I looked at girls in a movie and got turned on. Was this a mortal sin?

[coolcatholicguy]

I watched Halloween 2 and there were a few naked or semi-naked girls that I got turned on by. I didn’t try to do anything wrong, but fear I might have. I only tried to look at breasts because I didn’t know that was grave at that time but at some points I did a little more. I just want answers. I can clarify almost anything if you ask.

 

[ricksamuel]

Yes, looking at girls with lust is a sin. According to the gospel of Matthew (5:28), the Lord Jesus said, “That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

 

[coolcatholicguy]

It was a long time ago so I don’t remember, but I thought I did everything that I knew to do what I thought was right, or at least not grave.

 

[coolcatholicguy]

I was turned on by Cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the time and didn’t know it was wrong. That was the main reason I looked at the girls.

 

[_L]

There’s nothing wrong with being aroused which i assume you are referring to when you say “turned on” its a natural thing, id be more concerned (medically) if you werent able to be “turned on” by seeing someone attractive.

With that said, lust is always wrong, and if we are consciously trying to gain sexual pleasure by eyeballing explicit images, then yes that is a mortal sin if it meets full knowledge that the act is a grave sin and full consent of the will that you knew what you are doing at the time. Mortal sins are conscious acts, you cant accidentally commit one. having those tempting impure thoughts isnt a sin, it is what we choose to do with them that decides whether we are sinning or not, entertaining those lustful thoughts is a sin, where as the alternative would be to cast them out of your mind (easier said than done)

 

[Suspicious_Mind]

I sneezed last night and my mum got mad, is this a mortal sin?
I slipped and fell, is this a mortal sin?
I think a girl in my class is pretty, and now I’m afraid I committed a mortal sin, will I be damned?
Is it a mortal sin if I find my girlfriend attractive?
For some weird reason if I see a naked girl by accident I’m turned on, why is this? Have I committed a mortal sin by being turned on?

 

[Musicadmirer]

If you are concerned about committing mortal sin, it would be wise not to watch movies that reek sinfulness. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Office for Film and Broadcasting gave Halloween II their worst rating ‘O’ for Morally Offensive.

 

[Suspicious_Mind]

If you are concerned about committing mortal sin, it would be wise not to watch movies that reek sinfulness. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Office for Film and Broadcasting gave Halloween II their worst rating ‘O’ for Morally Offensive.

What if it didn’t morally offend others? Doesn’t really matter what kind of rating the USCCB gives anyways, when it comes to media, adults should make a rational decision on it themselves than blindly follow what the USCCB says.

The OP doesn’t seem to be morally offended anyhow, he seems to be more concerned about alleviating his guilty conscience, which is completely different.

 

[Bookcat]

I watched Halloween 2 and there were a few naked or semi-naked girls that I got turned on by. I didn’t try to do anything wrong, but fear I might have. I only tried to look at breasts because I didn’t know that was grave at that time but at some points I did a little more. I just want answers. I can clarify almost anything if you ask.

I would suggest confessing this in confession in this case…and if one still has doubt about it mention that too…

(if it had been an accident…like one did not know it was there and there is was and then one turned away once one realized it and did not consent…that would be very different of course)

 

[OpenSource]

I sneezed last night and my mum got mad, is this a mortal sin?
I slipped and fell, is this a mortal sin?
I think a girl in my class is pretty, and now I’m afraid I committed a mortal sin, will I be damned?
Is it a mortal sin if I find my girlfriend attractive?
For some weird reason if I see a naked girl by accident I’m turned on, why is this? Have I committed a mortal sin by being turned on?

Be nice now.

Yes, boobies generally turn guys on. He probably knew there were going to be that stuff in the movie and watched it anyway and is trying to find some loophole to justify it.

 

[Suspicious_Mind]

It’s a bit silly to not watch a movie just because it may have some nudity in it, and then recommend everyone who watched it to go to confession under the guise that they may have committed a mortal sin - Christianity should not be guided by the wheels of guilt to repentance.

Halloween II is not a pornographic movie , people who watch it are people into the horror/thriller genre, me included - unless you are waiting for a scene with the naked girl in it, there’s really nothing wrong with watching the movie. We might as well go to confession everytime we nee nudity in artwork too, perhaps a confessional attached to every biology class in a Catholic school just incase someone lusted or got turned on God forbid.

There’s a strange environment here of people going to confession on the recommendation of others for even the most trivial matters.

 

[OpenSource]

There’s a strange environment here of people going to confession on the recommendation of others for even the most trivial matters.

Better safe then sorry. I try not to trivialize other people’s problems; some people have real issues and are trying to develop their concience.

 

[Bookcat]

Nothing to say about the particular movie…except prob other reasons as well not to watch…

But in regards to movies with sexual scenes or other too tempting stuff in the midst of an other wise good movie…one needs to know ones self …if they are near occasions do not even rent them…

Or if they are good otherwise and not N Occ then it is possible to skip those scenes…carefully…for a lot of good movies have this stuff thrown in too…

 

[camerong]

Hehehe, someone in this thread wrote “boobies…”

Okay, Coolcatholicguy, if this was a long time ago, go to confession, confess that you lusted a whole bunch of times, more than you can count, and forget about it and everything else like this. And guess what? Go back in a couple of weeks and say the same thing again, because it will probably be true! That’s what I do, and that’s probably what 99% of all young Catholic men (can’t speak for the women) ought to do.

And going forward, to ease your anxiety: if you try not to commit this sin, and you’re not actually looking at bad content or doing other things (i.e. no porn), chances are you will be free of mortal sin by lusting. It sounds like you are easily on the safe side of venial sins, if you’re worried about your everlasting soul because of a few moments in a movie you unintentionally saw! But you ought to confess this sin frequently nevertheless because frequent confession is the best tool towards conquering sin and becoming more devout.

 

[camerong]

There’s a strange environment here of people going to confession on the recommendation of others for even the most trivial matters.

Even venial sins are not trivial, and I’ve never heard of a recommendation to go to confession which was misplaced. When the Church has a capacity problem because its entire populace begins making good confessions daily, then we can talk about trivial matters.

 

[TedDC]

Be nice now.

Yes, boobies generally turn guys on. He probably knew there were going to be that stuff in the movie and watched it anyway and is trying to find some loophole to justify it.

And now he’ll burn in HELL forever!!!

 

[Suspicious_Mind]

Better safe then sorry. I try not to trivialize other people’s problems; some people have real issues and are trying to develop their concience.

The point is people shouldn’t be recommending to go to confession like that, the only conscience that’s being developed is a deeply scrupulous and guilty one, which is reprehensible.

Better safe than sorry is ridiculous. That’s not even true penance.

 

[Suspicious_Mind]

Even venial sins are not trivial, and I’ve never heard of a recommendation to go to confession which was misplaced. When the Church has a capacity problem because its entire populace begins making good confessions daily, then we can talk about trivial matters.

I never said the sin was trivial, I said trivial matters. Especially when people are unsure whether it’s a sin or not. Learn to read.

As for the rest of that; red herring.

 

[camerong]

The point is people shouldn’t be recommending to go to confession like that, the only conscience that’s being developed is a deeply scrupulous and guilty one, which is reprehensible.

The Pope urges us “to turn to the confessional as place in which to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, but also as place in which to ‘dwell’ more often, so that the faithful can find mercy, counsel and comfort, feel loved and understood by God and experience the presence of Divine Mercy, close to the real Presence in the Eucharist.” zenit.org/article-28611?l=english

For most of us, anytime we even wonder whether we should go to confession, we should. And when our confessor tells us we’re going too frequently, then we can back off.

 

[Suspicious_Mind]

The Pope urges us “to turn to the confessional as place in which to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, but also as place in which to ‘dwell’ more often, so that the faithful can find mercy, counsel and comfort, feel loved and understood by God and experience the presence of Divine Mercy, close to the real Presence in the Eucharist.” zenit.org/article-28611?l=english

For most of us, anytime we even wonder whether we should go to confession, we should. And when our confessor tells us we’re going too frequently, then we can back off.

Yes and there’s nothing wrong with the Pope giving a general statement about the need to go to confession, it’s part of a regular routine.

It’s a fallacy to argue using a generalized example of the Pope recommending confession, to a specific example such as in this thread. Going to confession because someone got turned on after watching Halloween II is absurd, and neither does the article from Zenit support such a ridiculous example.

It’s also a red herring, two fallacies in one post, excellent.