When does lying become a mortal sin?

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una_fides

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I’m curious when lying becomes a mortal sin and when it is venial and perhaps opening up the discussion for some examples. The Catechism is a little vague on the subject: see 2483-2487. If lying is an intrinsic evil, then if one lies knowingly and willfully over a matter that is not slight then wouldn’t that constitute a grave sin by doing grave injury to justice and charity since we have an obligation to be truthful?

Also when would someone have an obligation to tell the other that he has lied or perhaps violated a promise? Like is someone promises to do or not do something, would he or she always have an obligation to tell the other person as long as it would not do more harm than good?
 
For example --under oath in court…or gravely offending justice or charity…

As to correcting the matter --the person can discuss with ones confessor …
 
una_fides said:
I’m curious when lying becomes a mortal sin and when it is venial and perhaps opening up the discussion for some examples. The Catechism is a little vague on the subject: see 2483-2487. If lying is an intrinsic evil, then if one lies knowingly and willfully over a matter that is not slight then wouldn’t that constitute a grave sin by doing grave injury to justice and charity since we have an obligation to be truthful?

Also when would someone have an obligation to tell the other that he has lied or perhaps violated a promise? Like is someone promises to do or not do something, would he or she always have an obligation to tell the other person as long as it would not do more harm than good?
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Lying is an intrinsic evil, but as with all evils it exists in degrees of gravity. I would say that lying about whether one had stolen a candy bar from the store, while still bad, would not be quite as grave as, say, lying about the fact that you’re hiding a mass murderer in your closet or lying about committing treason. You also have to consider the level of culpability that could be present given the other conditions for a mortal sin–free consent of the will, which a pathological liar would likely lack in a lot of circumstances, and full knowledge of the gravity of the action, which might also be lacking depending upon the age and circumstances of the one performing the action. Being as we humans are fairly complicated beings, ethics is rarely a simple matter, and we have to take into account all the factors that could figure in. This doesn’t mean we can simply absolve anyone of any and all guilt incurred for a sin, but we must also acknowledge that sin and guilt occur in degrees.

-ACEGC
 
you can skirt around a topic without telling a lie. We do not have to tell everything we know if someone is just being nosy.

Other times if we do this we are liars and steal the truth from the questioner…like friends, family or spouse. It injures our relationship with God, and neighbor, so honesty is best. This separates us as in knowing what we are doing is wrong and covering our tracks.

Sometimes the question asked isn’t the true question (sounds mystical and kung fu). So finding out the real answer would be better than answering the question asked.
 
edward_george said:
Lying is an intrinsic evil, but as with all evils it exists in degrees of gravity. I would say that lying about whether one had stolen a candy bar from the store, while still bad, would not be quite as grave as, say, lying about the fact that you’re hiding a mass murderer in your closet or lying about committing treason. You also have to consider the level of culpability that could be present given the other conditions for a mortal sin–free consent of the will, which a pathological liar would likely lack in a lot of circumstances, and full knowledge of the gravity of the action, which might also be lacking depending upon the age and circumstances of the one performing the action. Being as we humans are fairly complicated beings, ethics is rarely a simple matter, and we have to take into account all the factors that could figure in. This doesn’t mean we can simply absolve anyone of any and all guilt incurred for a sin, but we must also acknowledge that sin and guilt occur in degrees.

-ACEGC
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very interesting your first example…covering up stealing…one lie leads to another one. Stealing is breaking a commandment and thus you are already separated by your actions. That’s pretty grave even though it seems simple…easy to fix though.
 
mamaslo said:
very interesting your first example…covering up stealing…one lie leads to another one. Stealing is breaking a commandment and thus you are already separated by your actions. That’s pretty grave even though it seems simple…easy to fix though.
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Stealing is breaking a commandment, but shoplifting a candy bar would be far less grave of a matter than stealing a dying beggar’s loaf of bread.

-ACEGC
 
edward_george said:
Lying is an intrinsic evil, but as with all evils it exists in degrees of gravity. I would say that lying about whether one had stolen a candy bar from the store, while still bad, would not be quite as grave as, say, lying about the fact that you’re hiding a mass murderer in your closet or lying about committing treason. You also have to consider the level of culpability that could be present given the other conditions for a mortal sin–free consent of the will, which a pathological liar would likely lack in a lot of circumstances, and full knowledge of the gravity of the action, which might also be lacking depending upon the age and circumstances of the one performing the action. Being as we humans are fairly complicated beings, ethics is rarely a simple matter, and we have to take into account all the factors that could figure in. This doesn’t mean we can simply absolve anyone of any and all guilt incurred for a sin, but we must also acknowledge that sin and guilt occur in degrees.

-ACEGC
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I was just wondering, if my wife went out of her way to cook me a gourmet meal and she asked me point blank if I liked it, would it be a mortal sin to say I loved it, even if I didn’t?Sometimes I wonder if these kind of white lies that are intended to keep the peace and not hurt peoples feelings are even sins at all.
 
I’ve looked through several examinations of conscience and found quite a few that fall under mortal - lying in order to gain from anothers serious loss, lying to defraud another of something valuable, lying about the quality of something you sold or exchanged to someone else by which they have been gravely cheated, lying about important matters to which you had to swear in drawing up a statement or answering a questionnaire, e.g., pertaining to insurance, position, taxes, etc.,
basically, if the lie seriously hurts, cheats, or robs someone(in one way or another), then it is grave,
calumny also falls under mortal sin, it is a false and malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone,

but other than that, just ask your priest, he will let you know if a particular lie is mortal or venial(and whether mortal or venial, all lies must be avoided), and whether or not you should tell the person…but ordinarily you would not have to reveal the lie to the person you lied to, not unless it was a serious or injurious lie and telling the truth would set things right, for example, if you said something to someone that ruined anothers reputation, that must be repaired as much as possible…but it’s all very circumstantial, and so you really must talk to your priest about it.
 
kalel76 said:
I was just wondering, if my wife went out of her way to cook me a gourmet meal and she asked me point blank if I liked it, would it be a mortal sin to say I loved it, even if I didn’t?Sometimes I wonder if these kind of white lies that are intended to keep the peace and not hurt peoples feelings are even sins at all.
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definitely not mortal, but whether or not it’s venial i don’t know…i guess perhaps you could think of it this way - saying you love it doesn’t necessarily have to refer to the taste, you can say you love it and mean that you love it for what trouble and hard work she put into it for you…unless she specifically asks about the taste, then i don’t know…but that’s a tough one 😑
 
I tend to believe ANY sin can become mortal. I believe that when a sin becomes so habitual that you become “stuck in a rut” of sinning that way over and over again, it becomes a mortal sin. Lying to your spouse once wouldn’t be a mortal sin. If it became something you did on a daily basis, it might become mortal. It’s like a “mortal” or deadly illness. Usually it doesn’t kill you right away. Usually it works slowly, and often you don’t realize it is a problem until it is too late. If you believe it is a problem, ask God to forgive you and ask for help in overcoming it. God convicts us so we can repent and be forgiven. He also wants us to become more righteous, in other words, less weighed down by guilt and sin. So I am sure He would help you work through this if you asked for help.
 
basically, if the lie seriously hurts, cheats, or robs someone(in one way or another), then it is grave,
calumny also falls under mortal sin, it is a false and malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone,
.
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Yeah I also agree that if lying falls under the category of gossip or slander it is dangerous. So if a lie falls under that category and is intended to be malicious it can definetely lead to mortal sin.
 
Catechism:

2484 The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims. If a lie in itself only constitutes a venial sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity.
 
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