Is running a red light grave sin?

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SecretaryMonday

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Its probably been asked before, but I couldn’t find it in “search.”

While driving to Mass yesterday I saw a traffic light turn yellow. I knew that I had time to stop and that it would be red before I could reach it, but I speeded up instead and went through the red light, knowing that I would have a few “safe” seconds before opposing traffic started to move.

I thought it was probably a stupid decision, but I didn’t think about whether or not it might be serious until I was in line for Communion (and I received the Eucharist anyway :() Sometimes it seems obvious to me that a sin involves grave matter, but other times I would not have known about the seriousness if the Church hadn’t said something about it.

I asked my priest after Mass and he said that it wasn’t a mortal sin to run a red light, but that it would be if there had been an accident; but I’m not sure if he realized that I did it deliberately. Also, I wonder if I received a sacrament sacrilegiously since I had doubts about how serious the incident was.

So - I did something that was probably serious matter, will full knowledge and consent, yet I reasoned that I had time to do it before it became something that could hurt anyone (the delay between my red light and their green light). Does that mitigate the seriousness?
 
If you did it deliberately, then yes, it is a grave matter. You might have killed someone.
 
My understanding is that in order to commit a mortal sin, you had to have complete and full knowledge of the fact that it was a mortal sin before you did it. It doesn’t appear that was the case here. I think you are OK.
 
If running a red light is a mortal sin, no one in life has a chance to make it into Heaven. Your intension was NOT to hurt any one, your intension was to not be late.
 
It doesn’t sound grave, but since you are worrying about it, my advice is to go to Reconciliation, resolve to do better next time, and accept the Lord’s forgiveness.
 
Clearly not a black and white issue… mortal sin? maybe, but certainly not always.

Different situations can occur…
Say you’re at a stop light (stopped), alone, middle of the night, no traffic, wife is in labor. Stop, look around, look again, proceed? Yeah, prob not a “sin”… there’s a definite judgement call made.

Could your (OP) particular situation have caused an accident? Was caution and discretion used? Were you acting selfishly? Not respecting the human lives you may have put in danger?
Definitely venial… but mortal really requires a lot of elements to be in place - it’s impossible for any one of us to judge that situation fully.

Lots of gray areas here.
 
Just a note, not all lights have the few second delay between one red and the next green. Some of them have no practical delay. I’ve seen a few lights this way. If you are in the intersection when your light turns red, then you are in the intersection when it turns green for the next person.
 
Dacinom said:
I would wonder about your actions being a quick reflex? I have been in this situation as have most of us, you have a split second to decide whether to slam on the brakes and screech to a halt or to keep going. You are correct that yes you do have a few safe seconds as when a light turns red there are a few seconds before the cross traffic lights turn green.

Not trying to encourage sinful behavior or anything, just my two cents. It doesn’t sound like you did it deliberately in order to endanger others it sounds like it was a split-second decision.
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This was my impression as well.

I think you are fine.
 
SecretaryMonday said:
Its probably been asked before, but I couldn’t find it in “search.”

While driving to Mass yesterday I saw a traffic light turn yellow. I knew that I had time to stop and that it would be red before I could reach it, but I speeded up instead and went through the red light, knowing that I would have a few “safe” seconds before opposing traffic started to move.

I thought it was probably a stupid decision, but I didn’t think about whether or not it might be serious until I was in line for Communion (and I received the Eucharist anyway :() Sometimes it seems obvious to me that a sin involves grave matter, but other times I would not have known about the seriousness if the Church hadn’t said something about it.

I asked **my priest **after Mass and he said that it wasn’t a mortal sin to run a red light, but that it would be if there had been an accident; but I’m not sure if he realized that I did it deliberately. Also, I wonder if I received a sacrament sacrilegiously since I had doubts about how serious the incident was.

So - I did something that was probably serious matter, will full knowledge and consent, yet I reasoned that I had time to do it before it became something that could hurt anyone (the delay between my red light and their green light). Does that mitigate the seriousness?
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i believe he’s wrong. Is running a light just turned red objectively grave matter? It is or it isn’t.What happens as a result should not, I think, determine the nature of the sin. If I plot to kill someone and actually carry it out but the person miraculously survives, my sin is only venial? I think not.
 
For a sin to be mortal it has to meet three criteria:
  1. Grave Matter
  2. Deliberate Consent
  3. Full Knowledge
You fully consented to running the light, you obviously had full knowledge of what a red light means, so that leaves on #1 in doubt - is running a red light grave matter. I would tend to think so, as it could very likely kill someone. Think of it like this, if you had killed someone would it have been a mortal sin? Of course. But as the outcome of a sinful action is not one of the three criteria for mortal sin then it is still a mortal sin even if you didn’t kill someone.

I’d also note that it being a quick decision doesn’t matter - just a decision you consented to, if you were drugged and ran a red light it wouldn’t be even a venial sin. Nor do you have to explicitly know it is a mortal sin - full knowledge here is knowledge of what a red light means and knowledge of the likely risks in such a decision.

Therefore, I’d say, based off the info you provided, yes it is a mortal sin (but only God knows for sure).

If I were you, I’d confess before receiving again and confess to receiving while in a state of mortal sin as well.

Finally, remember that while we are all sinners (and we all fall into mortal sin) Christ died to take those sins away and God is merciful. Repent, confess, and bask in the mercy of God… and don’t do it again.

God Bless.
 
Regarding the comment made by “7armyrugrats” : Committing a mortal sin does not guarantee that you’re doing to hell. It is only if you ***die ***in a state of mortal sin that you will end up in hell. If you truly repent and go to Confession before you die, God will forgive your sin.
 
:tsktsk: Don’t that again Secretary Monday! Next time start for Mass a little earlier:thumbsup: Where I live it is serious problem and accidents happen all the time because of red light runners.:dts: Whether it was a grave matter would depend on what you perceived the traffic to be like and how much thought you actually put in to it.

I did something similar on my bicycle and the priest more or less told me not to do it again.😉
 
Rachel126 said:
My understanding is that in order to commit a mortal sin, you had to have complete and full knowledge of the fact that it was a mortal sin before you did it. It doesn’t appear that was the case here. I think you are OK.
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If this were the case then Adolf Hitler didn’t commit a mortal sin by killing 6 million Jews because he believed they were subhuman and killing them off was a moral good. For that matter, someone who doesn’t believe in sin (as many today don’t) would be incapable of committing any mortal sin no matter how heinous their actions.

Full knowledge is knowledge of what you are doing, not knowledge of whether or not something is a mortal sin. If Hitler was tricked into signing a law which he though was relocating Jews but which was really a death warrant for 6 million Jews he wouldn’t be sinning b/c he lacked full knowledge of what he was doing. If he knew he was ordering their deaths but didn’t know it was a mortal sin, he still has full knowledge of what he is doing, thus he is still sinning mortally.
 
Monicad said:
I would wonder about your actions being a quick reflex? I have been in this situation as have most of us, you have a split second to decide whether to slam on the brakes and screech to a halt or to keep going. You are correct that yes you do have a few safe seconds as when a light turns red there are a few seconds before the cross traffic lights turn green.

Not trying to encourage sinful behavior or anything, just my two cents. It doesn’t sound like you did it deliberately in order to endanger others it sounds like it was a split-second decision.
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It was stated, though, that he/she knew could stop before making the decision to cross. So the act was deliberate. The motive, you are right, wasn’t to endanger anyone, but that doesn’t make the matter less grave… The matter of a human act is objective: crossing the red is grave because it could kill. The motive is subjective: one could cross with one, another with a different motive. Sure it is better to cross the red with the motive of getting to one’s destination sooner with the hope that no one will be injured, than with the unlikely motive of wanting to cause an accident, but neither can be justified.
Another helpful way to look at it, is to observe behaviour change with traffic light cameras. Those cameras impressively improve the quick reflex of people… If the fear of losing some money can do that, I wonder why not the fear of hurting someone, or even just the fear of doing wrong… (which, in theory, should be a much better reason for not doing it than the financial consideration)
It is tempting to rationalize one’s wrongdoing.
 
Traffic laws are for orderly traffic They are not a matter of morality. Certainly if one breaks traffic laws in such a way as to impede traffic, or endanger people, then they are showing disrespect for others and not loving one’s neighbors as they love themselves. However there are many times such as the early morning hours where traffic laws do not enhance either safety or order.
 
Deus_tecum said:
Traffic laws are for orderly traffic They are not a matter of morality. Certainly if one breaks traffic laws in such a way as to impede traffic, or endanger people, then they are showing disrespect for others and not loving one’s neighbors as they love themselves. However there are many times such as the early morning hours where traffic laws do not enhance either safety or order.
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  1. That wasn’t the case here.
  2. Following the law is a matter of morality. As is breaking the law. We can never break a just law without committing an immoral act.
 
Although all the components appear to be there to make this a grave sin (according to the posts of others), only God knows. HOWEVER: you were convicted while on line waiting to receive the Eucharist. You had DOUBT and yet you received anyway. So,take this to reconciliation and also admit to not “listening” to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and taking the Eucharist with this doubt of your worthiness in your mind. And then forget it.
 
  1. Following the law is a matter of morality. As is breaking the law. We can never break a just law without committing an immoral act.
While this is true…does this elevate every instance of law-breaking to the level of mortal sin? If you go one mile over the speed limit, or jaywalk, or something, really, this is mortal sin? not to be flippant, but truly, if this is the case, I don’t see how there can be anyone in heaven.
 
Rachel126 said:
does this elevate every instance of law-breaking to the level of mortal sin?
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No, and I never said it did. I said breaking a just law is always immoral, not is always a mortal sin. For it to be a mortal sin it would have to involve grave matter.
 
PietroPaolo said:
  1. That wasn’t the case here.
  2. Following the law is a matter of morality. As is breaking the law. We can never break a just law without committing an immoral act.
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I do not agree with #2 at all. Following the law is not always a matter of morality. It is not immoral to not wear your motorcycle helment. It is not immoral to not wear a seatbelt. It is not immoral to not have car insurance. It is not immoral to own an exotic pet that your state doesn’t allow. The examples are numerous. These things are all illegal, but none of them are immoral.
 
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