lust?

  • Thread starter Thread starter tealblue
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

tealblue

Guest
when does inapriately looking at another women which I understand is a venial sin turm to lust which is a mortal sin?

do you normaly know when you have crossed the threshhold into mortal sin?
 
tealblue said:
when does inapriately looking at another women which I understand is a venial sin turm to lust which is a mortal sin?

do you normaly know when you have crossed the threshhold into mortal sin?
Click to expand...
When you look twice.
 
HailMary said:
When you look twice.
Click to expand...
You’ve got to be kinding, right? I don’t think that’s anywhere in the Catechism or any official Catholic teaching. Can you provide a citation for your statement?:confused:
 
Sailboat said:
You’ve got to be kinding, right? I don’t think that’s anywhere in the Catechism or any official Catholic teaching. Can you provide a citation for your statement?:confused:
Click to expand...
No, I can’t. But if I said some guy was holding a gun to your head and if you looked again you would be shot, you, most likely, would not do it. Therefore, if you look twice, you have consented in your will to violate her and your purity.
 
HailMary said:
No, I can’t. But if I said some guy was holding a gun to your head and if you looked again you would be shot, you, most likely, would not do it. Therefore, if you look twice, you have consented in your will to violate her and your purity.
Click to expand...
A simplistic answer out of your own imagination, in my opinion. You think that if a man looks twice at an attractive woman, noticing the curve of her hips and her shapely legs, that he is in mortal sin?:confused: I would say that he is just a normal guy.

How can a man NOT notice some of the sexy looking girls out there? :eek: Their bellies are showing and they often wear skimpy shorts and volumptuous bosems for all to see! I must be in mortal sin everyday, because I often look twice. :o

But, my actions are such that I’m only for my beautiful wife (Who unfortunately is at work at the moment 😦 )
 
Sailboat said:
A simplistic answer out of your own imagination, in my opinion. You think that if a man looks twice at an attractive woman, noticing the curve of her hips and her shapely legs, that he is in mortal sin?:confused: I would say that he is just a normal guy.

How can a man NOT notice some of the sexy looking girls out there? :eek: Their bellies are showing and they often wear skimpy shorts and volumptuous bosems for all to see! I must be in mortal sin everyday, because I often look twice. :o

But, my actions are such that I’m only for my beautiful wife (Who unfortunately is at work at the moment 😦 )
Click to expand...
I agree that you can look at a woman and be taken by her beauty which is testimony of God’s goodness and glory. However, the context of the question was framed not in this way. It was more along the lines of, “if I could I would” and treating the human person as an object of visual pleasure instead of a recognizing the image of God and the dignity of the person.
 
You don’t understand men too well. We are extemely visual and can get sexually aroused at the drop of a hat by seeing a slight inviting arch to a womans backside. Some of us can react,er, quite definatively to what we see casually on the street, even if we are loyal to our wives. That is the way I have always been, it is a very strong tendency. Therefore, if I see something inviting, look twice, and have a sexual response secretly, that I never act upon, I don’t think I’m guilty of mortal sin.
 
And, women look extremely sexily clad these days, so it’s asking alot for us not to look twice. Sometimes my eyes can linger I admit, but I don’t think it’s a mortal sin, because I only make love to my wife.
 
Sailboat said:
Therefore, if I see something inviting, look twice, and have a sexual response secretly, that I never act upon, I don’t think I’m guilty of mortal sin.
Click to expand...
Lusting requires no physical act.

Matthew 5:28: But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Paragraph 2351: Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.

Much more can be said about this subject. Try these:
newadvent.org/cathen/09438a.htm
newadvent.org/summa/315304.htm

God Bless and goodnight
 
I heard a preacher define lust as “If I could, I would”.

I read that Pope Benedict XVI said recently that it was not a sin to be attracted to a member of the opposite sex.
 
Definition of lust is to covet, desire, or long for. This does not equate to any amount of time. Believe me, it could be a split second. Then you are guilty. Would this be mortal sin? I would have to say yes given the definition of Mortal sin.
  1. It is grave, breaking one of the ten commandments, 7 and 10, not to mention breaking one is guilty of all.
  2. Full knowledge, the person knows full well their thoughts are wrong because the guilt will appear or at least the hiding of the thought will generally occur.
  3. Complete Consent because no one forced you to look or have this desire.
My question is, when would this ever be a venial sin?
 
I’ve heard things like inapropriate starring at certain body parts without some sort of desire is considered a venial sin.but I can imagine any sort of fantacy would be considered lust.Not that I’m trying to see how far I can reach the line without going over just sometimes especialy the way women dress these days its hard for a split second though to come in.I wouldn’t consider that lust in my opinion.Ive heard also its helpful to try and look at people as one of gods creatures but even then one gods creatures with a pair of lowriders and a cut off shirt.even worse when someone is dressed like that for mass.I like hail mary’s advise.just don’t look twice
 
I do not believe a person can stare at a certain body part and have no lust or desire in their heart or mind. I know I can’t. But if a person can, I do not see where staring is a sin, venial or otherwise. Sin comes in the desire for anything other than God. If your desire for God at the moment you are staring is replaced with the object you are staring at, I would consider this sin.
 
The poster’s original question about knowing when one crosses the threshold from venial to mortal sin is a good question that many people struggle with.

I would encourage the OP to approach the problem in a different way. Certainly lust is a mortal sin. Certainly lust can be committed when one allows oneself to be put in the position of lusting…or as they used to say not avoiding the “occasion of sin.”

Rather than worrying too much about where and how that threshold might be getting crossed in various circumstances, I would encourage two things…first, think about what you were doing just previous to the sin, and avoid those occasions or situations or circumstance that would allow you to fall again…and…second, when in doubt, GO TO confession! Regardless of whether you view that sin as mortal OR venial. All sin offends God. Go often. Build up the grace and strength by depending on God’s strength and the graces you receive in confession. Repent because you are concerned about hurting Our Lord more than you are worried about the consequence to you of your sin. And have faith that Our Lord loves you so much He never wants you to sin, and deeply desires you to grow in holiness. He desires it SO much that He gives us the sacraments to do just that!

God bless you!
 
What if you want to appreciate the body but you used to do more than that/. What if it involved primitive people?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top