Is sinning regularly a form of insanity

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oliver109

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committing sin is in my opinion insanity full stop to those who realise just how unfruitful sin is and how ultimately temporal it’s effects are. In my opinion someone who sins frequently is insane as they know that their sin ultimately leads to unhappiness, eternal at that.
 
So you are saying those who do not share your religion and thus sin are insane?
 
That is more complex and i would not really know what their intentions are, all i am saying is that Catholics who sin know the consequences completely and so are making an insane choice.
 
oliver109 said:
committing sin is in my opinion insanity full stop to those who realise just how unfruitful sin is and how ultimately temporal it’s effects are. In my opinion someone who sins frequently is insane as they know that their sin ultimately leads to unhappiness, eternal at that.
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Not in the legal sense: “unsoundness of mind or lack of the ability to understand”. It is contrary to reason however, so in the third sense it is insane as “extreme folly or unreasonableness”.

Definitions from Merriam-Webster.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
1872 Sin is an act contrary to reason. It wounds man’s nature and injures human solidarity.
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Sinning frequently does not equate with mental infirmity (illness / insanity).

Sinning frequently is a recurrent act of free will against God

Parameters to consider would be “avoiding the near occasion of sin” which Catholics profess in the Act of Contrition. But, as an example, considering the internet, and the sin of pornography, the “near occasion of sin” is only a keyboard click away (an instant away). The individual must have the determination to walk away physically from such acts of recurrent sin. This is no different than breaking a cigarette habit, but the choice to indulge or not indulge is not a question of sanity or insanity. It is still a matter of free will choice.

There is also the question of a demonic attachment (not insanity) that tempts the individual to frequently sin. The demon (negative entity) provoking temptation is an external energy packet with personality traits (not something within the brain of the target). This energy packet affects the mind and emotions just like unseen malware from your wireless router attacks the computer. The emotion of temptation is generated within the mind of the target (something like receipt of a malware message), and the target human may repeatedly act out sinful acts based on provoked lusts or habits. If the sinner believes temptation originates repeatedly within his mind, he may think he is insane. If he recognizes the source of temptation is external, he may be able to rid himself of the entity through the sacrament of Confession, sacramental exorcism, or prayer.
 
I’m not sure you are aware of the quote on the internet, that might be attributed to Einstein, saying that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That kind of mirrors the idea of sin as being essentially a doomed project. Sort of like Sysiphus rolling the stone over and over again. To no end. Or in the case of sin, a temporary end that is insubstantial.

That doesn’t exhaust your question, but that’s one perspective at least.
 
Sinning is simply part of the human condition. As we mature in our faith we gain more strength to avoid sin
 
I agree with you a hundred percent. I’ll take it a step further and write sin leads to lunacy. Keep in mind I do have mental illness that is genetic, but that is not what I or you are referring to. So, no one should get offended; you can be in a state of grace and suffer from mental illness.

But I have seen in my lifetime sins like hedonism lead to lunacy. I’m not certain how to describe it, but the person can be wealthy and successful but be hedonistic without religious backing and have all kinds of disordered thoughts.

I can go further if anyone wants more detail or a more thorough reply.
 
Unfortunately, no, and your position is at odds with Catholic doctrine.

If committing sin was insane, you’ve just removed evil from the world: People are doing bad not because of Satan or their own choice, but rather from their “not thinking right” or otherwise being defective through no fault of their own, much as someone might be born with arms or legs that don’t work. That alone is improper theology. It would be worse if our God punished sin - as He does - if the sinner really couldn’t help it, which is what insanity implies (that the sinner really lacks culpability).

So, if you’re correct, you’ve done away with free will; the concept of culpability; and made our God capricious if not downright nasty (because He’d be punishing sinners who really ‘couldn’t help it.’).
 
One more point: Aquinas picked up some Aristotelian philosophical concepts. One of these is that sin (or virtue) becomes habit, such that when we sin we become more apt to do so. That, IMHO, is really the answer to why some people repeatedly sin - it becomes habit to do so, and one sin clouds our judgment into committing others.
 
But the fact is committing sin is insane, as insane as someone who jumps off a 1000 ft tall building because they like the sensation of falling. Whether choice is involved or not there is nothing sane about doing something that will lead you to Hell.
 
oliver109 said:
someone who sins frequently is insane as they know that their sin ultimately leads to unhappiness, eternal at that.
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The problem is that sin has a habitual hold over us. A mental understanding that sin is wrong, and leads to perdition, and therefore should be abstained from, does not in itself provide the strength to actually abstain. Not at all, in fact. What must take place is purification, and that can take years – years of prayer life, that is.

Romans 7:15:
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
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See, even Paul the Apostle clearly acknowledges that in spite of his wisdom and bond with God, he is sometimes quite incapable of sticking to the right path.

Therefore, no, habitual sinners – like Paul, like me, like most of us – are not insane. Unrepentant sinners, on the other hand, might be.
 
Therefore, no, habitual sinners – like Paul, like me, like most of us – are not insane. Unrepentant sinners, on the other hand, might be.

I don’t think Paul ever sinned mortally after the road to Damascus conversion so any habitual sin on his case was venial, thankfully i think we can agree that most of us on this site are on the habitual rather than the unrepentant camp though there is no way of knowing 100%
 
Again - disagree.

Many sins will not (or not necessarily) lead you to hell. Certain kinds of sins (done once, no less!) break one’s relationship with God.

I may commit all sorts of sins for all sorts of reasons. I may steal because I want/need money. I may fornicate because I like the feeling of doing so. Neither of those things renders me “insane;” I’m just putting my wants above the consequences.

So, no, I respectfully disagree.
 
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Sin does not give a person mental illness any more than sin gives you appendicitis.
 
Vico said:
unsoundness of mind or lack of the ability to understand
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OP makes an interesting point. If someone fully understood the ramifications, they wouldn’t choose to continually send. That certainly implies a “lack of ability to understand“
 
oliver109 said:
committing sin is in my opinion insanity full stop to those who realise just how unfruitful sin is and how ultimately temporal it’s effects are. In my opinion someone who sins frequently is insane as they know that their sin ultimately leads to unhappiness, eternal at that.
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Unless you are medically qualified you should cease such comments in this forum.
 
Lifeisbeautiful3 said:
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Vico:
unsoundness of mind or lack of the ability to understand
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OP makes an interesting point. If someone fully understood the ramifications, they wouldn’t choose to continually send. That certainly implies a “lack of ability to understand“
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I think you mean sin not send. However, fully understanding is not a requirement for sin, rather the knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. With sin, the choice between two goods is always made, but the higher is not chosen.
 
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