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Musicadmirer
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Yes, I understand that.Im talking about masturbation prevalence, not sex.
Yes, I understand that.Im talking about masturbation prevalence, not sex.
No! Those are not the extenuating circumstances being referred to. Temptation, no matter how massive, is not synonymous with extenuating circumstances. And “the- culture-of-sex”-made-me-do-it" is just as non-theological as “the devil made me do it.” This is not the sense of the document whatsoever. Otherwise, thousands of current, contemporary examinations of conscience would dismiss the act, would not mention the act, would classify it as venial, or would go into a long dissertation about it. But virtually every Catholic examination of conscience out there specifically mentions masturbation as mortal sin.When dealing with masturbation, it is so prevalent today that the exceptions are the rule. The temptations make for it to be easier to acquire the habit and many that do it do it habitually. It is the acquisition of habit with the culture of sex that we are in that are the extenuating circumstances that the catechism mentions that make masturbation for most people to not be a grave sin.
It does cover all the bases “actors, vendors, the public”.Where does it say “viewing pornography” is a grave offense, in those exact words? It doesnt say it in those exact words. Pornography is a mortal sin, there should be no doubt left at all to whether it is or not mortal. The definition is very vague about what constitutes pornography and only mentions viewers as victims of pornography. It simply says what it is and that it is grave matter. It doesnt define in clear language when it is a sin and for who. If we are to take the mention of the word pornography to mean all instances, then it should say it, dont you think? The stakes are heaven and hell. There should be a list clearly stated of which sins are mortal and which are not. No complicated theological justifications or exceptions that are unclearly worded and explained like the culpability part of masturbation. If the church actually posted a list of which sins are mortal and which are venial instead of using criteria for mortal and venial it would make it a lot simpler and would leave priests that are in error out of leading people into error. Why does the church not spell it out in clear language? It would seem that with souls at stake this would be a high priority.
Masturbation is a sin of grave matter… so to do it willingly and with full knowledge is indeed a mortal sin. I emphasize with you on the fact that it is indeed a hard habit to break and that us men do indeed go through much trials & temptations with regard to sexual issues like this (being sexual beings with fallen natures). However the Church’s teaching on this is pretty clear… it follows therefore that we can break free from this sin with the help of God’s grace. How? By praying & discipling ourselves and by constantly admitting that we are helpless i.e. that we need the grace of God. “With men this is impossible; but with God all **things are possible” **Matthew 19:26. I will keep you in prayer friend… truly I tell you with God’s grace you will be free!Because I struggle with masturbation (like most healthy men) I find myself needing to go to Confession every three to five days.
Question: am I mistaken in thinking that this is a mortal sin? Am I being overly scrupulous?
Everyone’s response is usually “talk to your priest and ask him” Problem is, I’ve had two priests tell me it’s not mortal, and two tell me it is. Do I go for best of five?
I wish the Church would remove the nebulous language from the Catechism on this topic, and the Magisterium would make a definitive statement for all time on whether masturbation is a mortal sin (once you’ve reached the age of sexual/emotional maturity…probably around 18 yrs of age).
As to the details of my own situation, I don’t use pornography, only imagine my wife (she currently cannot have sex), and I’m actively trying to decrease the frequency with which I do this. I’ve tried praying to God to remove ALL urge to do this, but my body is telling me physically --not even sexually-- that it’s bad for me not to do this at least once a week. Science seems to agree. Am I really committing a mortal sin? Whenever I go for days at a time without masturbating, I’m so distracted by the urge that I can’t even pray or read scripture effectively.
The statistic would be higher if you were to include those who purposely or incidentally increase the urge of ejaculation in others, such as wearing certain clothes (or lack of them) or saying certain things or acting in a certain way. Yet, you see very few at the confession lines and so many taking communion. And we haven’t even started discussing gossipping, coveting, hating, lying, malicious attacks against others, etc.Very few go to confession to confess this sin yet studies have shown that 60 to as high as 80% of the general population do it regularly.
***Do you believe that “struggling with masturbation” and “most healthy men” belong in the same sentence? It seems to me that they are mutually exclusive and the “struggling” aspect instead points to “unhealthful” behavior. Catholicism is cut and dried: either quit masturbating completely and divert your sexual tensions into helping others, or indulge in masturbation with the steadfast belief that it is healthful, normal, and not sinful. Who on this forum is going to contradict that?Because I struggle with masturbation (like most healthy men) I find myself needing to go to Confession every three to five days.
Question: am I mistaken in thinking that this is a mortal sin? Am I being overly scrupulous?
Everyone’s response is usually “talk to your priest and ask him” Problem is, I’ve had two priests tell me it’s not mortal, and two tell me it is. Do I go for best of five?
I wish the Church would remove the nebulous language from the Catechism on this topic, and the Magisterium would make a definitive statement for all time on whether masturbation is a mortal sin (once you’ve reached the age of sexual/emotional maturity…probably around 18 yrs of age).
As to the details of my own situation, I don’t use pornography, only imagine my wife (she currently cannot have sex), and I’m actively trying to decrease the frequency with which I do this. I’ve tried praying to God to remove ALL urge to do this, but my body is telling me physically --not even sexually-- that it’s bad for me not to do this at least once a week. Science seems to agree. Am I really committing a mortal sin? Whenever I go for days at a time without masturbating, I’m so distracted by the urge that I can’t even pray or read scripture effectively.