Can We Sin Mortally By What We Fail To Do?

[thessalonian]

Mortal sin in general seems to be violations of the moral code. We also sin by failing to do certain things such as not giving to the Church, not taking care of the widow and the orphan (i.e. the poor and destitute) i.e. the beatitudes. Yet it is my impression that we do not sin mortally when we do these things. The danger in not doing good seems to me to be to show the glory of God and in doing so this builds our spiritual muscles against sin. I am more interested in Catholic opinions on this matter since protestants don't believe in mortal and venial sin, though you are free to comment as you like.

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='thessalonian' post='1603419' date='Jul 19 2008, 03:28 PM']Mortal sin in general seems to be violations of the moral code. We also sin by failing to do certain things such as not giving to the Church, not taking care of the widow and the orphan (i.e. the poor and destitute) i.e. the beatitudes. Yet it is my impression that we do not sin mortally when we do these things. The danger in not doing good seems to me to be to show the glory of God and in doing so this builds our spiritual muscles against sin. I am more interested in Catholic opinions on this matter since protestants don't believe in mortal and venial sin, though you are free to comment as you like.[/quote]

At first I'd be inclined to agree with you... although, thinking a little more on it, I think there are sins of omission that can be considered mortal.

What do you think about these situations?

1) Someone is in desparate need of help, right there in front of you. A simple phone call or some small action can save this persons life. There's no good reason for you not to help. But you simply pass-by or allow the person to die by your inaction.

2) Parents failing to fulfill their obligations to their children.

3) Failing to give police information about a crime and thereby allowing an innocent person to be found guilty.

I don't know, things like that maybe?

[Galloglasses]

I'd think yes, we can Sin mortally by what we fail to do. For example you walk by an alleyway, and a woman is about to get raped or someone is being beaten up. And you walk away. I'd say thats a mortal sin right there. But it gets tricky after that. What if you intervened and someone got killed? Would that someone still be alive if you hadn't intervened? And stuff like that.

[Balthazor]

Absolutley, I bet the most common example is failing to go to Mass, which is a mortal sin.

[CatherineM]

I do believe in sins of omission. Whether they are mortal sins or not, I think depends on the person, the situation, and the sin. I don't know about other people, but I firmly believe that I can incur a mortal sin if I don't do something that God clearly demands of me, but then again, I'm told I can be overly hard on myself.

[Deb]

When we recite the prayer in Mass asking forgiveness for our sins, we clearly say, .."for what I have done and what I have failed to do.." So yeah, if we cause harm or cause someone else to sin by our failing to do something or failing to act, I believe we are sinning. The severity of the consequences of our non-action would most likely determine how bad of a sin it is.

[aalpha1989]

[quote name='Deb' post='1603692' date='Jul 19 2008, 11:17 PM']When we recite the prayer in Mass asking forgiveness for our sins, we clearly say, .."for what I have done and what I have failed to do.." So yeah, if we cause harm or cause someone else to sin by our failing to do something or failing to act, I believe we are sinning. The severity of the consequences of our non-action would most likely determine how bad of a sin it is.[/quote]

I don't think that the consequences are the only determinate for the gravity of a sin.

I think that consequences help to determine the gravity, but an action (or non-action) can in itself be grave, such as missing Mass. There is no real consequence for missing Mass, but it is still a mortal sin.

[Deb]

[quote name='aalpha1989' post='1603720' date='Jul 19 2008, 11:36 PM']I don't think that the consequences are the only determinate for the gravity of a sin.

I think that consequences help to determine the gravity, but an action (or non-action) can in itself be grave, such as missing Mass. There is no real consequence for missing Mass, but it is still a mortal sin.[/quote]

[b][i]I agree with the missing Mass. I was looking more at the things that occur that we don't have a Catholic doctrine that we know about. [/i][/b]

[misereremi]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' post='1603479' date='Jul 19 2008, 09:21 PM']What do you think about these situations?

1) Someone is in desparate need of help, right there in front of you. A simple phone call or some small action can save this persons life. There's no good reason for you not to help. But you simply pass-by or allow the person to die by your inaction.[/quote]
I asked about this and this would be a grave sin of omission, but if there were reasons that you could not help then it may not be. I asked a priest whether it was a sin of omission if you could have done more (in addition to alerting the police) to help save someone’s life, but it involved putting your own life at risk? (e.g. you failed to ‘divert’ an angry mob to focus on you so that a person getting beaten up can get away- and you know you have to do this because the police won’t come in time and that person will die). The reply was that this would not be a sin of omission, and that we must exercise prudence.

My question is how do you get the balance right between charity and exercising prudence? The saints put themselves at risk all the time to do God’s will. I am tormented by guilt over times I haven’t done enough.

[Deb]

We know by deepening one's relationship with God. A well formed conscience and letting God direct one in all things will let you know when you should be taking action or when you have failed to do so.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Deb' post='1603920' date='Jul 20 2008, 08:30 AM']We know by deepening one's relationship with God. A well formed conscience and letting God direct one in all things will let you know when you should be taking action or when you have failed to do so.[/quote]
+J.M.J.+
i wouldn't think that is necessarily true. scrupulous people often worry about whether they've sinned or not, and i would say that they have a well formed conscience.

[Barbarus]

[quote name='Deb' post='1603692' date='Jul 19 2008, 11:17 PM']When we recite the prayer in Mass asking forgiveness for our sins, we clearly say, .."for what I have done and what I have failed to do.." So yeah, if we cause harm or cause someone else to sin by our failing to do something or failing to act, I believe we are sinning. The severity of the consequences of our non-action would most likely determine how bad of a sin it is.[/quote]
Actually, consequences play very little role in determining the gravity of a sin. We have no control over consequences, only over our actions. So, for example, a woman who fornicates and becomes pregnant has not sinned more grievously than a woman who fornicates and does not. The consequence is only secondarily important. It is the action itself (or inaction, in a case where we have an imposed duty or obligation) that determines culpability. Action, and intention, are far more important than consequence in the evaluation.

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1603952' date='Jul 20 2008, 11:29 AM']+J.M.J.+
i wouldn't think that is necessarily true. scrupulous people often worry about whether they've sinned or not, and i would say that they have a well formed conscience.[/quote]
Actually, someone who is scrupulous does not have a well-formed conscience. A well-formed conscience operates in accordance with truth, and scrupulosity by its very nature is a disorder in which the conscience does not operate in accordance with truth or reality (people are overly concerned about sin in their lives, to a potentially dangerous extreme).

[XIX]

[quote name='Balthazor' post='1603486' date='Jul 19 2008, 04:30 PM']Absolutley, I bet the most common example is failing to go to Mass, which is a mortal sin.[/quote]
hook line sinker. Nice post.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Barbarus' post='1604027' date='Jul 20 2008, 12:13 PM']Actually, someone who is scrupulous does not have a well-formed conscience. A well-formed conscience operates in accordance with truth, and scrupulosity by its very nature is a disorder in which the conscience does not operate in accordance with truth or reality (people are overly concerned about sin in their lives, to a potentially dangerous extreme).[/quote]
+J.M.J.+
i meant well formed as they know what the ten commandments back and forth, most of the time to their detriment, as you said.

[Barbarus]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1604050' date='Jul 20 2008, 02:44 PM']+J.M.J.+
i meant well formed as they know what the ten commandments back and forth, most of the time to their detriment, as you said. [/quote]
Ah. Well, as I'm certain you know, true formation is far more than simply knowing the law. Although that is, of course, an essential element of a well-formed conscience, the law on its own is a cruel master.