What makes a sin a sin?

[JimR-OCDS]

Please review the definitions of “knowledge” at dictionary.com. None to the definitions equate knowledge with understanding. You can know things without understanding them. Understanding is not required for full knowledge.

In the literal definition, but not in the truer meaning.

I can try to explain to a blind man about the difference between red and blue, but he will never have full knowledge of it. I can explain what chocolate taste like, but until you taste chocolate, you will not have full knowledge about chocolate.

On the other hand, I can tell you that murder is wrong, without your having to experience it, because it’s an easy enough concept to understand.

I can tell you something is a sin, but if an issue that is not so clearly understandable, as contraception, masturbation, are, full knowledge probably doesn’t exist.

Jim

 

[davidv]

In the literal definition, but not in the truer meaning.

I don’t understand. What can be truer than the literal meaning?

I can try to explain to a blind man about the difference between red and blue, but he will never have full knowledge of it.

Whether he can experience it or not, he now has the knowledge that they are different and he can act on that knowledge accordingly.

On the other hand, I can tell you that murder is wrong, without your having to experience it, because it’s an easy enough concept to understand.

Why is this a different case? Based on the number of murders occuring in the world it is clear to me that the evil of murder is not well understood. But you claim that there is full knowledge in this case.

I can tell you something is a sin, but if an issue that is not so clearly understandable, as contraception, masturbation, are, full knowledge probably doesn’t exist.

I submit that if you “know” something is a sin and believe Jesus when he tells us to be perfect, we will not sin, whether we understand it or not.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

davidv

I don’t understand. What can be truer than the literal meaning?

Literal interpretation doesn’t equate to full knowledge.
Using the literal difenition, the fundamentalist have full knowledge of what they take literally out of the Bible.

I submit that if you “know” something is a sin and believe Jesus when he tells us to be perfect, we will not sin, whether we understand it or not.

For a sin to be mortal, three conditions have to be met, and one of those three is "full knowledge.’

CCC
1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with **full knowledge **and deliberate consent.”

So again, just telling a person that something is a sin, doesn’t mean they’ve committed mortal sin, especially if they learned of it after the fact.

Jim

 

[Dwyer]

I understand the question about “full” knowledge is important, but I always see people who disagree with the Church’s teaching try and wiggle their way out of it by getting into these elaborate semantic discussions and parsing every word of the CCC with every possible angular and minimalistic interpretation they can wring from its words till it borders on the ridiculous.

Y’all know what the Church teaches on this topic. It’s that easy. If not, read *Humanae Vitae *(Pope Paul VI’s encyclical on Human Life which covers contraception). If you don’t understand the teaching on contraception, you need to read Humanae Vitae (it’s only 8-10 pages long; go to EWTN.com’s archive library to download a copy).

When you read it, your conscience will be sharper. You’ll have a more informed conscience. You’ll have read the **Catholic Answer **and the **Catholic Truth **on the subject. Right now, you just your own uninformed conscience to rely upon. I didn’t see much of a theological argument from those opposing the Teaching of Christ except “I just disagree with it” or “it would interrupt the mood of the moment.”

We live in a contraceptive culture in the USA. Use your Reason also: Contraception leads to leads to abortion (the failsafe), and Contraception leads to homosexual marriage (if marriage isn’t for a procreative purpose, then a man can marry a man). Read Humanae Vitae, and learn the Catholic Answer and Catholic Truth. Y’all can read. Read that.