The list of sins should not disturb you. It is a great help to us in our relationship to God. We do need to be informed. And, remember that three things need to be present for a sin to be mortal.I want to go to confession it is just almost impossible for me to do so on a regular basis in my area. This is something that has troubled me very much since taking my faith seriously. It has been about two years since my last confession. I don’t feel like I’m a true Catholic unless I go to confession. It is something that for me is very troubling. Someone posted this list of mortal sins in another thread. Good grief there are more mortal sins than what I ever thought.
netcanada.ca/newslink/mortalsin.aspx
you left out the most important element of the story–contrition. Is the person sincerely sorry and repentent for what he did, out of love for the Creator whose commandments he has just broken, not only because of fear of hell. If he dies truly repentent yes he has access to Christ and his mercy when he is judged. If he persists defiantly in clinging to his sin, not.I Is this person really going to hell for eternity for not going to confession before he died because he refused to believe that a God who loved him so much would put him in hell for one act of consentual sex before marriage? Really?
If we focus on loving the Lord in prayer on a regular basis, then the severity of sin will become more evident to us.Look, I don’t doubt that sex before marriage is morally wrong and I do believe in EVERYTHING that the Church teaches, believe me, me and my baptist brother have many debates on our different beliefs and I always defend the Church. I’ve studied religion for ten years and have no doubt that the churh founded by Christ was and is the Catholic Church. All I’m saying is that I find it hard to believe (not that I don’t) that anyone would be put in hell (I mean this isn’t a billion years we’re talking but FOREVER) for an act of consentual sex before marriage.
You are looking at it from the wrong perspective.I am a Catholic and would have it no other way but I have a question that has really bothered me. Say a person is a devout Catholic, never misses mass and is a relatively “good” person and one day this person has sex with a woman and says to himself “I just can’t believe that one episode of consentual sex between two adults will put me in hell” and then this person gets in a car crash and gets killed. Is this person really going to hell for eternity for not going to confession before he died because he refused to believe that a God who loved him so much would put him in hell for one act of consentual sex before marriage? Really?
Yes. Really. If you turn against God and His teachings WITHOUT REMOURSE, you aren’t going to be in Heaven. Sin cannot enter Heaven. Also, the term “God puts you in hell” is incorrect. We put ourselves in hell. That’s the beauty of free will.I am a Catholic and would have it no other way but I have a question that has really bothered me. Say a person is a devout Catholic, never misses mass and is a relatively “good” person and one day this person has sex with a woman and says to himself “I just can’t believe that one episode of consentual sex between two adults will put me in hell” and then this person gets in a car crash and gets killed. Is this person really going to hell for eternity for not going to confession before he died because he refused to believe that a God who loved him so much would put him in hell for one act of consentual sex before marriage? Really?
Not in this area. I have one shot and that is Saturday. This area has grown ten fold over the last ten years and I don’t think there are enough priests.The list of sins should not disturb you. It is a great help to us in our relationship to God. We do need to be informed. And, remember that three things need to be present for a sin to be mortal.
If there are priests available in your area, then the Sacrament of Reconciliation is available. Priests are willing to hear confession by appointment, at your convenience.
I too have trouble, from a common sense perspective, understanding how a sexual sin such as you describe warrants eternal damnation…it seems pretty harsh when you consider your’re in the same place as people who were responsible for millions of deaths and much misery…I tried to rationalize it by thinking that maybe there are different “levels” of hell…however that is not a good response for those who believe hell is simply a separation from God…I understand what you are saying but I guess the problem I have is I can’t understand how sex before marriage between two consentual adults whether 1 or 100 times is so sinful that it would put a person in hell. I mean as Catholics we are taught that missing mass is a mortal sin but how can missing mass and killing someone be in the same category of sin? Now don’t get me wrong I believe everything that the Church teaches but we are talking eternal damnation here and although we preach that their are different levels of sin (venial, mortal) it sounds as if once you hit mortal level of sin they are all the same severity for all intents and purposes and will all put you in hell.
Being realistic (I may be going out on a limb here), people who are in the practice of having casual sex, for reasons of their own pleasure and gratification, usually do it more than one time in their lives before a bus comes along and runs them over (that’s usually how this scenario goes). With that being said, these sexually active, self-gratifying people have very little respect for the members of the opposite sex. They use them, much like we use disposable razors, and throw them out when they’re through. Then move onto the next person. Not only are they showing complete and utter selfishness, and a lack of respect for the opposite sex, but it is a blatant disregard for the laws God has given to us. You may find it hard to believe that this person will be in hell with those who cause millions of deaths, but I find it hard to believe they would be in heaven with Our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Pio, St. Veronica, Mother Theresa…I too have trouble, from a common sense perspective, understanding how a sexual sin such as you describe warrants eternal damnation…it seems pretty harsh when you consider your’re in the same place as people who were responsible for millions of deaths and much misery…I tried to rationalize it by thinking that maybe there are different “levels” of hell…however that is not a good response for those who believe hell is simply a separation from God…
Or how about a scenario where a person in a state of mortal sin is suddenly killed by an armed robber…he goes to hell while his attacker, even if eventually convicted and executed still has years to be forgiven for his sins…his victim unfortunately had no time to do the same…This is something that’s bothered me too, though I’m sure there’s some sort of misunderstanding…
I’m pretty sure there are different levels of Hell, but really, eternal dmanation is eternal dmanation. I suppose you don’t want the worse eternal damnation but being eternally damned no matter how you look at it is pretty…well, damning.
Like, I don’t get how somebody who missed Mass and then thinks to themselves, “This can’t possibly be a mortal sin,” and then gets struck by lightning and dies ends up in Hell. What if he were missing Mass to go to an optional charity event? Remember, the event was optional (and he is allowed to show up later if he wants but chooses not to), so he still had to fulfill the Mass obligation. How does this put somebody in Hell? I don’t get it.
Also, the Church teaches that remorse is an uncontrollable emotion and those who sin and go to Confession without being remorseful at all are still forgiven. So people who feel no remorse but have the time to go to Confession are saved but people who feel no remorse and are struck by lightning before they can get to a Priest are damned?
I’m sure I’m missing something, but I’m confused here. Definitely.
So do you really believe immoral acts are as evil as murder and deserving of the same punishment?Being realistic (I may be going out on a limb here), people who are in the practice of having casual sex, for reasons of their own pleasure and gratification, usually do it more than one time in their lives before a bus comes along and runs them over (that’s usually how this scenario goes). With that being said, these sexually active, self-gratifying people have very little respect for the members of the opposite sex. They use them, much like we use disposable razors, and throw them out when they’re through. Then move onto the next person. Not only are they showing complete and utter selfishness, and a lack of respect for the opposite sex, but it is a blatant disregard for the laws God has given to us. You may find it hard to believe that this person will be in hell with those who cause millions of deaths, but I find it hard to believe they would be in heaven with Our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Pio, St. Veronica, Mother Theresa…
YES! Do you really believe immoral acts are as innocuous as good acts and deserving of the same reward?So do you really believe immoral acts are as evil as murder and deserving of the same punishment?
Of course not and I never implied immoral acts are deserving of heaven…however to equate immoral acts to murder is mind boggling!!! anyway my original reply was in regard whether there might be different levels in hell…YES! Do you really believe immoral acts are as innocuous as good acts and deserving of the same reward?
There are no different levels to hell. Hell is the absence of God…period. One level. And of course immoral acts can be equated to murder, as murder IS an immoral act. It is an act absent of morality. And immorality has no place in heaven. Therefore, if you die having lived an immoral life and HAVE NO CONTRITION OR HAVE NOT REPENTED, there is no place for you in Heaven because by your immoral acts, you have FREELY CHOSEN to be absent from God. God does not “send” us to hell, our free will causes us to “send ourselves” to hell.Of course not and I never implied immoral acts are deserving of heaven…however to equate immoral acts to murder is mind boggling!!! anyway my original reply was in regard whether there might be different levels in hell…
So, I want to make sure I understand…if I passionately kiss my girlfriend, which I remember my high school theology priest said was a mortal sin or if I act like Hitler and kill millions of Jews there is no difference in degree of evil and I end up in the same place…makes sense to me…thanks for the clarification…There are no different levels to hell. Hell is the absence of God…period. One level. And of course immoral acts can be equated to murder, as murder IS an immoral act. It is an act absent of morality. And immorality has no place in heaven. Therefore, if you die having lived an immoral life and HAVE NO CONTRITION OR HAVE NOT REPENTED, there is no place for you in Heaven because by your immoral acts, you have FREELY CHOSEN to be absent from God. God does not “send” us to hell, our free will causes us to “send ourselves” to hell.
what about babies who die having been baptized, but not old enough to commit real mortal sin? what about the man who lives a very sinful live and repents on his deathbed and goes to heaven? what about those who have never heard about the Gospel? what about those who lived thousands of years ago?Or how about a scenario where a person in a state of mortal sin is suddenly killed by an armed robber…he goes to hell while his attacker, even if eventually convicted and executed still has years to be forgiven for his sins…his victim unfortunately had no time to do the same…