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Mannyfit75
Guest
How do you distinguish lustful thoughts and lustful temptation? 
How do you distinguish lustful thoughts and lustful temptation?
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rwoehmke
Guest
Lustful thoughts are temptations unless they are willfully cultivated and hung onto at which point the temptation segues into sin. Lustful thoughts may also be temptations for one to take lustful actions but until a decision is made to follow through, they remain lustful temptations if as said above they are not cultivated and mulled over for mental pleasure alone.
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Mannyfit75
Guest
True. If one willfully entertains the lustful thoughts, the individual may act upon it so much that he or she may commit the sin of masturbation, or start fantasizing about have sexual intercourse about it.
I wonder though, I know masturbation itself is mortal sin when it meets all three conditions of a mortal sin. How about fantasy, would this be mortal or venial?
Does mental pleasure lead into more serious sinful acts?
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rwoehmke
Guest
Willfully entertaining the thoughts is a sin even if the entertainment does not lead one to further sinful acts.
If one willfully keeps the fantasy going it can be a mortal sin. Yes
Willfully entertained mental pleasure will often sooner or later lead one into serious sinful physical acts. Willfully entertaining the mental pleasure itself is a serious offense.
It is basically impossible for a person not to have thoughts of a sexual nature pop into ones mind. That in itself is not a sin. It is the hanging on to a particular thought and ruminating over it or on it that leads one from the temptation into a mental sin. One has to realize what is going on and attempt to divert ones thoughts into a more acceptable channel. Sin has not occurred if the realization has not taken place; you have to know what you are doing. Prayer is one way to divert such thoughts.
Idle minds like idle hands are the devils workshop. People who are intellectually and physically active are too busy for the devil to get his licks in.
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Mannyfit75
Guest
Good answer. I came with the same conclusion.
The key word is willfully. So I see we are in the same sheet of music.
I agree. I have another question, what if the person over come the thoughts and willfully fights the lustful thoughts… Would that lessen the gravity of sin?
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rwoehmke
Guest
You would not willfully fight to overcome the thoughts unless you realized what was going on. Until one realizes what is going on there can hardly be any sin, venial or mortal.
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CentralFLJames
Guest
Agree with Manny. Jesus warned us that the thought is equivalent to the deed.
For men, its pretty easy to know when one has passed the boundary of a transient and innocent thought and started down the path of engaging in lustful thoughts.
This is one of the hardest things to control in today’s world. We are bombarded with spam email with graphic images and its on TV commercials and both women and men all dress these days to provoke extraordinary physical attention. There is even a science of perfumes and scents designed and worn to arouse our hormonal responses subconsciously.
Christians are required to say “no” and take dominion over our passions and our bodies when these circumstances arise outside of a proper relational, social and moral context (marriage). If we need help we pray, fast, and avoid the temptations or patterns that lead us to these conditions.
An interesting second level topic here is can one be lustful in their marriage and fall into sin? I say yes.
James
For men, its pretty easy to know when one has passed the boundary of a transient and innocent thought and started down the path of engaging in lustful thoughts.
This is one of the hardest things to control in today’s world. We are bombarded with spam email with graphic images and its on TV commercials and both women and men all dress these days to provoke extraordinary physical attention. There is even a science of perfumes and scents designed and worn to arouse our hormonal responses subconsciously.
Christians are required to say “no” and take dominion over our passions and our bodies when these circumstances arise outside of a proper relational, social and moral context (marriage). If we need help we pray, fast, and avoid the temptations or patterns that lead us to these conditions.
An interesting second level topic here is can one be lustful in their marriage and fall into sin? I say yes.
James
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Mannyfit75
Guest
John Paul II once said, “even if a husband looks at his wife lustfully, he commits adultery.” I think it was something like that.
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rwoehmke
Guest
It is quite possible to look upon ones wife as an object for playing out ones sexual fantasies as well as using her as a sexual object for satisfying ones own sexual needs without regard for who she is as ones loving wife and helpmate. How often have you heard wives complain that their husbands treat them as sex objects, a sex toy if you will. It is not the sex that makes ones wife an object of lust, it is the attitude.
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Mannyfit75
Guest
Do you suppose it can go both ways. I know some men may be viewed as sexual objects… by women…
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rwoehmke
Guest
In this day and age anything is possible. Yes.
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CentralFLJames
Guest
I won’t reveal any personal details to confirm this other than to say that judging my some of the names women call men - YES - most definitely!
James
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