Is this a mortal sin? Should I confess it?

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themananth

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I have been struggling with masturbation and pornography for a few months now. I recently have stopped, but the other day I was going through the photo gallery on my phone and there was a pornographic image there. I saw but did not enjoy it at all and I tried to remove it. I tried to delete it but it kept coming back so I saw it several times and did not enjoy its presence at all. Finally I got it to delete today. My question is, should I confess it? Is it a mortal sin because I just saw it? Did I have “full consent” in the matter?
 
You did not will it, therefore it was not a mortal sin. I would get a new phone if at all possible so you can have a clean start without all of this old junk popping up. Once it’s in your history it will never stop coming up on your computer or in this case your phone. I will pray for your continued triumph over this sin! Praise God!
 
Thanks for the quick reply. 🙂 So even though I saw it several times, it isn’t a mortal sin?
 
themananth said:
Thanks for the quick reply. 🙂 So even though I saw it several times, it isn’t a mortal sin?
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As long as you did not consent to looking at the image, no it is not a mortal sin. I believe the more you click on those images though, even to delete them, the more they will pop up. They do that intentionally to get you hooked. 😦 I’d seriously look into getting a fresh start with a new phone, yes even at the risk of loosing some of your good pics. That way you won’t have to keep seeing them over and over to rid yourself of them.
 
You can bring it up at your next confession regardless. Just tell the priest what you said here and he will will dispel your fears once and for all!
 
I think you are confused about the situation. I saved it previously on my phone and it was in my gallery. In order to remove it, you have to look at it to select it to delete it, but it kept coming back, so I had to look at it several times, but I didn’t enjoy it, so that isn’t full consent? Right?So would that be partial consent because I clicked on it to delete it?
 
themananth said:
I think you are confused about the situation. I saved it previously on my phone and it was in my gallery. In order to remove it, you have to look at it to select it to delete it, but it kept coming back, so I had to look at it several times, but I didn’t enjoy it, so that isn’t full consent? Right?So would that be partial consent because I clicked on it to delete it?
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Ok in that case, no you weren’t trying to look for pleasure but to rid yourself of these sinful images. I do not see mortal sin here, but check with your priest next confession if you still doubt. I would not delete anymore pictures. I would get rid of that phone if at all financially possible and get a fresh start. Yes you will loose some good pics and apps, but it will protect your mind and heart from the evils of this past life of sin.
 
So am I okay to receive Eucharist? Or should I go to confession first
 
If you did not want to see the image, then I don’t see mortal sin. I would make a good act of contrition and go to confession when possible. If you can honestly say you didn’t want to see the pictures, you looked away out of disgust when they came up, were horrified and didn’t give them one last “goodbye peek”, then you can receive communion in good conscience. However, I would not touch any of these pictures in the future, even to delete them. This could become sinful. Are there a lot more pictures of porn on your phone? You cannot in good conscience go through and erase them all knowing now that you will have to see them to delete them. This will be entirely too much temptation, a near occasion of sin and not worth the potential damage to your mind and soul.
 
That was the only photo of that kind on my phone, and when I deleted it, I covered the photo with my hand so I wouldn’t be tempted.
 
themananth said:
That was the only photo of that kind on my phone, and when I deleted it, I covered the photo with my hand so I wouldn’t be tempted.
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Sounds like you didn’t will it then. You’ve done well tonight. Go and keep up the good fight! 🙂
 
themananth said:
I have been struggling with masturbation and pornography for a few months now. I recently have stopped, but the other day I was going through the photo gallery on my phone and there was a pornographic image there. I saw but did not enjoy it at all and I tried to remove it. I tried to delete it but it kept coming back so I saw it several times and did not enjoy its presence at all. Finally I got it to delete today. My question is, should I confess it? Is it a mortal sin because I just saw it? Did I have “full consent” in the matter?
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You ought to ask your confessor when and if these sins are mortal in your case.
 
Or you could be my 14 year old son who googled for ‘naked chicks’ and a baby chicken came up in the search. :eek: (but with other images as well…) I was mad, but that truly made me laugh. We did have a long talk the next day after I discovered it. Joys of boys!
 
themananth said:
Is it a mortal sin because I just saw it? Did I have “full consent” in the matter?
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Only you know whether or not you intended to “accidentally” look at the image, or if you genuinely, for all intents and purposes, had it shoved into your face by the programming of your cell phone.

If you are not sure which of the two scenarios is true, then yes, I would bring this up in confession. Furthermore, such things need not be limited to questions of whether something was mortally or venially sinful: there are also root causes to sin that the Holy Spirit may want us to take to confession to analyze and to deal with. *Was that a mortal sin? *can be a legalistic question, and it could be that we are pricked in conscience because a behavior is merely a symptom of something more serious.

Anything having to do with lust is an incredibly grey area; and sometimes, we genuinely need advice from a confessor. Seeking advice here is fine; but we do not have the authority to make a judgment, and to effectively bind your conscience to it. A trusted priest does have such authority. Moreover, if he judges your situation as being OK, then you can have a morally sound reason to have incredibly serious doubts that you committed a mortal sin. We can speculate all we want; but our opinions do not give you moral cetitude as the opinion of a trusted priest does.

Unless you are scrupulous, if in doubt, confess, seek advice, and follow the counsel.

… and for the record, scrupulosity involves things like being convinced that crossing the street without looking three times is absolutely, without doubt a mortal sin; it involves scenarios like being afraid that you hit someone with your car as you were driving, even though there’s absolutely zero evidence of this aside from possibly driving over a pothole.

Being unsure if you gave full consent to something is not scrupulosity; it is a sign of a conscience that needs to be formed more.
 
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