Is it a mortal sin for look at a man that a homosexual man finds attractive?

[NewsTheMan]

You’re kidding right? Just because you find something attractive doesn’t mean you want to shag it…

True. But let’s get it right, and techincal.

Finding something attractive necessarily entails you want unity with it. Hence attractive. Which is why a man finding another man attractive - while not necessarily meaning he wants to have sex - is disordered and unnatural and not a good thing. Attractive in this sense always means sexually (which doesn’t mean it’s about sex… just within the realm of sexuality).

Finding beauty however is different. There is a sense in which we are seeking unity with that which is beautiful, but in a different sense which we needn’t really go into.

For example. You can find a painting beautiful, but to say “I find that painting attractive” or “I am attracted to that painting” just doesn’t sound right.

I can say, “that man is handsome” yet not “He is attractive”. I have said, “she is beautiful” but not always meaning “she is attractive” though they often go together.

So, is finding another man attractive “lust”? Doubtful, but it certainly is disordered and it could be lustful in certain circumstances.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

True. But let’s get it right, and techincal.

Finding something attractive necessarily entails you want unity with it. Hence attractive. Which is why a man finding another man attractive - while not necessarily meaning he wants to have sex - is disordered and unnatural and not a good thing. Attractive in this sense always means sexually (which doesn’t mean it’s about sex… just within the realm of sexuality).

Finding beauty however is different. There is a sense in which we are seeking unity with that which is beautiful, but in a different sense which we needn’t really go into.

For example. You can find a painting beautiful, but to say “I find that painting attractive” or “I am attracted to that painting” just doesn’t sound right.

I can say, “that man is handsome” yet not “He is attractive”. I have said, “she is beautiful” but not always meaning “she is attractive” though they often go together.

So, is finding another man attractive “lust”? Doubtful, but it certainly is disordered and it could be lustful in certain circumstances.

Business deals can be attractive, so can houses and floral decorations.

It’s entirely possible to be enthralled by beauty, as the OP appeared to have.

In a way attraction is a pursuit of beauty, in some cases disordered, but a pursuit nonetheless.

Attraction can indeed be lustful, that can be readily seen on a college campus.

 

[Bwtby]

If it ain’t lust, it’s love and any civilized human being with God-given common sense understands same genders cannot love the way opposite genders do. Any type of indigenous people will tell you that and no American or modern day average Joe will call them civilized people. Crazy how they behavior better than civilized nations, quite embarrassing actually.

Beauty = anything God-made.

 

[soulhunter182]

If it ain’t lust, it’s love and any civilized human being with God-given common sense understands same genders cannot love the way opposite genders do. Any type of indigenous people will tell you that and no American or modern day average Joe will call them civilized people. Crazy how they behavior better than civilized nations, quite embarrassing actually.

Beauty = anything God-made.

Beauty = anything God-made, (god made us, god made heterosexuals aswell as people that has SSA.

same genders cannot love the way opposite genders do
Are you sure about that? What do you know? It only shows how little you know, and what you posted is bigotry from my perspective. Please do not be a self proclaimed theologian and starts judging people that apparently you have no knowledge in all aspects. I came to catholic answers forum to get answers to my question, but instead i get slandered, judged, ridiculed, and condemned by people like you who call themselves catholic. I’m really getting sick of people like you. I’m sorry for my words, but i thought when i signed up to the forum was get answers and more knowledge, not judgement and criticism. Please do not use catholic answers forum in this manner and impose to people your own twisted personal interpretaion of the cathechism. I apologize if my words seemed unfriendly, its just that iam very much offended.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

If it ain’t lust, it’s love and any civilized human being with God-given common sense understands same genders cannot love the way opposite genders do. Any type of indigenous people will tell you that and no American or modern day average Joe will call them civilized people. Crazy how they behavior better than civilized nations, quite embarrassing actually.

Beauty = anything God-made.

Go read the Deus Caritas Est encyclical written by Pope Benedict XVI

Beauty = anything God-made, (god made us, god made heterosexuals aswell as people that has SSA.

same genders cannot love the way opposite genders do
Are you sure about that? What do you know? It only shows how little you know, and what you posted is bigotry from my perspective. Please do not be a self proclaimed theologian and starts judging people that apparently you have no knowledge in all aspects. I came to catholic answers forum to get answers to my question, but instead i get slandered, judged, ridiculed, and condemned by people like you who call themselves catholic. I’m really getting sick of people like you. I’m sorry for my words, but i thought when i signed up to the forum was get answers and more knowledge, not judgement and criticism. Please do not use catholic answers forum in this manner and impose to people your own twisted personal interpretaion of the cathechism. I apologize if my words seemed unfriendly, its just that iam very much offended.

Please don’t mind the people who do not understand love.

Sometimes these people make you feel utterly unloved, because do not accept us “with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”

 

[Holly3278]

You may have committed a venial sin. However, since you rejected any lustful thoughts right away, I seriously doubt that you committed a mortal sin.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

You may have committed a venial sin. However, since you rejected any lustful thoughts right away, I seriously doubt that you committed a mortal sin.

Incase sexual thoughts pops in my mind, i would try to reject it right away and say a few mental prayers to make it go away, and i would stop lookin

He didn’t even have lustful feelings.

 

[speakttruth]

Is it a mortal sin for look at a man that a homosexual man finds attractive?

Hi guys, I need advise on this, I need help to know if had committed a mortal sin or not. I’m a gay catholic, trying to practice chastity. The struggle that I encounter was, like after confession I would be on a state of grace right? Then, like if walking home, I saw a very attractive guy, and I happened to look at his face because I find him attractive. I do know that there is a difference between attraction and lust, although I am 100% on that. And then this one time, when I was at a restaurant having dinner, I seemed to notice this attractive guy just across my table. And before I knew I was starring at him, I find him beautiful, attractive and then I would look away, and then look back a few times more. In my mind, its not like I want to have sex with the guy, but I’m just fond of looking at him. Incase sexual thoughts pops in my mind, i would try to reject it right away and say a few mental prayers to make it go away, and i would stop looking. This prayer works for me the best for banishing sexual thoughts:

Our lady of Sofunieh:

God Saves me,
Jesus enlightens me,
The Holy Spirit is my Light, Thus I am not afraid.

Have I committed a mortal sin already just by looking’ at men that I find attractive? Your thoughts please…

The sin isn’t looking at finding someone attractive. It when we entertain the thoughts that you start thinking wow, I wonder what it would be like to have sex with them and that is thinking of them as an object and not the person, and then keep those thoughts going and then maybe you might want to act out in some other way, that is sinful. Sometimes Scrupulosity can be a problem that you think everything you do is a sin. Becareful the devil likes that, because your not focusing on God, but every little thing you do.

 

[soulhunter182]

http://forums.civfanatics.com/images/smilies/wallbash.gif

Go read the Deus Caritas Est encyclical written by Pope Benedict XVI

Please don’t mind the people who do not understand love.

Sometimes these people make you feel utterly unloved, because do not accept us “with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”

Thank you, I pray that there are more people in the world like you.

 

[soulhunter182]

The sin isn’t looking at finding someone attractive. It when we entertain the thoughts that you start thinking wow, I wonder what it would be like to have sex with them and that is thinking of them as an object and not the person, and then keep those thoughts going and then maybe you might want to act out in some other way, that is sinful. Sometimes Scrupulosity can be a problem that you think everything you do is a sin. Becareful the devil likes that, because your not focusing on God, but every little thing you do.

Thank you

 

[snooop1e]

Hi there, I’m going to risk controversy here I think you and other Catholic gays/ lesbians “living according to Church teaching” are onto a non-starter here.

If you want peace of mind, you cannot reconcile strict Catholcism with being gay. You should just accept who you are and how God has created you.

All this Catholic guilt trip over sexual issues is plain stupid. We all KNOW full well than many priest are closet gay or are that way inclined. Maybe St Paul and some of the other apostles were gay too God knows.

The church needs to get real and join the modern world. And be honest about sexuality. Anyway rant off.

Dave, consider this. Christ is Love, true love is not selfish. Love does not objectify people. When we look at another person lustfully we are using another human being solely for our personal satisfaction. Compare this to liking someone solely because they have money or power. When we value someone primarily for what they can give us or do for us that is not true love. This isn’t what God created us for. To say that living according to Church teaching is a non-starter is denying the truth that we are all children of God, created in Gods image and created for holiness. Whenever we use another person solely to satisfy our desires that is selfish and we are stealing from God. I believe if you sincerely pray on this the Holy Spirit will soften your heart and open your eyes. Don’t get me wrong, I struggle with lustful thoughts and desires EVERY single day, I struggle to control my eyes when I see a girl who is incredibly attractive (especially if she is wearing clothing that is revealing) I am not judging you brother, just offering a different perspective. Peace be with you.

 

[speakttruth]

What does having some closet gay priests have to do with the truth? We have closet gay pedophiles too, or priests that may do beastiality ,should we get with the modern times to say it is OK now because people can’t control themselves and sin then too? Just because some priests, bishops or whatever aren’t following their faith doesn’t give us a license to do what they are doing. They will pay for not sheparding there flock to do the right things to God and we are also responsible to learn our faith, so we can’t just have that excuse to sin either.

Please read what the church teaches on morals and faith and she doesn’t give an indication that she will be OK in the future to throw her morals out for sinners to keep sinning and risking hell for all eternity. She wants us to know the truth even if you and I don’t like it. If you don’t like it, no body is forcing you to be a Catholic, you can leave the church and join another that is very willing to throw away their morals, on homosexuality, divorce, contraception, abortion and so forth, but she will never change because of public opinion and because you want the excuse to sin for your own pleasures. Lusting is a sin with any kind of man or women that entertains the thoughts, like having sex with that person they were looking at. Not just a quick glance. Just to note.
Jesus knew there were homosexuals, gay is a made up word from the activists to make homosexuality sound nice, and if he thought it was right why wouldn’t he do something about it then? Because he didn’t have the Bible then and he went by the old testament and he knew what God said about a man laying with a man and a women laying with a women. It was an abomination and it is still in the eyes of God. God doesn’t care if your a loving homosexual couple or not, it’s wrong. Jesus got crucified because people didn’t like the truth then and they still don’t like it now. No difference. God is the same then and is the same now and will always be the same. The only difference is that if you repent you can be saved through Jesus. Before Jesus came along homosexuals could be killed, but now we have God’s mercy for all repentant sinners because of what his son did for us. We are all sinners, but if you live a holy life in the Catholic church you have the best chance for heaven for all eternity. As Christians we have a right to judge from right and wrong. What we cannot do is judge someone to hell. That will be God’s job. He made the rules not man.
God have mercy on us all.
God bless

 

[godlovesus12]

God couldn’t care less if ur gay or lesbian. if ur good to people, and you don’t do things with evil intent, then you are going to heaven. anyone who does anything to prevent people from being who they really are, ie. many of you, should be the ones who repent. People who are caring and affectionate and good and kind and willing to help in any way they can, people who fight in wars and kill other men, in the name of god and in the name of their country. those people will go to heaven, because they die for something greater than themselves. you people get so caught up in the literal meaning of the bible that its ridiculous. someone on this thread posted a quote from the bible talking about how people will soon lose their way and believe only waht they want to. what many of you fail to realize is that God didn’t write the bible. Humans did. by looking at the text so literally, your worshipping the interpretations of other men, not god himself. This religion is based on belief, and faith, and worship. But everyone must interpret the lord’s will for themselves, and not based on the writing of some other man, who’s views and opinions could be just as jaded as ours today. All i’m saying is, no one is a perfect person, everyone has faults. Its not about the individual faults though, its about your journey as a human being in the world god gave you. He didn’t set any rules, thats the beauty of it, humans did, and those rules conflict with the will of God that some people feel and others don’t. When people are ignorant to the individual calling from god that some hear, they lose track of their own mission and lose their way. All of you need to take a look at what you’re talking about for a second.