Would it be a mortal sin to help someone illegally download music?

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I don’t see anywhere in the Bible or in Catholic tradition where a distinction is made between stealing “a little bit” and stealing “a lot”. Whether the value of the item you steal is $5 or $50 or $5000 is immaterial. If you make a conscious decision to steal despite knowing that it is wrong, it would constitute a mortal sin.

But check with your priest - he is in a much better position to guide you on matters of conscience such as this.

Good luck in making your decisions.

Peace,

Sue
 
Now I personally never illegally downloaded music, but I’ve helped my cousin to with Torrent and I use some of my bro-in-law’s music that he got from there. Now, for someone like me or like my bro, I wouldn’t spend the money on music anyways, not even if I got a gift card for it(I’d just give it aways or try and exchange it for cash). Also if I download the music, it’s still available to everyone else, and I guess wouldn’t hurt anybody but the artist by not paying for something I wasn’t ever gonna pay for anyways (which I guess I should, but like I said, if I couldn’t download the music, I wouldn’t have it anyways). So pretty much, if there was no illegal downloads for music, than i wouldn’t have music. What do you think of this?:confused:
 
PrayHarder said:
From my point of view, emptying someone’s bank account or stealing their retirement money constitutes a “grave matter.” However, I don’t think something akin to shoplifting is a grave matter. Is it a sin? Yes, of course. Can someone who is more educated in the catechism answer this, “Is breaking any of the 10 Commandments an automatic mortal sin regardless of the severity?”
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What an excellent question for Ask An Apologist! Please post it there!

Betsy
 
It’s highly questionable as to whether stealing music by downloading, is “grave” matter as to make it a mortal sin, so I would say it is most probably a venial sin. As a matter of principle all sin should be avoided.

We should not steal no matter how big or how small the value.
 
I agree with wcknight and PrayHarder; it is a venial sin. A priest once told me that it depends on how much it hurts the victim. Meaning that it would be grave matter to steal a small amount from a person who only had a small amount, and it would be venial to steal the same amount from a person who had much more.
Fludgecow101 said:
… So pretty much, if there was no illegal downloads for music, than i wouldn’t have music. What do you think of this?:confused:
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Methinks it is irrelevant. It does not matter how much it inconveniences you to obey God, you must still obey.
 
I’m sorry, but the “how much it hurts the victim” yardstick is not enough – otherwise masturbation would not be mortally sinful. No, sin hurts the sinner, too.

Something else that’s not being addressed is that the government has, in its God-given authority, chosen to regulate the digital transfer of music by granting rights to the owners/writers/producers thereof. Whether it is theft to download music is not the point – that you have no legal right to do so is.

Catholics are obliged to obey just authority – even when it’s kind of silly (like this).

Peace,
Dante
 
Feste_1242 said:
I agree with wcknight and PrayHarder; it is a venial sin. A priest once told me that it depends on how much it hurts the victim. Meaning that it would be grave matter to steal a small amount from a person who only had a small amount, and it would be venial to steal the same amount from a person who had much more.
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A sin is a sin, either venial or mortal, independent of any subsequent actions on the part of others. Suppose the artist produced on one song and was supporting his family on the royalities from that song, downloading one copy of that song would have very little impact but suppose EVERYBODY downloaded copies of that song so that he was no longer receiving any royalities. In such a case, EVERYTHING would have been taken from him and that would be a mortal sin – to take somebody’s means of supporting themselves and their family away from them.

Now the question becomes: who’s mortal sin was it? Using your definition, downloading one copy would be a venial sin because it would have a small impact but all of those small impacts put together would produce a great impact.
 
To my way of thinking, and in my experience, each time we sin “a little bit”, it becomes easier to sin along the same lines, but “just a little bit more” next time. If I keep the extra quarter the cashier gives me in change at the grocery store, it becomes easier to take a dollar off of my husband’s nightstand, and then it becomes easier to lift a $10 bill from my friend’s purse, and after that, it’s easier to kite a check… and on and on.

In my opinion, don’t play with fire. If you know it’s wrong - and you do, or you wouldn’t have started this thread - why take the chance of starting down a slippery slope into sins that are increasingly serious?
 
NCSue said:
To my way of thinking, and in my experience, each time we sin “a little bit”, it becomes easier to sin along the same lines, but “just a little bit more” next time. If I keep the extra quarter the cashier gives me in change at the grocery store, it becomes easier to take a dollar off of my husband’s nightstand, and then it becomes easier to lift a $10 bill from my friend’s purse, and after that, it’s easier to kite a check… and on and on.

In my opinion, don’t play with fire. If you know it’s wrong - and you do, or you wouldn’t have started this thread - why take the chance of starting down a slippery slope into sins that are increasingly serious?
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I totally agree. There is a slippery slope when it comes to sin and we would do well to avoid it. 🙂
 
DanteAlighieri said:
I’m sorry, but the “how much it hurts the victim” yardstick is not enough – otherwise masturbation would not be mortally sinful. No, sin hurts the sinner, too.

Something else that’s not being addressed is that the government has, in its God-given authority, chosen to regulate the digital transfer of music by granting rights to the owners/writers/producers thereof. Whether it is theft to download music is not the point – that you have no legal right to do so is.

Catholics are obliged to obey just authority – even when it’s kind of silly (like this).

Peace,
Dante
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You and I do not disagree. The “test” is obviously not applicable to all sins, but I think it is appropriate in this case. Do you not agree that it is worse to take everything a person has, than to take a small percentage of it?
Sir_Knight said:
A sin is a sin, either venial or mortal, independent of any subsequent actions on the part of others. Suppose the artist produced on one song and was supporting his family on the royalities from that song, downloading one copy of that song would have very little impact but suppose EVERYBODY downloaded copies of that song so that he was no longer receiving any royalities. In such a case, EVERYTHING would have been taken from him and that would be a mortal sin – to take somebody’s means of supporting themselves and their family away from them.

Now the question becomes: who’s mortal sin was it? Using your definition, downloading one copy would be a venial sin because it would have a small impact but all of those small impacts put together would produce a great impact.
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I do not see why the gravity of a sin should be determined by the effect it would have if “everyone” did it. :confused:
 
Hello, yes it’s me again. No, I won’t give up my protest. How can you call yourself Christians? The Mods on this website are jerks, so I’ll protesting until they un-ban my previous usernames and apologize for their wrong doing. I will protest everyday until they make the peace…

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Feste_1242 said:
I do not see why the gravity of a sin should be determined by the effect it would have if “everyone” did it. :confused:
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I think it has SOME relevance. Our teen pregnancy rate, divorce rate, and abortion rate, for example, have skyrocketed in part because 'everyone does it". Our sins are, in this sense, sometimes “bigger than we are”.
 
NCSue said:
I think it has SOME relevance. Our teen pregnancy rate, divorce rate, and abortion rate, for example, have skyrocketed in part because 'everyone does it". Our sins are, in this sense, sometimes “bigger than we are”.
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That’s true… but the fact that it’s a common problem doesn’t make it more sinful to do those things. Or is the line of thinking simply that we are setting an example? Yet that is always true of our actions, so what would change when there are many people already following that example?
 
ME PERSONALLY-

I think all sin is sin and all sin is the same level. NOW there are sins leading to dea.th and some that don’t, I think all sin should be confessed before Communion, but that is me.

Theft is theft is theft is theft. You can go to jail for illegally downloading music. God did say “Thou shall not steal” so IMO, is it a Mortal sin…MAYBE… is it a sin, Definitly, should you confess it, IMO, yep. Will it damn you if you don’t… I don’t know that is why God gave us priests and the Church, to help guide us on our way.

My little guide bar for whether it is ok to do something or not is this “Would i have to lie about it?” If the answer is yes, Probably should not do it…
 
Feste_1242 said:
You and I do not disagree. The “test” is obviously not applicable to all sins, but I think it is appropriate in this case. Do you not agree that it is worse to take everything a person has, than to take a small percentage of it?
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Sure it is – but, as I pointed out before, I think the real issue here is one of obeying rightful authority. What is more grave: taking pennies from a multi-billion dollar company, or disobeying a law in such a way that it gives scandal to others and propagates a permissive attitude to a sin that many believe “isn’t that big a deal” – even if they DO believe it’s wrong?
I do not see why the gravity of a sin should be determined by the effect it would have if “everyone” did it. :confused:
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Perhaps it isn’t, but the gravity may lie in the scandal caused by doing it, rather than in the act itself.

Peace
Dante
 
DanteAlighieri said:
Sure it is – but, as I pointed out before, I think the real issue here is one of obeying rightful authority. What is more grave: taking pennies from a multi-billion dollar company, or disobeying a law in such a way that it gives scandal to others and propagates a permissive attitude to a sin that many believe “isn’t that big a deal” – even if they DO believe it’s wrong?
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Yes, i think the illegality and the fact that it is theft are equally valid reasons for the action being immoral.
DanteAlighieri said:
Perhaps it isn’t, but the gravity may lie in the scandal caused by doing it, rather than in the act itself.
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:yup: Surely something to consider when judging the gravity of a sin. Though, for what it’s worth, I don’t think that would apply much to this one; it is relatively private. Not many people would know if one clicked the “download” button without paying.
 
Someone who wants you to break the law AND sin at the same time is not a friend. Find new friends.
 
I appreciate the concern which is been rose. The things need to be sorted out because it’s not about the individual but it can be with everyone.
…
nova
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