Hierarchy of sin

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JohnStrachan

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Even though all sin is pardonable with the exception of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is their a hierarchy of sin? Presumably the murder/abuse of innocents is near the top of the list, but what are “rank” of heinous mortal sins - if such a ranking actually may exist?
 
I would think desecration the Host and murder, especially abortion, would be some of the worse. Torturing and rape are probably high on the list too.

My teacher told me that desecrating the Host is the most serious sin you can commit. Of coarse, you can be forgiven of these sins
 
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I know of no such ranking of serious sin beyond the foue sins that call out to Heaven for vengeance or maybe more appropriately, justice.

Willful murder, which is a voluntary and unjust taking away another’s life.

The sin of Sodom, or carnal sin against nature, which is a voluntary shedding of the seed of nature, out of the due use of marriage, or lust with a different sex.

Oppressing of the poor, which is a cruel, tyrannical, and unjust dealing with inferiors.

To defraud working men of their wages, which is to lessen, or detain it from them.
 
I don’t know. In my opinion it’s pointless to talk about a hierarchy of mortal sins because all mortal sins are eternally punished in hell, which is the ultimate punishment. A hierarchy of venial sins is meaningful though.
 
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is considered the worst as it is the “unforgivable sin”.

The Desert Fathers identified, and many theologians have discussed, the “seven deadly sins” that are contrary to the seven virtues. The seven deadly sins are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Pride is generally ranked as the worst of the sins, and the sin that gives rise to all the other sins.
Envy is usually ranked second because it also gives rise to other sins and it is associated with the Devil, since the Devil’s envy of God caused him to fall and become the source of evil in the world.

Lust is considered the least serious because it is basically humans acting on the animal instincts they have, and it involves sins of the flesh, which were considered less serious than “sins of the spirit.”
 
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Some sins are graver than others, even if both are mortal sins - not that it makes a difference to the condemned person though. I learned this from this forum years ago. I don’t know which sins are the gravest though
 
Dante obviously has a sharply drawn heirarchy of sin, as his Inferno is shaped like a funnel and the farther down you are the worse the sin. My understanding is that he relied on the work of a number of theologians, including Thomas Aquinas, but we remember too that The Divine Comedy is ultimately a work of fiction (poetic fiction, that is). Upper hell is unrepentant sins of the flesh or incontinence (lust, gluttony, anger, avarice etc); lower hell is sins of malice. Violence such a murder and suicide (violence to the self) falls in lower hell but not at the bottom of hell. The lowest parts of hell is reserved for those who maliciously use others for personal gain (ie pimps, panderers) and traitors (Satan, a traitor, is there, as is Judas).
 
The above posts are interesting but they are looking at sin in the abstract.
In the real world sin is tied to a human
being. The gravity of THIS sin, THIS time, by THIS person depends on a few factors.

In the Screwtape Letters, C S Lewis describes demons not as pursuing “evil”, but rather souls. From their point of view, murder is not necessarily “better” than playing cards too much. It’s whatever succeeds in moving this person away from God.
 
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Limoncello beat me to it. While Dante is of course not to be taken literally, reading the Inferno (and Purgatory and Paradise as well!) can give one an excellent guide to sin in all its complexity and destructiveness. It’s an incredible journey. I can’t help but feel the Church would be in better shape if more Catholics read it seriously.
 
JohnStrachan said:
Even though all sin is pardonable with the exception of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is their a hierarchy of sin? Presumably the murder/abuse of innocents is near the top of the list, but what are “rank” of heinous mortal sins - if such a ranking actually may exist?
Click to expand...
  • voluntary and serious
  • voluntary and minor
  • involuntary through a) ignorance or b) infirmity
 
Vico said:
involuntary through a) ignorance or b) infirmity
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You can’t commit an “involuntary” mortal sin. I note this only because the OP used the word “heinous mortal sins.”

In order for the sin to be mortal, it has to be voluntary and intentional.

You could commit an involuntary Grave sin (i.e. grave matter) through ignorance or infirmity, but that’s not the same as mortal, which means you destroyed your relationship with God. You can’t destroy your relationship with God involuntarily.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
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Vico:
involuntary through a) ignorance or b) infirmity
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You can’t commit an “involuntary” mortal sin. I note this only because the OP used the word “heinous mortal sins.”

In order for the sin to be mortal, it has to be voluntary and intentional.

You could commit an involuntary Grave sin (i.e. grave matter) through ignorance or infirmity, but that’s not the same as mortal, which means you destroyed your relationship with God. You can’t destroy your relationship with God involuntarily.
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So true. Proper sin is that which breaks one’s friendship with God. Yet there is both material (no personal guilt) and formal sin (personal guilt), and formal sin is only voluntary. Involuntary sin is not proper sin, but analogous: a transgression or failing.

Catholic Encyclopedia
Since sin is a voluntary act lacking in due rectitude, sin is found, as in a subject, principally in the will.
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O’Neil, A.C. (1912). Sin. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm

From our Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy book:
Prayer of Our Venerable Father John Damascene
Lord and Master Jesus Christ, my God, who alone have power to absolve from sins, forgive all my transgressions both voluntary and involuntary, committed in word or deed. O loving God, allow me to partake of your divine, glorious, and pure mysteries. Let my sharing in your body and blood be for the cleansing of my sins and the healing of my body and a pledge of the life to come and of your kingdom. You are a merciful God, loving, kind, and full of compassion, and to you I give glory. Amen
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