Scruples are making me miserable! DID I commit a sin?!

[robertmidwest]

I called my pastor, who I’ve talked to before about this issue, and he told me I was fine, as he almost always says. It’s such a temptation to keep dwelling on it though, but the fact that I keep questioning whether it was a sin is a sign that I need to drop it. And eventually it’ll fade, but getting on this forum and talking about it is NOT going to help the fading process, nor is anyone here my pastor/confessor. I really appreciate the help that you all have offered. However I’ve come to realize that going online for answers rather than my priest causes me only more anxiety. I need to forget, no ruminate. So, I will not be posting again.

Emily91, it’s great that you talked to your pastor about. You acknowledgement that you need to stop ruminating abou it is correct. I cannot tell from your post if he told you that or you came to that conclusion on your own. If he simply told you it was not a sin/stop thinking about it and gave you no other advice then you need to pursue other means of help. There are good healthy ways to modify your behavior you need to learn.

 

[codefro]

I have scruples. Bad. So here’s what I’m struggling with today:
I saw someone on Facebook mention the woody Allen scandal, and I wasn’t sure what the full story was there, so I googled it, saw that his daughter had written an open letter describing how he had sexually abused her, and I chose to read it. Call it morbid curiosity for the gruesome details. I wasn’t looking to get aroused by reading it, it was about abuse for goodness sake. But my curiosity was excited and I wanted I know exactly what had happened. Now I feel incredibly guilty. I know deep down that reading a news story, even a bad one, technically isn’t a sin, but somehow I feel as if Ive sinned greatly for being so curious about all the details, and seeking to satisfy my curiosity.

Find a spiritual director. Ask your parish priest to recommend a priest who you can go to, and tell them you deal with scrupulosity and you want help to stop being so.