Unsure what's a sin-confession related

  • Thread starter Thread starter krackatoa
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
K

krackatoa

Guest
I enjoy a computer game that is filled with the subject of sorcery. I’ve looked online and the community is very divided on this issue. There is even a recent thread about the game I play, Skyrim, in which many Catholics are playing and enjoying guilt free.

However, the priest I most respect told me (while in confession) not to play it because I am easily susceptible to dark influences and should take no chances. I did what he said for two months, and didn’t even miss it, as I was enjoying other things. Then, I started to miss it a lot. So, I prayed long and hard before I played the game and was vigilant to play a good character and to notice if my mood or behavior started to get weird. I was fine and happy. Still, I felt guilt. I disobeyed my favorite priest. I trust him a great deal in most things, but he is so conservative, he doesn’t even approve of Halloween costumes.

Still, I had a lot of guilt over the disobedience and to that he was possibly right, so I went to confession recently but I was hoping to get another priest who would tell me to learn how to trust myself and be cautious and play in small doses. The only priest there was the one who told me not to play the game. Instead of leaving, I asked if I could do what I just described, being careful. He just said, No, absolutely no. At the same time, he stresses to me constantly I should be trusting myself more.

Father did say that I should look for a similar game I like as much, but I’m bored with most games, as I’ve played Sims and Civ to death, for instance. I like role playing sorcery games a lot. What substitute could there be? I’ve played the game now for 5 nights and I am happy and fine. I pray some really long prayers from the Padre Pio Deliverance Counseling Center twice a day. They help hugely. I go to confession often. It is possible to play an extremely evil character in Skyrim if you want to, definitely. But, I will play a good character.

I have a good friend who said what the priest told me is an opinion and I am not sinning but learning how to trust God and myself a little more. There is nothing in the catechism I can find about avoiding this sort of thing, but I know Father was thinking in particular of me and my situation. Thoughts?
 
If this priest knows you fairly well, and knows your sins, both previous and current, I would respect his opinion. He is looking out for your soul. Maybe this is something you have struggled with in the past. He wouldn’t just condemn the games for no reason. He said you are easily susceptible to dark influences. That sounds like something you want to avoid. OK, so he’s conservative, wouldn’t you rather not take that sort of chance? Is it worth it for a video game?
 
TheRealJuliane said:
If this priest knows you fairly well, and knows your sins, both previous and current, I would respect his opinion. He is looking out for your soul. Maybe this is something you have struggled with in the past. He wouldn’t just condemn the games for no reason. He said you are easily susceptible to dark influences. That sounds like something you want to avoid. OK, so he’s conservative, wouldn’t you rather not take that sort of chance? Is it worth it for a video game?
Click to expand...
👍👍
 
None of us here know your situation, and it’s not really appropriate to go into specifics with us. Additionally, you mentioned that this is your regular confessor, who seems to know you pretty well. I seriously doubt he’d say to avoid these sorts of games if there was no need for concern with your reaction to them. Even if he’s conservative, it doesn’t mean that his judgment is inaccurate. A lot of young people are very impressionable, and studies have demonstrated that the nerve pathways that do such things as control conscience and judgment aren’t completely formed until a person is in their mid twenties. Behavior has its basis in thought, and repeating thoughts start to ingrain habits, influence behavior, and damage character. Knowing that, you might want to ask yourself why you would want to role-play an evil role? In other words, what are you “practicing” for by role-playing an evil role? Certainly, there are more constructive things you could be involved in!

Technically speaking, by continuing to play this game after you were instructed not to is disobedience.
 
I’m confused about the part of her question that asks whether disobeying a priest is a sin. On the one hand, honor your father and mother (priest=spiritual father) and on the other hand, sometimes priests have very different opinions about what is sin. Which circumstance is this one? Did the priest give an order or an opinion?
 
wantingpeace said:
I’m confused about the part of her question that asks whether disobeying a priest is a sin. On the one hand, honor your father and mother (priest=spiritual father) and on the other hand, sometimes priests have very different opinions about what is sin. Which circumstance is this one? Did the priest give an order or an opinion?
Click to expand...
It is neither an “order” nor “opinion” - it is “Guidance”.

The key factor in this is the fact that this priest is the OP’s regular confessor. that means the priest knows this person pretty well. The OP gives has said that they like and trust this priest. So why does he/she not trust the priest on this point?

Two things come to mind in this matter that I wonder about…

What is the age and spiritual maturity level of the OP? Are they spiritually mature enough to understand the dangers? Their confessor - their regular confessor evidently does not think so and this is an important point.

We should be careful about how we view sin - which is not exclusively a “list” of do’s and don’ts. Sure we have the ten commandments and the seven deadly sins and so forth, but the Greek for sin also means “error” and “being on the wrong path”…and things that we might think of as “narrow occasion of sin”.
So - if the penitent ignores the priest’s instructions in confession have they sinned???
Well - maybe or maybe not in a “formal” sense of disobedience…but are they on the right track?? Or are they in a “near occasion of sin” situation.

Frankly, the situation as described in the OP sounds like a “sliding back into” a bad habit. The beginning steps seem quite innocent, but later…and later…and later…things get incrementally worse.
I have to go with the priest on this one…It’s better to stay away from this game altogether.

I agree with the poster who asks - Is it worth endangering your spiritual growth for a video game???

Peace
James
 
How clear does this have to be? A respected, wise priest who understands your particular spiritual needs and weaknesses tells you not to play the game. You obey and you’re fine. Then you’re tempted and you submit to sin. Now as a result you’re confused and have some friend (not your trusted priest) casting aspersions on the priest’s authority to give you spiritual direction. Get real, get over it and stop playing this silly game. Is it your life, for Pete’s sake? Take up Chess or something. I don’t want to get a reply full of lame excuses either, young fellow. I say this out of concern for you, genuine alarm. Don’t mess with sorcery, even without the priest, any educated Catholic in these matters would tell you you are always safer avoiding things of that nature, particularly when they appear “just a harmless game.”
 
Ancient1 said:
How clear does this have to be? A respected, wise priest who understands your particular spiritual needs and weaknesses tells you not to play the game. You obey and you’re fine. Then you’re tempted and you submit to sin. Now as a result you’re confused and have some friend (not your trusted priest) casting aspersions on the priest’s authority to give you spiritual direction. Get real, get over it and stop playing this silly game. Is it your life, for Pete’s sake? Take up Chess or something. I don’t want to get a reply full of lame excuses either, young fellow. I say this out of concern for you, genuine alarm. Don’t mess with sorcery, even without the priest, any educated Catholic in these matters would tell you you are always safer avoiding things of that nature, particularly when they appear “just a harmless game.”
Click to expand...
Now that’s cuttin’ through the proverbial…uummm…undergrowth…

Great Post and very wise indeed…👍

Peace
James
 
I am always leery of priest shopping for confession. To think - oh no the priest is the one I don’t want - is a bad road to go down. We should address our weaknesses with humility. If you don’t like him because his medicine does not taste good - tough take it, you deserve it and it will help make you better. I find the priest I really do not want on a particular day, tend to be the best ones - the one I really needed.
 
hilde_the_dog said:
I am always leery of priest shopping for confession. To think - oh no the priest is the one I don’t want - is a bad road to go down. We should address our weaknesses with humility. If you don’t like him because his medicine does not taste good - tough take it, you deserve it and it will help make you better. I find the priest I really do not want on a particular day, tend to be the best ones - the one I really needed.
Click to expand...
I agree with this completely…“Priest shopping” for this reason is not good.

That said, I can see “priest shopping” for reasons of “connection”. It’s always good to have a priest that you connect with well - assuming of course that he is also orthodox in his beliefs and advice.

Peace
James
 
If the priest knows enough about you to suggest this then go back to the priest in confession and share your struggle there. He is listening to you.

I think that you are finding you are only interested in this game because someone in authority has told you not to play it. He has only told you - to literally help you. Not to ban you for unknown reason. But to help you with mental health.

Please go back to the priest and share your struggle and that way he can help you more. It is the case the harder you try not to do something that harder it becomes not to do it. Like any habit or obsession. Go to him and be honest. Hopefully he is listening to you enough to help you through and in a year time you will wonder what you see in this game and you will have gained more insight of how to manage your own darker side of life. Priests are very good guides if we can learn to trust them.

Though I do feel for you who bans halloween etc. We had a priest once that totally banned all of that. Sadly he said so outloud. We never had a halloween party in the parish but when he banned it people wanted one didn’t they. Though it never actually happend but it didn’t stop them from wanting… but is it just a little bit of fun or is it tempting evil and tempting people to turn away from God thinking that sin is attractive and soon they’re are out of their depth… Popular fiction, tv programmes halloween, are they all a bit of fun or are they enticement into sin in which case is that fun or right?
 
Thanks, everyone. As for the spiritual maturity question, this is very embarrassing but I have a developmental disability and part of that is I may never really mature emotionally, although I do make progress. So, I’m not as young as you think. Because I am older, I often don’t like to be treated as if I’m younger, although I am, deep inside. Anyway, it’s a shame but all of you are right and I am wrong. The guilt was growing and growing and beginning to kill me anyway, so the part of me that knew the truth has finally triumphed, with your help. Sucks. lol.
 
…and please go and talk to the priest when you are struggling. you do not have to struggle alone.

Spiritual maturity? What is that by the way?
Oh, I know what people say but that is each other trying to descrbe where we are at. People want to put us in boxes and be able to define us. Work out something about us. A Christian who has been going to church 40 years may be no more ‘maturer’ as you put it to a Christian only been going for 1 week. Because in reality there is no such measurement. There is no such measurement because God doesn’t see us like that. He don’t judge us like that. God loves us.

It has nothing to do with age, number of years in church, or where you are at with mental health, personal development IQ etc. God simply loves you.
 
krackatoa said:
Thanks, everyone. As for the spiritual maturity question, this is very embarrassing but I have a developmental disability and part of that is I may never really mature emotionally, although I do make progress. So, I’m not as young as you think. Because I am older, I often don’t like to be treated as if I’m younger, although I am, deep inside. Anyway, it’s a shame but all of you are right and I am wrong. The guilt was growing and growing and beginning to kill me anyway, so the part of me that knew the truth has finally triumphed, with your help. Sucks. lol.
Click to expand...
Please do not be embarrassed. Spiritual maturity is generally not tied to physical or emotional maturity. Many Many people who would be considered physically and emotionally mature remain spiritual infants most of their lives - - myself included.

I can understand the dilemma for you when people - often with the best of intentions - tend to overprotect or otherwise treat “like a kid”, as it were.

It’s good to hear that the (name removed by moderator)ut you have received here has been helpful.
May God continue to work in and through you and guide you on your journey.

Peace
James
 
Thanks very much for responding, James. What you’ve said makes much sense. Before I became Catholic, In my RCIA class, we learned that the goal of the Catholic Church is to help each member gain a “mature relationship with Jesus Christ.” So, I wanted to know, what does that look like? Our class that night was amazing because I was able to visualize the kind of life and person God desired me to grow into.

You’re right that spiritual maturity may have nothing at all to do with emotional maturity. In fact, someone pointed out to me recently that the majority of saints are very childlike. Makes sense, since we are to come to him as little children. But that’s just half the story 🙂 We come to him as children so he can nourish us and teach us and then we can go out to offer the world more and more selfless love.

Yes, I get insanely ashamed about getting preoccupied with stuff no one half my age would obsess over. The fact that I act like a huge big baby over wanting my way it is even more humiliating. But, perhaps this is all good if I keep learning and maturing from it. Then, I can remember there is so much more to who I am and what I can offer than my getting fixated on some infantile obsession. So when I can finally get a grip, the best of me can come out. I think that’s the point behind why I’ve been going through this whole ordeal.

I appreciate your kindness and understanding.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top