Having the love for speed or extreme sports not ok for catholics?

[fabio_rocha]

Driving fast, piloting nascar cars, fighter jets, down hill biking, bumgee jumping, parachutting, sky diving, fair parks, etc… should we avoid all?

 

[Baelor]

No. Why would this be sinful?

 

[Bookcat]

Can it be argued that at least some of those things are sinful? Sure.

One would have to look at each and evaluate each. And good moral theologians can differ of course in their judgment.

 

[edward_george]

The late Alan Kulwicki, a NASCAR driver, was a devout Catholic:

Kulwicki, who was Catholic, always carried a St. Christopher medal with him in his car. One day, before a race in Charlotte, he couldn’t find it.

It was minutes to the green flag. Kulwicki was already strapped into the car. The engine noise was deafening.

Kulwicki did the only thing he could. He yelled at Cal Lawson, his right-hand man, to get him a new one. It was in his briefcase on pit road.

Lawson knew the combination. It was 7-7-7.

Lawson reached into the briefcase, found a medal, threw it into the car, and Kulwicki roared away.

nascar.com/2003/news/headlines/wc/03/31/kulwicki_stories/index.html

-ACEGC

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Why would it be sinful?

 

[triumphguy]

Motorcycles are the steed of the satan!

 

[Bookcat]

Why would it be sinful?

Each would need to be evaluated.

 

[Bookcat]

Catechism:

2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

The primary potential problem I see is safety. Make sure that whatever you are doing does not place yourself or others in unreasonable danger.

Beyond that, I think most of these things are fine in the way all secular pastimes are fine. They are morally licit (as long as they are safe and kept within the bounds of reasonable moderation) and can be seen as thankfully enjoying the blessings God has given us in this life. On the other hand, all such secular enjoyment can run the risk of distracting us from God and from our eternal destiny. Different people are called to different spiritualities, some more ascetic and some less so, but I don’t think it would be spiritually healthy for any Christian to entirely forget either the goodness of gratefully enjoying the natural gifts God has given us or of voluntarily forgoing licit pleasures for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

 

[NickVA]

Reckless driving is sinful, and taking foolish risks and endangering the life of yourself and others is sinful. But this is open to interpretation. to my Knowledge The Church has never out right commended activities such as parachuting and other " extreme" sports. I think it can really depend on the situation and factors involved.

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Catechism:

2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

Yet this virtue is not disturbed by fasting, for example. So one would have to assume it is not disturbed by limited jolts of high octane activities, either.

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Also not that some of these activities do not endanger one’s life any more than simply driving to work might.

Bungee jumping is a good example. It’s not really that dangerous.

OP, what are “fair parks”?

 

[Bookcat]

Yet this virtue is not disturbed by fasting, for example. So one would have to assume it is not disturbed by limited jolts of high octane activities, either.

One would have to look at each.

And fasting can be done in excess too…