Watching Youtube sinful?

[GuitarPlayer]

I watch a lot of music clips and guitar lessons on youtube, and today my conscience was bothering me about this because I had to go to confession and felt as though i needed to confess it. Most of these songs are copyrighted, which in essence means every time a watch one, i commit a sin of theft.

Now in order to have a valid confession, one must resolve never to commit that sin again. So, i’m thinking basically.have to quit youtube

Other sins are involved: idleness (i can spend 5 hours there at times, time which could be spent praying, spreading the gospel, volunteering), also greed, and potentially lust.

What do you guys think about whether its sinful to watch copyrighted material on Youtube?

 

[Ghosty]

Copyrighted songs can be played by others, so long as they’re not attempting to make money off of them. You watching someone play a third-person’s song is hardly theft.

Peace and God bless!

 

[GuitarPlayer]

Its actually against the law to view copyrighted material on youtube that was not uploaded by someone who had the legal right to do so. . Therefore to view such material is a sin of theft.

 

[JackVk]

If what you are saying is true, then it then it would be illegal to record a TV show on DVR, or to hear a song on the radio because you are hearing it for free. Even on youtube, some people write in the description that they do not claim ownership of the material.

You are not sinning. It’s fine.

 

[runningdude]

The guitar lessons are likely covered under fair use, because they are instructional, and thus not materially sinful.

Also many, many music videos are in fact authorized by the musicians/publishers, especially the “Vevo” section of Youtube, so absolutely no sin possible if you stuck to those.

I admittedly don’t necessarily stick to strictly those because it is so hard to tell whats authorized or not, but I mostly only visit songs I’m studying or considering buying and wish to preview. Not defending, but not trying to sound hypocritical either.

 

[thistle]

Its actually against the law to view copyrighted material on youtube that was not uploaded by someone who had the legal right to do so. . Therefore to view such material is a sin of theft.

How do you know that what you are watching has not been permitted to be shown.
What is shown should be assumed to be legal unless you are specifically told it is not.
It would be silly to have your starting position as assuming everything shown is illegal.

 

[beth40n2]

There is a lot of good stuff on utube. There even papal events you want watch on utube. Like anything you need to use discrestion as to what to watch.