What is the youngest a person can be and commit a mortal sin?

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If you do a search on the Internet, in old news articles you can find for example, a news story about a seven year old who shot and killed his entire family.

This shows how the moral and spiritual life really is with us from the very beginning. Holiness and lack thereof.
 
Shin said:
If you do a search on the Internet, in old news articles you can find for example, a news story about a seven year old who shot and killed his entire family.

This shows how the moral and spiritual life really is with us from the very beginning. Holiness and lack thereof.
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I doubt any kid killing his entire family at 7 can completely understand the ramifications of his actions. That being said, it’s still a sin. AFAIK God didn’t set an age limit on sinning.
 
A person need not be 18 to be able to commit a mortal sin. Such is quite clear…
 
Shin said:
If you read about the time of the Antichrist, Antichrist is to be perfectly possessed by the devil from birth. So too, one of the more horrible predictions that gives me a shudder, which Fr. Hunolt relates, is that demonic activity will be so prevalent and powerful that infants will testify that Antichrist is God, and that Jesus Christ is false.
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Such of course is not any teaching of the Church…but rather someones speculation…
 
To sum up

As to the capacity to commit a mortal sin…one need not of course the wits of a 20 year old…a child can commit a mortal sin (though this does not mean they do this ordinarily…or that even many do…capacity does not = actualization )…as can a 14 year old. They have the moral capacity after the age of reason.

Though I imagine and would conjecture most sins are likely to be venial in that first confession.

As well as the capacity to great things even…

Such has been the case and still is.
 
Bookcat said:
It has been reviewed and given the official nihil obstat and imprimatur that it is free from doctrinal error.
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LOTS of things have been given a Nihil Obstat that do not necessarily reflect the true opinion of the Catholic Church. Just because there is a guide for a 13 year old to confess mortal sins doesn’t mean the Church believes there to be children in hell or that children are capable of going there.
 
Shin said:
If you do a search on the Internet, in old news articles you can find for example, a news story about a seven year old who shot and killed his entire family.

This shows how the moral and spiritual life really is with us from the very beginning. Holiness and lack thereof.
Click to expand...
Yes, a kid can do evil, no doubt about it. A kid cannot however, understand it. A 7 year old who kills his family has no idea what that means or the consequences that will ensue as a result.
 
Bookcat said:
To sum up

As to the capacity to commit a mortal sin…one need not of course the wits of a 20 year old…a child can commit a mortal sin (though this does not mean they do this ordinarily…or that even many do…capacity does not = actualization )…as can a 14 year old. They have the moral capacity after the age of reason.

Though I imagine and would conjecture most sins are likely to be venial in that first confession.

As well as the capacity to great things even…

Such has been the case and still is.
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Disagree.
 
Thoughtfulone said:
Yes, a kid can do evil, no doubt about it. A kid cannot however, understand it. A 7 year old who kills his family has no idea what that means or the consequences that will ensue as a result.
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You mean a child can’t understand that when someone is dead, that person is gone from this earth forever? Even after, say, a family pet dies? Or say one parent dies, naturally?

And that it would be wrong to do this to a parent?

… Are you serious?
 
I’m sorry, but you people are sick, believing that a merciful God would send a child, who can only possibly know what his parents have taught him and nothing else, to hell. Tell me how on EARTH a child of 7 is supposed to be able to know anything about the world, anything at all about how it works, about life and death, about mortality, about eternity, let alone comprehend any of it. They still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, FFS. Why? Because they believe anything you tell them without understanding any of it. Really? Jesus is a cracker? O.K. Wine is blood? O.K. The tooth fairy takes teeth and brings money? O.K. “I just learned to add single-digit numbers, but I want to be with Satan for all eternity and I am fully capable of making that choice.” This is unbelievable. Look at yourselves for crying out loud. Listen to what Jesus said about little children instead of some B.S. arbitrary “age of reason”.
 
Shin said:
You mean a child can’t understand that when someone is dead, that person is gone from this earth forever? Even after, say, a family pet dies? Or say one parent dies, naturally?

And that it would be wrong to do this to a parent?

… Are you serious?
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Yes. They don’t understand it. They CAN’T. “Grandpa’s dead. You’ll never see him again” “Why?” “Because God decides who lives and dies”. “Why?” “Because He made us and he can decide when we die.” “Why?” “Because that’s the way it is.” “Why?” And on and on and on. Death and eternity are difficult for adults to understand. Children have no idea and no concept of permanence. Have you ever had kids? Do you know how long it takes them to stop asking where the dead family pet is? MONTHS. Pretty much until they forget about it.
 
Thoughtfulone said:
I’m sorry, but you people are sick, believing that a merciful God would send a child, who can only possibly know what his parents have taught him and nothing else, to hell. Tell me how on EARTH a child of 7 is supposed to be able to know anything about the world, anything at all about how it works, about life and death, about mortality, about eternity, let alone comprehend any of it. They still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, FFS. Why? Because they believe anything you tell them without understanding any of it. Really? Jesus is a cracker? O.K. Wine is blood? O.K. The tooth fairy takes teeth and brings money? O.K. “I just learned to add single-digit numbers, but I want to be with Satan for all eternity and I am fully capable of making that choice.” This is unbelievable. Look at yourselves for crying out loud. Listen to what Jesus said about little children instead of some B.S. arbitrary “age of reason”.
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Why do you stoop to name calling. God’s mercy does not prevent sin. It only absolves us of its eternal effects if we repent.

If a child of 7 does not understand the basics of right and wrong, they are mentally impaired or the parents have failed miserably in raising them up in the practice of the faith. And before you claim I don’t know what I am talking about, my wife and I have raised 6 children - the youngest are now 22.
 
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