Thinking about committing a sin... a sin?

[workinprogress8]

I was just wondering why the Catholic church considers thinking about committing a sin, a sin. I’m not trying to be critical of the Catholic faith, I just truly don’t know.

What about if thinking about committing the sin makes you realize that you don’t want to commit that sin? Is the thought still a sin?

As you can see I’m really confused about what thoughts can constitute a sin. If you imagine yelling at a family member, but then think better of it is a sin? If you think about lying is it a sin?

Thanks so much.

PS If you need any clarifications, on what I’m trying to convey, please ask, because on several other posts, people misread or I miswrote (probably more of the latter) my posts. I’m sorry, but I’m just not a very good writer, never have been.

 

[CatholicCorno]

No, if you are just weighing options in order to make a decision, there is obviously no sin in that. In fact, wanting to yell at your friend but deciding to be charitable instead is a good thing.

The only exception would be purposely taking pleasure in evil thoughts (sexual, plotting someone’s death, etc.).

Thoughts are tricky. If I catch myself dwelling on something bad, I try to purge it from my brain and think of holy things instead.

Hope that helps.

 

[rarndt01]

No, I feel putting that thought into action is when it becomes willful sin. How many times have I gotten angry at my boss when I was working and wanted to punch his lights out or worse. When I was a young man, I was very virile sexually and wanted to make it with a lot of young attractive women. So I lusted quite a bit or should I call it sexual fantasies? Then there is telling a story with exaggeration to gain notice. How many of us have done that in the past? Or how many times have we got into traffic, while driving and some driver cuts in front of us or does something really rude and we hold up the finger we think expresses their age?

My goodness, if our thoughts became the total of our sins, then they would be innumerable. As we grow in the faith, we should TRY to fill our minds and our hearts with more pure thoughts and that ain’t easy. As one old friend joked with me about the world. He said, “How can you soar with eagles, when you have to walk among turkeys?” It ain’t easy folks.

 

[HumbleObedience]

I was told in the confessional that temptation is not sin. This was in reference to some sexual thoughts that I had been struggling with that week which were very graphic and I had to battle them with prayer. I think that sometimes we are assaulted by the enemy, Satan. My confessor told me that Satan does do that, but that temptation is not sin.