I and most serious catholics do practice self denial, but sometimes we slip & fall. We get Up & seek the sacrament of confession,I still say as long as a man lives he will sin. we are mortal & there are temptations all around us, man is weak, & My priest told me that God is not out to get us, He knows man is weak & He knows your heart. When U fall, & U will Get to confession
Because it`s a problem that most of us struggle withThis was a perfect opportunity for us to detour away from yet ANOTHER discussion of masturbation. But, as usual, many of us just couldn’t resist the temptation to dive into it…again. Why are we Catholics so darned obsessed with masturbation???
It’s a sin, yes, but one rooted in our sexual genes. Most of us can’t overcome it, completely. I say get over it and move on. Consider bigger themes, such as the DOWNFALL OF MANKIND, which is staring us in the face.
Sin entering the world WAS the downfall of mankind. Jesus came to redeem us, to pull each of us back from that downfall.
But you were suggesting its not a sin at all. There is a difference between “falling” and deciding that something isnt a sin because it is inconvenient
I personally do not think it is a sin, but the church tells me it is , so I guess i have to abide by that. I also think King Alfred is right, there are much greater things than masturbation going on . I am not sure that God cares if we masturbate, after all it is a strong appetite we have for sex & he knows it
So then, using that logic, infidelity would be acceptable since God knows of our insatiable need for sex??
Release, you kidding me. I dis-like that term very much.I do not believe it is a sin, I think it is something that most men do up until they die, God gave us all our sexuality.There is such a thing as sexual frustration, people need a release. As far as passing gas, how can we have any control over that. We are mortals, God knew we would sin, Thats why he Sent his son to redeem us
A priest once told me, man is not as bad as he thinks he is, God put all these inclinations in us, we are weak, Thats why we confess, all of us are always going to commit some kind of sin or another in thought, word, or deed as long as we live, thats why Jesus was the supreme sacrifice for our sins, there is no perfect person, never will be, also A wonderful priest who I go to confession to tells me God is not out to get us, he knows man is weak & is going to do all kinds of sinful things. Human nature is rough & we are not all at the same level of spirituality, so all kinds of sins are going on, & remember God permits evil for the greater good that comes from it. I am not a scholar but I know a lot about the basics of our religion. God also knew there would be all kinds of sins against the ten commandments, including adultery, & also its hard to commit a mortal sin if all three things are not present, most mortal sins if they are that are committed on the spur of the moment , when full reflection is not thereSo then, using that logic, infidelity would be acceptable since God knows of our insatiable need for sex??
You’re not sure that God cares? Why you could say that about anything that you find whereby your will differs from God.
God has much more to worry about than if I steal something from a store. Surely God wouldn’t mind if I view a little pornography since I have a “strong appetite for sex”. Surely God can’t be too concerned if I do a little gossiping or lying now and then.
I guess as long as I don’t murder anyone, God should just overlook all of those things that “I” consider nonsense sins.
Maybe a little soul searching is in order here and the prayer necessary to know the One whom we offend everytime we have a better idea than God…teachccd
People come and go from CAF a lot, so many topics are going to be brought up again. The need of the OP to deal with this is just as important as the need of the past posters. Besides there are plenty of other threads about the downfall of mankind. Perhaps, you should use some self-control and avoid masturbation threads.
Your rationalization is a good way to excuse a lot of sins. I take a different approach to it. I have a relationship with God. When I sin, I wound that relationship (similar to upsetting my spouse). In order to reconcile, I approach the Lord through Confession and tell Him I am sorry for my sins (because I actually am). I don’t try to rationalize the sin away.
In the hope that a priest would not preach such heresy, I will pray you misunderstood this priest.
yes, I am just a meaningless person, after 70 yrs on earth, I know nothing from all my former & recent confessions, from all the sermons I listened & the private talks i had with Priests & the fact That I was once in a religious order where I learned a lot, sorry You werent exposed to the same things i was, & also I have a tender conscience, always did,when I sinned, I made sure I got to confession pronto. It doesnt mean I have to agree with the church, we all have doubts, bar none, but I do abide by church teachings
I’m sorry if you took my post wrong. The “you” was not meant to be Methodi. I was writing in the general sense. It meant me, you…all of us. We have a relationship with our creator, and to think that we know better than He does is pretty silly. This extends to His Church, as well. It doesn’t mean we stop “thinking for ourselves.” It just means we approach the Church with humility and obedience, since He established it on earth as our guide.
That is what I do I aproach the church with Humility , all my failures, & try to be obedient
I’m glad to hear that. The way one of your previous posts read (#49), it gave the impression of minimizing sin with a “we all do it and God expects it” approach. Taken with your previous posts whereby you inferred that you may be smarter and wiser than the Magisterium, it doesn’t exactly lead one to “humility” and “obedience.”
God knew we would need a redeemer when he saw all the wickedness they did from the beginning up till now. Again I say man cannot sit around wearing a halo & twiddling his thumbs, he is out there & he is gonna get into something, no doubt, thats the way Life is, even very devout catholics fall sometimes. We cannot reach perfection in this imperfect world, we can only try, That is what one of my Priest friends told me. I came a long way with the church, I am from the days when they preached fire & brimstone at every sermon, I watched it change to preaching love & God`s Mercy, which I ask for all day long. But I will say back in the day when they preached fire & Brimstone, people were better, look at this world now
Yes, Methodi, but the sorting out does not extend to the commandments, which are absolute, & not subject to editing or convenient re-interpretation.