This topic has been addressed before. If you search threads using keywords like ‘lent, meat, mortal sin’, I think you’ll find some well-established discussion.
Well, according to Jimmy Akin, a well-regarded apologist, it is:
Unless one does it with the deliberate intention of disobeying Church law, and without substituting a penance for it, as permitted in the U.S. (outside Lent) or Canada (even within Lent).
Well, it can be if it amounts to apostasy, where one deliberately eats meat with friends just to show that one doesn’t take all this stuff seriously. Then one becomes like Peter in the courtyard of the high priest.
You are wrong in your assumption that eating meat on the Fridays during Lent is not a mortal sin, as long as one knows it is a sin and willingly does it you can rest assured it is a serious sin.
All it took for Adam and Eve was to eat a piece of fruit when God told them not to. They didn’t do so out of hatred for him, nor did they even do so knowing exactly why it was wrong, only that God told them not to do it.
Eating meat is not the sin. Apostasy is. You are right in saying that deliberately eating meat during an obligatory fast as a sign of one’s apostasy is a sin, but it is not because you are eating meat. It is because you are obstinately refusing to seek penance for your sins and flaunting your sins in public. This is the sin of pride.
You took the words right out of my mouth. Persons with health problems are not required to fast in the traditional fashion as most Catholics do. It is not because the person doesn’t want to follow the rules set before them, but rather their health condition prevents them from fully participating in the fast. The whole reason to abstain and fast from meat is to cleanse the body and mind. Also, it was traditional jewish law that when someone died they fast from meals out of grief for the loss of that person. Christ never put into place a rule stating you had to fast.Fasting is in respect of loss. When we are reunited with God we will be at the feast table receiving God’s love for us.
One of the best replies I heard on any topic in a long timeAll it took for Adam and Eve was to eat a piece of fruit when God told them not to. They didn’t do so out of hatred for him, nor did they even do so knowing exactly why it was wrong, only that God told them not to do it.
Obedience is obedience, and disobedience to God, be it in large things or small, can be a damnable sin
That’s quite different. God directly told them not to do something, and they did it. Fasting from meat is a custom of the Church, not a direct command from God Himself. If God appeared to me and said, “Do not eat meat on Friday!” I would certainly abstain. But this isn’t the case in reality.All it took for Adam and Eve was to eat a piece of fruit when God told them not to. They didn’t do so out of hatred for him, nor did they even do so knowing exactly why it was wrong, only that God told them not to do it.
Obedience is obedience, and disobedience to God, be it in large things or small, can be a damnable sin
Fine. So then we’ll be hanging out with the worst despots in the history of the world in the depths of hell because we ate a little meat. That sounds merciful on God’s part
.I refer you to the above comment about Adam & Eve being kicked out of paradise and being exposed to work, illness, disease, etc.; just for eating an apple.Fine. So then we’ll be hanging out with the worst despots in the history of the world in the depths of hell because we ate a little meat. That sounds merciful on God’s part
So you are saying that the Son of God lied to us when He gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven to His Church saying that WHATEVER they bound on earth would be bound in heaven?
But, the measuring stick is not a despot. The measuring stick is Jesus Christ. I find it troubling when I hear folks say something like hey it’s not like I am a hit man or something. The problem is we are called to be holy. Not being like a hitman, or some such thing ,is not nearly enough.Fine. So then we’ll be hanging out with the worst despots in the history of the world in the depths of hell because we ate a little meat. That sounds merciful on God’s part
Lest anyone think I am an atheist trying to “troll” or anger people, I actually do think the Church gets a lot of things right. However, on this topic, I am very, very skeptical that we’d end up in Hell if we chose to eat meat every now and then on a Lenten Friday.
Well, if you’re game to test your theory on a God who struck Annias and Sapphira dead for telling a teeny white lie …Fine. So then we’ll be hanging out with the worst despots in the history of the world in the depths of hell because we ate a little meat. That sounds merciful on God’s part
Lest anyone think I am an atheist trying to “troll” or anger people, I actually do think the Church gets a lot of things right. However, on this topic, I am very, very skeptical that we’d end up in Hell if we chose to eat meat every now and then on a Lenten Friday.
Why are you limiting meat to beef? Meat includes chicken, beef, lamb, goat, etc.But in all honesty eating meat on Fridays during Lent should only partain to if you are prevented from following the rule of fasting from beef. Anemic persons and those with blood disorders would be an example of someone who cannot follow strictly to the rule of abstaining from meat on Fridays. most people can find replacements for beef…but that’s not the reason for the abstanence in the 1st place.
Mary1173
No, I’m saying the Church can, and does, error sometimes. Fasting from meat is a custom, not an infallible teaching. Should we make a very good effort to follow the custom? Yes, I think so. However, if we slip every now and then, I doubt we end up in Hell. It just sounds silly and preposterous. In Hell for eternity for eating a little meat? I could see it being a venial sin. But a mortal one, no.