Yes, it's a sin

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Not necessarily. I don’t know how many times I’ve been told by a priest during confession that something I had confessed was not a sin.
 
Definitely not true for this forum. It’s more likely “if you need to ask, you’re scrupulous”.
 
I would disagree, there are so many things that can go into our sins that a blanket expression could not universally be true.

Here is a question:

Is it a sin for my daughter to pick a dandelion weed from my neighbor’s yard to give to me?

Because I asked if it is a sin, by your universal statement, picking a weed from the neighbor’s yard is a sin. Then, my next question would be, would that be a venial sin or a mortal sin? Because I ask, does that automatically upgrade it to a mortal sin as well?

Blessings.
Kevin
 
KatyCatholic said:
Is it a sin for my daughter to pick a dandelion weed from my neighbor’s yard to give to me?
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I don;t think that picking a weed from a private lot would be a sin unless there was a sign against trespassing, etc. However, if you are in a garden of a park and there is a sign saying “Do Not Pick the Flowers” , then it would be wrong to pick a flower.
 
Thanks. The response was allegorical in relation to the original poster.
 
This is what I was about to say! Quite the opposite of the OP. If you have to ask, it probably isn’t. And as another said - at least on this site, it might indicate a rather scrupulous outlook.
 
It will not be a mortal sin because the penitent lacked full knowledge. However, the act or omission may still constitute grave matter. It is always good to ask if a sin would be moral or venial for future reference.
 
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Saxum said:
It is always good to ask if a sin would be mortal or venial for future reference.
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🤔

And it is always bad to ask that question on a public forum. Keep those questions for your parish priest. :+1:t4:
 
While I think your statement is incorrect, i agree with what I imagine to be the exasperation behind it. There is an awful lot of “is this a sin” or “is so and so sinning” on here - and it can be a bit tiresome when you are hoping for some interesting new thread. It’s like looking for the Catholic Apologetics class and wandering into second grade Sacrament prep instead

I do not mean this as an insult to the questioners. It is better to ask than to falsely presume you have sinned but it is far better to go to confession regularly and ask the priest and not the online world. Frankly we are sometimes wrong on here. It would be good for everyone to just get a thorough examination of conscience and follow that and their confessors guidance
 
Gertabelle said:
Keep those questions for your parish priest. :+1:t4:
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I do agree with this statement generally, but some people—like myself—have no real relationship with their parish priest and/or go to different parishes regularly.

It’s hard to discuss personal subject with friends, let alone a priest who you see an hour a week and never really talk to.

I understand that it wears people down to read the same threads over and over again, I do think it’s important to be charitable to those brothers and sisters in Christ who may be in a situation like above, or on a wobbly faith journey.

:pray:t2:
 
I think a distinction should be made between a neophyte or someone who has recently decided to form their conscience and follow the commandments and someone who has long been striving to live in the grace of God. Below, St. Alphonsus says what you say, but adds the distinction I mention:

St. Alphonsus Liguori:
Here it will be well to remark, what is unanimously admitted by all theologians, even of the rigorist school, that persons who have during a considerable period of time been leading a virtuous life, and live
habitually in the fear of God, whenever they are in doubt, and are not certain whether they have given consent to a grievous sin, ought to be perfectly assured that they have not lost the Divine grace; for it is morally impossible that the will, confirmed in its good purposes for a considerable lapse of time, should on a sudden undergo so total a change as at once to consent to a mortal sin without clearly knowing it; the reason of it is, that mortal sin is so horrible a monster that it cannot possible enter a soul by which it has long been held in abhorrence, without her being fully aware of it. We have proved this at length in our Moral Theology. [Lib. 6, D. 476.] St. Teresa said: No one is lost without knowing it; and no one is deceived without the will to be deceived. [Life, addit.]
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I can understand the sentiment of “better safe than sorry,” but sometimes what people think is a sin and question it turns out to be quite the opposite.

“Is it a sin for me to object to someone’s homosexuality if that someone is a loved-one? What if it is uncharitable?”

No, it’s not a sin – in fact, it’s important that you object to it. This isn’t the same as rejecting the person. This is a conflict people have all the time, and this is why it’s important to have a spiritual director and learn about the faith – because sometimes we do have questions and need clarity rather than simply assuming.
 
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Taken from The Ten Commandments
for the Scrupulous
  1. You shall not confess doubtful sins in confession, but only sins that are clear and certain.
Of all of the correspondence that I receive, I would say that this issue is the one that occurs most often. “What does a person do if they are not sure that they committed a sin?” For this reason, this is a very important commandment to remember because it clearly states the truth: Doubtful sins don’t count! There is no need to confess something that does not clearly and certainly exist. In fact, it is harmful to one’s self to confess that which is doubtful. Again, such a practice is not at all helpful and must be resisted.
 
Scrupulosity turns one inward, making one’s self the arbiter and judge of the soul. That prerogative doesn’t belong us, it belongs to God. I think that in every person’s heart, we know that we are completely inadequate for our own spiritual judgment. Not that we are not responsible, but not adequate for what belongs to God. In my mind, this is what causes the intense anxiety associated with scrupulosity. You know you’re in over your head.

A big help in this area is to cast your trust on to others who can give you healthy perspective, like a good priest. God gives us priests, in persona Christi. Trust them, it’s what God wants you to do.
This trust in someone besides yourself can give you a more whole-some perspective. Being your own judge and jury is a fearsome and pointless burden that is unrelenting.
 
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