Will my job land me in hell?

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Lexee15

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I have a question, do we have to choose jobs that are morally good? What about people that work in the entertainment business that are sometimes vulgar, full of sexual innuendo, etc. What about actors and actresses that kiss their on-screen counterparts when one or both are married, or radio personalities that are vulgar at times, tell dirty jokes and promote not so moral behaviors? Are these people seen in a good light by the Lord? What happens to their souls…money, sex, alcohol, drugs, basically temptations they face all over the place…not to mention what they promote and endorse? Do they even have a chance at salvation when their work life is so immoral and there is no way they could live a holy life :eek: ? What if you’re profiting from their line of work…are you contributing to their immoral worklife and most often the lifestyle?
 
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Lexee15:
I have a question, do we have to choose jobs that are morally good? What about people that work in the entertainment business that are sometimes vulgar, full of sexual innuendo, etc. What about actors and actresses that kiss their on-screen counterparts when one or both are married, or radio personalities that are vulgar at times, tell dirty jokes and promote not so moral behaviors? Are these people seen in a good light by the Lord? What happens to their souls…money, sex, alcohol, drugs, basically temptations they face all over the place…not to mention what they promote and endorse? Do they even have a chance at salvation when their work life is so immoral and there is no way they could live a holy life :eek: ? What if you’re profiting from their line of work…are you contributing to their immoral worklife and most often the lifestyle?
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Howard Stern comes to mind here. There is no doubt that he sets degenerate behavior as an example to half the country. Will he land in hell? Thats Gods call so who can say.

I think Jobs are not excluded in Gods eyes when it comes to judgement. A sin is a sin is a sin. I cant invest in some porn company and consider it “just business”. Best bet is to ask a priest in person if you have issues with your job or investments.

-D
 
There is no need to have a job that leads people away from God. One is responsible for the sins one leads other into.

The fact that something is your source of income does not make it immune to the 10 commandments.
With that said, no one knows who will go to hell or not, who repented before death or not, who was fully aware of what wrong they were doing or not, so I can’t tell you where these people will end up. All I can say is there is no reason to work in anything that offends God.
 
We are not only called to avoid sin, but also the “near occasion of sin,” or instances where there are a lot of temptations and we might fall into sin.

When you’re around those who use vulgar language, it’s more tempting to do so yourself. When you’re exposed to lude and crude behavior on a daily basis, you become sort of immune to its harm.

If you’re working for someone or some company that you know is involved in immoral behavior, you are benefitting by other people’s sin in receiving money from that person or company.

While I know it is extremely challenging in today’s world, every effort should be made to work for or with someone who does not compromise your soul.
 
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Lexee15:
What if you’re profiting from their line of work…are you contributing to their immoral worklife and most often the lifestyle?
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I had a similar question concerning the lewd and blasphemous novels of Father Andrew Greeley and lewd plays shown at Catholic colleges.
 
We must also be careful in leading others inot sin. If my profession was one that could contribute to the moral decay of a culture or society or an individual by the very nature of what I do then it is probably a moral necessity to seek another profession. I am never in favor of leaving such things up to chance. When trying to live a moral life one must be proactive and it encircles all things that we do as all actions have a moral consequence.
 
Well, in my opinion it would depend by a decent portion as to what one’s position in the employment in question is, to promote such actions is against the teachings of the Catholic Church, but for the most part just ask your own moral sense, if you think so then I would advice the person in question to quit based on those reasons, if not you’ll have to deal with your moral conscience, I would leave the job personally, but then my moral code is most likely not the same as yours.
 
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Didi:
We are not only called to avoid sin, but also the “near occasion of sin,” or instances where there are a lot of temptations and we might fall into sin.
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Wow…In that case, I better not even leave the house.
 
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mhansen:
Wow…In that case, I better not even leave the house.
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Oh come on…I bet there are plenty of temptations in your house too…you’re just not looking hard enough.😃

Malia
 
Or you can fix your house! 😉 The point of avoiding the near occasion of sin is so that you can avoid sin with more ease.

Impurity in the media should be restricted. We can’t stop all the sin that goes on in it, but we can stop ourselves from participating in it. If this means no job, so be it.

However, I don’t think everything that is displayed in the media as a sin is actually a sin. I mean, “The Passion of the Christ” had a lot of violence in it, but with an extraordinary message, so I think it depends really on what the film makers (or whatever) are trying to do with their work. If they are trying to promote something immoral, take no part in it. But just because there is violence doesn’t mean this is the case.
 
What about those who work in the military industrial complex? What if I am contributing to the prosecution of a war? What *would *Jesus do? I heard a speaker once claim that the early Christians didn’t allow soldiers to join the church. I wonder what the right thing to do is.
 
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mschoir01:
What about those who work in the military industrial complex? What if I am contributing to the prosecution of a war? What *would *Jesus do? I heard a speaker once claim that the early Christians didn’t allow soldiers to join the church. I wonder what the right thing to do is.
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That is true about the early Church but that was reversed in about the year 120 AD so the right course of action is to work in the MIC. To act in or support a war is not sinnful and in fact there are times when being an objector is sinnful.
 
Back when I was at Brigham Young University, I remember asking my religion teacher to explain how it was all right for Marie Osmond to wear her salacious Bob Macke costumes, when they clearly violated the LDS Church’s dress code.

He mumbled something about it being required for her line of work. I mumbled back something about it being a “Good thing [she wasn’t] really a stripper.”

Went over REAL big!!😉
 
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mschoir01:
What about those who work in the military industrial complex? What if I am contributing to the prosecution of a war? What *would *Jesus do? I heard a speaker once claim that the early Christians didn’t allow soldiers to join the church. I wonder what the right thing to do is.
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I would think whether or not war is a sin depends on what you’re fighting for. I mean, something like the Taliban? That had to go. Military should always be acting in a way in which it will protect people. Sometimes this means fighting someone else.
 
Okay, here is another question…what if they do good things? What if they take their celebirty status and use it to help others? I am married to a very popular radio personality, I don’t always like what he talks about or the jokes that are told or how he talks to women…sometimes vulgar, but you have to have that mind already to understand or see the vulgar part. He has the ability to talk and make comments with a dual meaning. So you could be innocent and never get the dirty meaning…see what I mean? He is no where close to being a Howard Stern…I don’t think I would be able to handle that. But he uses the position he’s in to do good things for others; he’s raised thousands of dollars for transplant patients who don’t have resources, he does toy drives every Christmas and gathers toys for thousands of children who won’t have a present to open, he’s helped people find help for addictions, suicidal thoughts, depression, etc. People seek him out for help. I think this is the biggest reason I fell in love with him, because of his compassion for those less fortunate than he, because he’s willing to take the shirt off his back to cover someone who needs it more that he does. Unfortunately, he isn’t able to use his advice and help for himself which is why we are going through what we’re going through. So this goes back to “do the ends justify the means?” And am I contributing to the loss of his soul because my child and I are living off his salary…we live off what he does for a living, what he chose as a career?
 
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Lexee15:
Okay, here is another question…what if they do good things? What if they take their celebirty status and use it to help others? I am married to a very popular radio personality, I don’t always like what he talks about or the jokes that are told or how he talks to women…sometimes vulgar, but you have to have that mind already to understand or see the vulgar part. He has the ability to talk and make comments with a dual meaning. So you could be innocent and never get the dirty meaning…see what I mean? He is no where close to being a Howard Stern…I don’t think I would be able to handle that. But he uses the position he’s in to do good things for others; he’s raised thousands of dollars for transplant patients who don’t have resources, he does toy drives every Christmas and gathers toys for thousands of children who won’t have a present to open, he’s helped people find help for addictions, suicidal thoughts, depression, etc. People seek him out for help. I think this is the biggest reason I fell in love with him, because of his compassion for those less fortunate than he, because he’s willing to take the shirt off his back to cover someone who needs it more that he does. Unfortunately, he isn’t able to use his advice and help for himself which is why we are going through what we’re going through. So this goes back to “do the ends justify the means?” And am I contributing to the loss of his soul because my child and I are living off his salary…we live off what he does for a living, what he chose as a career?
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It is evident that this issue is causing more than just a little problem to you in your marriage and something must be done to address it. I strongly suggest that you find a priest or other counselor with strong Catholic moral values who can help your husband understand that sin cannot be justified by good ends. Your husband obviously has talent in his field should be able to change his demeanor in his current job or find another job that allows him to use his skills to lead the people in his audience toward God instead of away from God. He must be reminded of Matt 13:41 *“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.” *

I know this will be difficult for both of you, but Jesus told us his way would be hard. Fortunately he gave us the power of prayer to help us through our difficult times. So pray constantly that the Lord may help you through this trial and do what you know in your heart is right.
 
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Lexee15:
. So this goes back to “do the ends justify the means?” And am I contributing to the loss of his soul because my child and I are living off his salary…we live off what he does for a living, what he chose as a career?
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I was always taught that the ends never justify the means. You have to do what is right regardless of the consequences.
 
Jimmy Akin covered this in a blog post that might be of a lot of help to you. The original question that he answered had to do with cashiers “selling bad stuff”, but he goes into the moral theology of cooperation with evil and the circumstances that affect culpability. Here, I hope it helps:
Selling Bad Stuff
 
if your job consists of or includes activities which encourage, enable or promote sinful actions on the part of others, or which themselves are objectively sinful, yes you are in very grave danger of hell, since urging and abetting others in comitting sin is itself a mortal sin. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world if he loses his immortal soul? Push carts at walmart or flip burgers if you have to, but change jobs.
 
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