Mortal Sin

[hyperdulia again]

If one really and truly doesn't believe that something defined by the Church as a mortal sin, is a mortal sin, but one is obedient to the teaching anyway and confesses when they are disobedient to it, is that person guilty of lying during the Sacrament when they accuse themselves of a sin they don't believe IS a sin?

Does that make any sense?

[BLAZEr]

Again, Cappie or Pontifex would be better to answer this, but let me just say this.

Something is objectively a sin or not. It does not depend on whether we recognize this fact or not. Now, in terms of culpability, if you know that something is objectively a mortal sin, and you are choosing to do it willfully, whether or not you agree that its a sin, it is still a sin. You will want to tell the priest that you don't think its sinful, he will help you to understand its seriousness.

There are plenty of people out there who committ serious sins all the time and don't think they are sins. This does not change the fact that they are comitting sins.

[Pontifex]

If someone is committing an action that is sinful, but they are not aware that it is sinful, than they are not culpable for that action. It is called ignorance.

As St. Thomas Aquinas tells us, in so many words, a well formed conscience should be our guide. We have a duty to form our conscience in accordance with the teaching of the Church, and if we are not sure of our actions than we have a duty to seek council and find out the answer. If we deliberately do not seek the truth in order to remain in ignorance than we are guilty of sin.

There are many circumstances and variables that hinder culpability and keep people from seeing the truth, and sometimes these are genuine. In this case, the ignorance is invinciable, meaning that it cannot be penetrated. No matter what reasons are used, the person cannot see the truth. These instances are small in number, but they do happen. In these cases, the culpability is less, but it remains a sinful action in the Objective Moral Order. We are not proportionalists.

This does not mean that we can pick and choose what we want to believe and what we don't want to believe to fit our lifestyle. If we find ourselves struggling with the truth set before us, then we should pray for that unredeemed part of ourselves that resists the light. We do not lower the bar, so to speak, just because we can't always jump over it. There is an Objective Moral Order, and our subjective (personal) moral order should seek to line up with the other.

Fr. Pontifex