Is it mortal sin to drink underage

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Tank said:
Would the law breaking be mortally sinful? In this situation
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Depends on what state you are in and possibility whether you have parental permission to drink.

In these states, it’s legal for underage people to drink on private properly, where alcohol is not sold (with or without parental consent).

Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, & South Carolina

And in these states, you are allowed to drink underage, when on private property (where alcohol is not sold) if you have parental consent - but I don’t know if parents have to be present or not to give consent)

Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming

 
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Fauken said:
It’s not simply spite = grave sin. It’s what it’s directed towards and why. For example, I as a lay Dominican am obligated to pray the Divine Office, but this obligation carries with it no pain of sin. However, it would certainly be sinful of me to not pray the Office because I hate the Rule/Dominicans/God.
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fair enough.
Fauken said:
I didn’t say it did. I gave what I said was a non-exhaustive list of examples of what I think could constitute as a mortal sin.
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Also fair enough; I was just a little confused because the comment you responded explicitly stipulated that drunkenness was not a factor.
Tank said:
What reasons would cause it to be mortal? If I’m just hanging with freinds and I’m not drinking to be drunk.
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Socrates92 said:
Also fair enough; I was just a little confused because the comment you responded explicitly stipulated that drunkenness was not a factor.
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I missed that part. I’m sorry, I’m tired. Either way, my last point doesn’t really rely on intoxication. Scandal could be incurred even if he didn’t get drunk.
 
If you can vote, get married and join the military, it is ridiculous thst you can’t buy alcohol.
 
“Well my 20 year old son, welcome back home after 2 years serving abroad and risking your life for your homeland. I see you’ve bought a house for you and your beautiful bride. I see you’re exercising your right to vote. Ah, but don’t you dare touch that can of beer in the fridge… for that would be gravely sinful and an abomination before the Lord!”

Nope. Not buying it. Yes, we are obliged to obey civil authority (generally), but I don’t see grave matter here.

Abusing alcohol when underage is, of course, a different matter.

Someone on this thread said that all lying is grave matter. This is not the Church’s traditional understanding. A “white lie” is sinful, but not generally grave. Likewise theft… stealing a couple dollars from a millionaire is sinful, but not typically understood to be grave matter. I think the same is logically true of civil disobedience. Not all lawbreaking is equal.
 
Tank said:
Do you think drinking underage would be mortal sin?
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Are you repeatedly asking this because you are underage and have drunk alcohol illegally and are wondering whether you need to confess this? If so, you should just go mention it in confession to be on the safe side and discuss with the priest, and not bother with the discussion here where you will get 145 different viewpoints.

Even if this is just a random hypothetical you came up with, we’re not really in a position to determine whether other people’s actions constitute mortal sin, and there isn’t a blanket rule for everybody when it comes to doing so.
 
We are to obey civil laws, unless the law is unjust, or there are extenuating circumstances.

Drinking as a kid fulfills neither requirement.

ICXC NIKA
 
If it meets the qualifications for mortal sin. Is it grave matter? For some it is. Is it done knowing it is sinful? Is it done of your own free will?
 
godisgood77 said:
Not really… the same way going 35 mph in a 30 mph section is not grave matter,
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Is it a school zone where kids are crossing the road? Is it a construction zone where workers are on the road? Is it a blind curve on a hill? In these and other situations, speeding puts the lives of others at risk.
 
TheLittleLady said:
Is it a school zone where kids are crossing the road? Is it a construction zone where workers are on the road? Is it a blind curve on a hill? In these and other situations, speeding puts the lives of others at risk.
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Yes, you are very right. There a circumstances that add to or diminish the risk.
 
I asked a priest on Reddit about underage drinking if it’s a mortal sin and I was just wandering if you all agree on this(and yes i know I should have asked my local priest)

“ I don’t think so, as it would have to be a grave matter for it to be a sin. (Assuming that the drinking age law is just which there is room for debate).

(Many laws are nothing more than other peoples opinions of how you should live your life.

Not saying the drinking age law is or is not just. In fact, objectively it is better for the brain for you to wait to start drinking (and gambling to btw) until your brain if fully developed which is around age 25.

Though you are probably better off not doing either of those things if you can help it. IMO.

The drinking age law is not a grave matter to my knowledge and just breaking a law is not a grave matter.

However, please note that getting drunk (at any age) IS a sin and grave matter as you have a moral responsibility to be in control of yourself to the best of your ability at all times.”
 
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You call into question whether the drinking-age laws are just, so I feel compelled to ask you to cite any reliable source which quotes Church authority on the matter. Laws are presumed just unless the Church decides they are not.
 
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We already have a thread asking the same question.
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Is it mortal sin to drink underage Moral Theology
Do you guys believe that drinking underage is a mortal sin in the USA?
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Healthwise it’s probably best to never start drinking.

Perhaps off topic, but it is kind of a myth that the brain is fully developed by the age of 25. The brain keeps developing during the entire life, and there is no significant event or milestone reached by 25.
 
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Anesti33 said:
You call into question whether the drinking-age laws are just, so I feel compelled to ask you to cite any reliable source which quotes Church authority on the matter. Laws are presumed just unless the Church decides they are not.
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Whether a law is “just” is not the only relevant factor… as St. Alphonsus insists (see Theologia Moralis, I-II-4), a just civil law which goes beyond the moral law “in itself” does not bind the conscience, especially gravely, except in special cases or when there is an extreme punishment (like imprisonment, or especially execution). It is important to respect laws in general, and I am not advocating for illegal activity, but to say that it is sin simply in virtue of the civil law being such would be a tough case to make, and that it is mortal sin is simply bonkers.
 
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TheLittleLady said:
We are bound under penalty of sin to obey just laws.

I’ve yet to find a credible argument that drinking age laws are morally unjust.
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For what it’s worth - which is a lot - St. Alphonsus does not take such a cut-and-dry position… there is a lot of nuance in the relationship between “on the ground morality” and mere civil law which exceeds Divine law. His view is that the gravity of the penalty imposed indicates to a large degree whether the civil law is a real precept that binds the conscience. I do not think he would advise underage drinking for other reasons, but that it is “automatically sinful” because there is an ordinance against it that involves a slap on the wrist would be a tough argument. We must in general obey laws for the good of order, but when laws are so excessive and multitudinous, there is a problem, especially when they go beyond Divine law (except in matters of pure arbitration, like which side of the road to drive on). See Theologia Moralis I-II-4…
 
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There was a really great YouTube video on alcohol by Pints with Aquinas I just watched. Look him up and have a listen.
 
I agree with him.
  1. Account for differences in perceptions.
    a. The Faithful know the Eucharist is Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity, and no longer wine, however from a secular lens, it is only wine.
    b. For the untrained eye, we shouldn’t criminalize consuming the Eucharist for “underaged” people.
  2. Getting drunk is always bad, regardless of age.
 
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