Is sin the same as error?

[Qoeleth]

It would seem that all sin are actually the result of errors. For example, a person may experience a lot of violence, and may therefore conclude that they are justified in using violence themselves. And therefore, they do.

Or promiscuity. A person may see that it seems to be socially acceptable, and may therefore conclude that it is OK. I am thinking of classes of people were living together outside of marriage is so common, no-one would even stop to consider if it is a sin.

It would seem that when people sin, they necessarily believe they are justified in their particular action (even though they may know it is contrary to accepted ‘moral law’). If they really believe the moral law, they would surely follow it.

So, does all sin come from error?

And, if it does, can all sin therefore be excused by God?

 

[Trishie]

For basic principles regarding your question:

MORAL CONSCIENCE

1776 "Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . . His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths."47

I. THE JUDGMENT OF CONSCIENCE

1777 Moral conscience,48 present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil.49 It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking.

1789 Some rules apply in every case:

• One may never do evil so that good may result from it;
• the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."56
• charity always proceeds by way of respect for one’s neighbor and his conscience: "Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ."57 Therefore "it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble."58

IV. ERRONEOUS JUDGMENT

1790 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.

1791 This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the case when a man "takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin."59 In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits.

1792 Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one’s passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the Church’s authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct.

1793 If - on the contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not responsible for his erroneous judgment, the evil committed by the person cannot be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to correct the errors of moral conscience.

…The more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by objective standards of moral conduct.61

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a6.htm

 

[George_Stegmeir]

It would seem that all sin are actually the result of errors. For example, a person may experience a lot of violence, and may therefore conclude that they are justified in using violence themselves. And therefore, they do.

Or promiscuity. A person may see that it seems to be socially acceptable, and may therefore conclude that it is OK. I am thinking of classes of people were living together outside of marriage is so common, no-one would even stop to consider if it is a sin.

It would seem that when people sin, they necessarily believe they are justified in their particular action (even though they may know it is contrary to accepted ‘moral law’). If they really believe the moral law, they would surely follow it.

So, does all sin come from error?

And, if it does, can all sin therefore be excused by God?

The way in which you phrased and asked your question indicates, in modern parlance, a cop-out.
It just screams out a secularist “It aint my fault”!
Tain’t so. I do not know where and how you were catechized, but just by asking the question in the manner you did, indicates either you were absent from class that day, or you weren’t paying attention.
Please pay very close attention to Trishies reply. It is as good as you are going to get!
In addition, if you are no longer in Catholic School, I would strongly suggest that you contact your pastor and see if you can attend religious instruction classes in your parish.

 

[JRKH]

It would seem that all sin are actually the result of errors. For example, a person may experience a lot of violence, and may therefore conclude that they are justified in using violence themselves. And therefore, they do.

Or promiscuity. A person may see that it seems to be socially acceptable, and may therefore conclude that it is OK. I am thinking of classes of people were living together outside of marriage is so common, no-one would even stop to consider if it is a sin.

It would seem that when people sin, they necessarily believe they are justified in their particular action (even though they may know it is contrary to accepted ‘moral law’). If they really believe the moral law, they would surely follow it.

So, does all sin come from error?

And, if it does, can all sin therefore be excused by God?

I agree that Trishie’s response is going to be the best - coming as it does from the Catechism. That said, I can’t help but chime in…

Starting with your last question first…Jesus himself tells us that all sin is forgivable except Blaspheming the Holy Spirit. So going by that, the answer is, Yes nearly all sin is forgivable.

Moving on to the question in the thread title…Is sin the same as error…In our modern usage of terms, I would have to say no it is not. We normally think of an error occurring more or less innocently whereas sin is generally the result of a conscious decision. However - it is interesting to note that one of the Greek terms translated as “sin” is:
Sin = Hamartano, (Greek)
To be without a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken; to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor; to do or go wrong; to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law
So depending on the context, hamartano could be translated as “error” (missing the mark, being mistaken) or “sin” ( to do ro go wrong, to violate God’s law).

Trishie’s answer really deals well with the rest of your post and the question, “does all sin come from error”. To summarize that a bit though, my personal take on the the matter would be that, some venial sin might come from error, but Mortal sin - no it does not come from error. The requirements of knowledge and consent required for a mortal sin mean that you know what you are doing is a sin and do it anyway.
you might try to claim justification - but that is nothing more than delusion and won’t fly when standing before the One who hung on the cross - the One who would have been justified in striking down many who sought His blood.

Peace
James

 

[Qoeleth]

The way in which you phrased and asked your question indicates, in modern parlance, a cop-out.
It just screams out a secularist “It aint my fault”!
Tain’t so. I do not know where and how you were catechized, but just by asking the question in the manner you did, indicates either you were absent from class that day, or you weren’t paying attention.
Please pay very close attention to Trishies reply. It is as good as you are going to get!
In addition, if you are no longer in Catholic School, I would strongly suggest that you contact your pastor and see if you can attend religious instruction classes in your parish.

In lectiones de theologia ut satis audivit spero. Aut forsit eras melior discipulus. Intelliges qui scribo? Sed non intelligeres, forsit scio majorem quam tu. Quemadmodem dices: Sic vel non?