Stealing

[fish90]

I have a couple questions on stealing.

1.) Can stealing be venial? Would something that costs less than some amount make the theft venial?

2.) Is freeloading a form of stealing?

Best,
fish90

 

[Moscati]

1. I’m pretty sure stealing can be venial, just like lying can be. Swiping a lipstick is not the same thing as taking 10,000 employees’ pensions. I don’t think there’s an arbitrary amount that would make it mortal. It depends more on who is harmed, how much they were harmed, why you stole whatever it was, etc.
2. I think it depends with freeloading, too. I’ve been known to help myself to a buffet set up on campus for a lecture I didn’t attend (my roommate works in the kitchens–I know firsthand how much gets thrown away anyway)–I don’t think that’s wrong. Moving in with Grandma, racking up her electric bill and eating her out of house and home would be, though. I don’t know that I would call it stealing though, since there isn’t any deceit, per se.

 

[GEddie]

I have a couple questions on stealing.

1.) Can stealing be venial? Would something that costs less than some amount make the theft venial?

2.) Is freeloading a form of stealing?

Best,
fish90

As described in a book whose title escapes me, minor thefts are venial; while stealing something of great value would be mortal. A numerical value would be impossible to assign for this distinction, however, because it also depends upon the value to the person being stolen from. So while a theft in amount less than US$50 might be a venial sin (e.g.) ; if the victim of the theft would be hard pressed to replace that value, or if the stolen object were irreplaceable, the theft could become mortal.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I once heard a guideline that stealing a days wage or more from a person is grave sin; less is venial. [a day’s wage for the victim.] Don’t think that is an official teaching but it seems a reasonable guideline.

 

[CHCatholic]

So here’s a question. i was at a restaurant the other day and snagged one of the glasses from a major national chain restaurant, as it was a cool souvenir. when i was taking them i thought nothing of it, in all honesty didn’t think twice about it. i’m a bartender and smashing 20 glasses in one busy shift is common, so i know how many a restaurant can go through. but reflecting back on it, i realize, plain 'n simple, that i stole. i confessed it, but would it be venial, considering how inexpensive the item is, and how little, if null, it affects the restaurant? what am i supposed to do in reparation now, beside the penance i did in confession. taking 'em back would just cause more problems than its worth. thanks

 

[Joe_Kelley]

So here’s a question. i was at a restaurant the other day and snagged one of the glasses from a major national chain restaurant, as it was a cool souvenir. when i was taking them i thought nothing of it, in all honesty didn’t think twice about it. i’m a bartender and smashing 20 glasses in one busy shift is common, so i know how many a restaurant can go through. but reflecting back on it, i realize, plain 'n simple, that i stole. i confessed it, but would it be venial, considering how inexpensive the item is, and how little, if null, it affects the restaurant? what am i supposed to do in reparation now, beside the penance i did in confession. taking 'em back would just cause more problems than its worth. thanks

I think if one cannot make restitution to the owner it is recommended that one give the equivalent amount to a charity.

 

[Ron_Conte]

I once heard a guideline that stealing a days wage or more from a person is grave sin; less is venial. [a day’s wage for the victim.] Don’t think that is an official teaching but it seems a reasonable guideline.

No, that is not an official teaching, nor a reasonable guideline.

Stealing is intrinsically evil, because it has an evil moral object: to deprive the owner of his goods. However, that moral object is not inherently grace. Therefore, stealing is only a mortal sin (grave matter) when the intention is gravely immoral, such as stealing with the intention to cause grave harm, or when the consequences are grave, such as stealing any amount of money, or any type of goods, that will cause grave harm to the owner.

 

[o_mlly]

I have a couple questions on stealing.

1.) Can stealing be venial? Would something that costs less than some amount make the theft venial?

Yes.

2.) Is freeloading a form of stealing?
Best,
fish90

Yes. Perhaps the most egregious example of freeloading is passing on to future genreations the costs of the current generations extravagant lifestyle.