Ziggamafu Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 For example, quite a few Americans (young and old) are guilty of violating copyright infringement laws, especially when it comes to music and lyrics on the internet. If they confess this sin (theft), should they also turn themselves in to proper governement channels and the companies or artists involved? Or does penence wipe out the need for reconciliation with the state, regardless of the civil/federal infraction? Does canon law address this? ...I've heard several popular priests talk about their pre-conversion lives and how it was "a miracle they didn't go to jail" or that they "probably should have". This suggests offenses against the law (however venial or grave) and gets me wondering about atonement with the State. I know that when [i]I[/i] was a teenager, I did things or was in possession of things that were illegal (my pre-Jesus days were pretty crazy). Most teenagers have tried alcohol before they were 21, for instance. Quite a few have experimented with drugs, as well. Some have shop-lifted an item or two. And almost all of them have stolen a small fortune's worth of music or software from file sharing. The question arises: is confession really enough with matters of the State? How are we to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect? Do we take a "...uh, I'll plead guilty [i]if[/i] charges are pressed, but I'm not gonna turn myself in" kind of approach? It leads me to another similar question: say you confess a "white lie" to the priest. Should you afterwards tell that girl that yes, she does look fat in that dress? Should you approach your boss and say "actually, yesterday when I said the job was done I was actually five minutes from completing it, so I techinically lied; sorry." The point being, how much do we make ammends with those who have been directly or indirectly offended by our actions [i]after[/i] confession? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatcatholic Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatcatholic Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 does anyone have an answer to this question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eremite Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 You should probably post this in the Questions forum, for Cappie to answer. Unless he's reading this thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggamafu Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 i posted a similar question in questions and answers quite a long time ago and it was never answered. curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eremite Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 Post it over at the Q and A forum at [url="http://www.ewtn.com"]http://www.ewtn.com[/url] It's a hard question to answer, because the restitution owed depends on your particular circumstance. It's best to ask your priest about it during confession. Direct theft must always be recompensated, for example. If it is not possible (for whatever reason), then restitution must be made some other way (eg, a charitable donation). Some lies have to be amended. If they gravely injure another person, for example (eg, slander must be repaired), or if they are connected to another grave sin (eg, you lie about the hours you work, and thus steal from your employer). But this can be done anonymously. I don't think lies that have no grave effect elsewhere have to be repaired, but I would ask my priest anyway, to make sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatcatholic Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggamafu Posted September 18, 2005 Author Share Posted September 18, 2005 [quote name='phatcatholic' date='Aug 4 2005, 07:42 AM']anyone else? [right][snapback]671484[/snapback][/right] [/quote] bump (EWTN's question and answers section is always full, it seems) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggamafu Posted October 11, 2005 Author Share Posted October 11, 2005 wow. smells of elderberries. i just made a long post and ie froze up on me. anyway, i think there are no answers, not because people are stumped, but because it confronts an uneasy topic. maybe i'm being legalistic, but i'm sure there's some canon law or fatherly tradition out there that says we should make direct ammends/restitution wherever and however possible with the offended parties. if charges are pressed, we should comply. if not, we should turn ourselves in to see IF charges will be pressed. i think sexual sins are too easy to discern, judge, condemn, and confess because the sins are so glamorous - glorified by society. we don't feel like sexual sins are as much "our fault" as we would theft, since one is a bodily urge and the other is a cold-cut decision. yet both are being made every day. i wonder if the piracey epidemic might be far, far, worse than the masturbation epidemic. imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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