to know your struggle

 

[1Lord1Faith]

Would this count as lust?

No, and that isn’t what is meant in the verse from Matthew either. Coveting means having designs on something. It means being thought out, planned. It’s not some random feeling of “want” . That sort of want is just regular human desire. Just move on when you get your wits about you again.

 

[otjm]

You need to take up moral issues with your pastor, preferably in confession. The internet is not the place to try to determine the morality of your actions and decisions.

 

[Lea101]

Unless you are a hermit, or a homosexual, I don’t see how you can avoid this mortal sin of adultery by having a certain amount of lust for a beautiful woman?

Lust is a choice, sexual desire isn’t. So you have control avoiding the former. It’s easier to fight against lust when one takes full responsibility of it instead of treating it like something that would inevitably happen when they look at someone, tbh.

provocatively sexy language

Out of curiosity, what does this mean?

 

[Lea101]

saw this girl who was clearly trying to be tempting and clicked on her account. I had God in the back of my head the whole time, watched maybe 10 seconds of a video

It’s hard to say here, because only you know what you were thinking of. You made the choice to click on the account, knowing that the video was going to be tempting.

You had God in the back of your mind, which I don’t really know what that means.

So it’s difficult to determine.

The catechism defines it as: Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes

You can read it and see if what you did falls under this.

 

[Kindnessmatters]

I think accidentslly seeing something inappropriate or someone who find attractive is not a sin. If you lust after that person, or allow it to refocus your thoughts to lustful ideations, that would raise the occurance to sin.

I can see a good looking man and think “he’s really fit” or even, “wow…nice looking man” but do not think of having sex with him, etc. It’s a casual observation. I do not think I sin every time I am attracted to someone is an occasion of sin. If I allow myself to enter into sexual fantasies about the guy, it’s another story.

As for seeing sexy women online, it could be fine (such as if a man is trying to locate a runaway as part of his work and is seeing the women as victims rather than conquests), could be a near occasion of sin (such as if you see something that could trigger your sin but you divert from it) and it can be done if you give into lust.

 

[RepetantCatholic]

Well, I’m straight but I MOSTLY avoid it by not being on tik tok, periscope, Instagram or any social media site known for this.

I also don’t watch movies and the only music I listen to is Jazz.

Again, my hobbies are two video games, piano and writing. So, it’s easy not to include social media in my life. I also am off twitter and Facebook. All that stuff is unnecessary and needs better regulation like most of the internet. The problem is most politicians are too old to understand the ramifications of technology and self policing by these companies isn’t going to work. I don’t watch porn, but it shouldn’t be free and easily accessible, it should be behind a paywall with warnings and no images or previews.

But, all and all, I don’t blame or condemn these women. As a man I don’t see it as any woman’s duty to behave or dress or act any certain way. It’s up to me to be mature and above it and not lust after them. I just see them as women who have lost their way, maybe and hopefully God has a plan for them but I can’t nor won’t try to reach them.

Again, I’m not perfect I was a little piggish in my early twenties. I’m now thirty eight and confessed that stupid immature behavior. Even now, I have to go to confession after having lustful thoughts about a woman in her late twenties recently. It’s not he fault it’s mine. The way I typically proceed in these manners is wait until I’m above it through contemplation and more experience then once I know I won’t do it again, confess it and apologize to God. But I am contrite.

 

[AlNg]

Even now, I have to go to confession after having lustful thoughts about a woman in her late twenties recently

I know what you mean. But isn’t this more or less normal unless you are a homosexual? If married couples were able to control their impulses, why then do so many Catholic women take the birth control pill? And at the local church just about everyone goes up to Communion. The Bible says you are already committing adultery if you look at a woman with lust, but isn’t it biologically natural for a man to have desire?

 

[RepetantCatholic]

I think it can be overcome, but little slip ups will happen. The point is to be above it. Again, my first strategy is to avoid. When I can’t because it’s in person, if I slip up it is because I feel the woman gave me signals. I’m nothing special, but when that happens I blame myself not her.

 

[gcshapero]

I was scrolling through tik tok and saw this girl who was clearly trying to be tempting and clicked on her account. I had God in the back of my head the whole time, watched maybe 10 seconds of a video and then clicked off and then slid past another tempting video. Would this count as lust?

It may have been more or less fleeting – perhaps venial, but I would recommend confessing it. It’s generally prudent to confess your venial sins.

Another option is to avoid Tik Tok – there is some toxic content in there since so many of them are under age yet sexualized, it’s disturbing.

You can do it. I used to log onto Instagram a lot just for fun – not intentionally trying to find riske content, but it would find me. Sometimes it’s tempting to look for 10 seconds before shifting away. I knew it was greater than me, so I just removed the app altogether. There is no need, even for 10 seconds, to look at something that pulls me away from God.