Is it a mortal sin to doubt God's existence?

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Baltimore Catechism, 1891
  1. Q. How many kinds of actual sin are there?
    A. There are two kinds of actual sin-mortal and venial.
  2. Q. What is mortal sin?
    A. Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God.
  3. Q. What is venial sin?
    A. Venial sin is a slight offense against the law of God in matters of less importance; or in
    matters of great importance it is an offence committed with out sufficient reflection or full
    consent of the will.
However, there are other versions which use the wording you cited.
 
I’ve certainly doubted God before. It was usually when I was going through a really rough time. But when I was in that state, all I felt was evil and darkness surrounding me. That evil and darkness made me realize it was satan, and in my mind, if there’s satan, then there has to be a God!

I don’t know if doubting God is a mortal sin really. I never thought it was, unless it lead you to deny the existence of God entirely in which case you probably wouldn’t care about if something is a sin in the first place! I think doubts lead to questions and questions lead to growth. It’s healthy and important to asses your feelings and thoughts in a calm manner. 🙂
 
Hi Curtis!

I remember you from many years ago when I joined in 2008!

Nice to see you back.

Hope all is well with you! @CurtisHouse
 
I know for sure that God hears me. Just saying one Our Father and focusing on every single word makes me know that. This is why I know God wants us to pray without ceasing. Without it, our minds can easily wander and leads to all sorts of evil including bouts of unbelief.
 
Things are going well. Going through an examination of conscience as you can probably tell especially with this issue. Really wish my parish had confession more than Saturdays but might just have to go to a different parish to go to confession asap. How are you?
 
CurtisHouse said:
Things are going well. Going through an examination of conscience as you can probably tell especially with this issue. Really wish my parish had confession more than Saturdays but might just have to go to a different parish to go to confession asap. How are you?
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Much older than I was when I joined in 2008!! I will be 68 next month. The
last 12 years were extremely challenging - not great, but I am still here!

I understand what you mean about the availability of confession.
Sometimes I think confession hours are only an hour is to keep everyone’s confession short. That is what keeps me away from confession. There is one hour for confession and 15 - 20 people in line. As a convert. I still feel very awkward making a confession and I would feel more pressure knowing there
might be 10-15 people behind me and that I had to hurry.
I have made appointments for confessions before, but I know priests have busy schedules and I don’t like to take up there time.

I think looking at perhaps a midweek confession at a different parish might be a good idea.
 
CurtisHouse said:
Hello,

Sometimes I do have doubts as I’m sure most people do. I doubt God’s existence at times and it is just for a brief spell. Minutes later, I will be as zealous as ever once again. When you do doubt the existence of the Eternal God who gave us all life, would that be a mortal sin? Or is it more as to what you do when that doubt creeps into your mind? I definitely need to get back to confession regardless because of other issues but just wondering about the Church’s position on this. I will be bringing this up in my next confession as well regardless of what it said on here. Thank you all in advance and God bless you.
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The reason that the first three commandments of the Decalogue are what they are, and why the first of the Greatest Commandments is what it is, is because without contact/communion with God man is lost, dead, wounded and helpless; creation is out of order. This communion is the primary basis of man’s justice, and is absolutely the best thing for us.

And yet here on earth we must walk by faith, not by sight, and while that faith can and will grow and strengthen, we will doubt, because our knowledge is not yet perfect, and because there exist certain motivations in us-temptations- for preferring that God doesn’t exist to begin with, for repelling that knowledge, for continuing on with Adam’s sin to put it another way. The knowledge of God was lost at the Fall due, essentially due to pride. So:
"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Cor 13:1234:

And:
"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3

That knowledge, direct and intimate, resulting from communion, is what we’re here to obtain to the greatest extent we can. To the degree that we pursue it, that we ask, seek, and knock, we find it. That pursuit, itself, is an act of faith, and all faith pleases God, and will be responded to and rewarded. Our justice increases as we come to believe in, and to hope in, and, most importantly, to love God. Our wills are necessarily involved in this process and to the extent that they are engaged and participating in it, our justice or righteousness increases, even as grace is also essential.
 
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