I tend to think that thoughts and feelings can be sinful. I list them when I go to confession and the priest doesn’t correct me.
What is lust? It’s one of the seven deadly sins yet it’s a feeling not an action. Jesus said in the sermon of the mount that if you look at a woman lustfully that you have already sinned in your heart.
What about anger? A feeling that could also be sinful but not always. Jesus became angry when he found people using the temple as a market place, it was righteous indignation. It’s fine to be angry at evil things just be careful that anger doesn’t lead you to sin.
Hatred? A feeling which I think is always sinful, I’m fairly sure it is listed as a sin by Paul. Dislike is one thing, I dislike people who lie, but hatred is something far greater that erodes your soul.
So what do you think or what does the RCC say about this? Can feelings and thoughts be sinful
As you point out, not all anger is sinful. The same is true of thoughts and hatred.
During the Sacred Liturgy, we say The Confiteor (I Confess) and we make contrition for our thoughts:
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Great topic and I am looking forward to what others have to say on the subject.
Well, from what I remember when I was still in the RCC, there’s venial sin and then there’s mortal sin. Venial sin are little sins, so like lying would be considered a venial sin. But mortal sins are sins that can cause a person to end up in hell.
Personally, I think it’s dumb to say that lying is sinful. Yeah, lying isn’t very kind, and lying can hurt people, but I don’t know if I would go so far as to say it’s sinful. Sin implies doing something terribly wrong, and yeah lying isn’t good, but I wouldn’t consider lying sinful. That’s going a bit far.
Lying falls under false witness, which is sinful. However, in Joshua 2:3-6, the woman covers for two spies by lying. This is viewed by most as righteous act of faith or courage and not as a sinful act.
I am generally someone who rejects situational ethics (often taught by Jesuits to justify sinful behavior). I think that lying is wrong, but sometimes necessary. Just like steeling is immoral, but sometimes necessary to protect someone from death, which it was believes that the two spies might have been killed had the woman not covered for them.
I didn’t actually say that lying is a sin, I said that I dislike liars. But the bible does says that Satan is the father of lies and I’m fairly sure that Paul lists it as a sin, and so I do believe that most lies are sinful. Only in some circumstances is a lie not sinful, for example if someone has a big nose but I tell them it’s not big in order to not make them feel bad about themselves, that wouldn’t be a sin. Otherwise most lies are sins
Well the reason why I dunno if I would go as far as to call it sinful, is because sin was a man-made concept to begin with. It’s just a word to keep people in line and to keep people obedient. Obedience isn’t a bad thing, but It seems like religion almost weaponizes it, like it uses it to reward those who are obedient and to shame those who go against. This idea of sin is to keep people in line. It’s a fear tactic, and sadly it works incredibly well….
Maybe sin was weaponized by religion a bit but I disagree with the rest of your thoughts. Sin was brought into this world by evil. It is a moral code, it tells us what is right and what is wrong. Everyone struggles with some kind of sin at one stage or another and shouldn’t be shamed for it. We must identify our sins and repent for them
Well, then I guess this is where we have different experiences, because I was shamed for it. In fact, I still to this very day am shamed for it, and at first it really hurt, but now it’s just annoying. Long story short, I fell for the lie of homosexuality, and for a while I slept around. Although, it didn’t take too many times of sleeping around to realize that homosexuality only makes you emptier, and it’s very disordered. So what I have done in place of wasting my time (and let’s face it, my life in general) that instead of seeking male validation (because that was something I didn’t really have growing up, and I always felt like I had to constantly work at being validated), so instead of seeking male validation, I spend my days at home seeking the truth. Growing up I fell for so many lies, and I’m done with lies. And, it’s funny, when you live in a small town like I do, I may as we have one big Scarlet letter painted across my entire body, because that’s how people know me now. The gay man, the problem child. And I have to face this all the time in this town….people literally do not have the capacity to look past something I did years ago.
Obedience to your religion isn’t a bad thing, I mean every religion has rules. But, your religion in particular likes to single out people who just do not fit in. But what cracks me up is, for once I’m trying to do the right thing and not put myself in dangerous situations. I’m trying to be a better person, and am trying to find the truth. But yet, people here are so small-minded, that they can’t look past what someone did years ago. This is one reason why I do not feel one bit bad about leaving your religion. What happened to loving your neighbor? Isn’t that one of the 2 greatest commandments? Well…apparently this town needs to go back to basics, cause love here is one big illusion.
I know we live in a Matrix, cause real love doesn’t work this way. This is warped love, and it’s sickening….
Ok so you were shamed by the people in your town and thats wrong. I was also shamed by my family for being a drug addict. But none of us was shamed by the religion like you said. A priest never shamed us, the Church never shamed us. In fact the Church always forgives us even if you confess to something really bad like murder.
In the end a sin is a sin, it separates what’s good and what’s bad and I want to follow Christ and keep away from sin because that’s what the evil one tempts us with
I’m not saying that what I did wasn’t bad. It was bad, I wasn’t trying to make homosexuality some glamorous thing, cause it’s anything but glamorous. I’m trying to make a point here.
The point you seem to be making is that sin is ok. You said it was only invented to keep people in line. The RCC and myself disagree with that. You should look into it further to better understand sins
To me sin becomes from failed choice to love or not to love becoming again for all loving only and loving with only the most love becoming again for all Creation in One Holy Spirit Family One God in being fulfilled glorified transformed transfigured undefiled in One Holy Family One God in being, OMNiLogically.
I agree with what Cade pointed out about the confession of sins we pray at Mass: we have sinned in our thoughts. When I was in Catholic elementary school, I heard about “entertaining” sinful thoughts and desires. I take that to mean making them welcome. Wanting to get even with someone who has hurt me could be a passing feeling. Planning to get even would be a sinful thought.
Um, no, far from it LOL! Notice that I said homosexuality is not ok. Notice that I said that lying to someone isn’t ok. I just wouldn’t go as far as to call it “sin” but, not once did I say that it’s ok to lie.
The point I’m trying to get acrossed to you is, I live in a small town, and most people in this town identify as being a Catholic/Christian. Well, in a small town, everyone knows everyone else’s business. So, if you do one thing wrong (especially if it’s a sin), you will be reminded every day of your life that you did that. They put reacting on being homosexual on the same level as murdering someone. Even when I decided to turn my life around and do the right thing, I am still to this very day being shamed for something that happened years ago. It’s so bad here, people treat me as if I’m a murderer who just got out of jail, that’s how bad it is over here. I’m well aware that not every small town and its people act like this, but man in this town, if you’re not perfect, you’re just a puddle that people can walk over.
If someone wants to be petty and go through life with a closed mind and has a “holier than thou” attitude, that’s fine. Do whatever floats your Catholic boat. But, for a whole town to have such a hard time getting over something that happened years ago, that’s a problem, and not my problem….
So no, I’m not trying to legitimize sin. I’m trying to show that this religion has the potential to make a whole town have a very archaic mindset. I may as well be living in the novel The Scarlet Letter cause that’s what it feels like!
In response to the original post question: “Can thoughts and feelings be sinful?”
I think for both, there has to be further qualification.
Thoughts: I don’t think anyone has total preemptive command of their thoughts. Thoughts are often spontaneous. Also, many people have a more random thought process. Some people have “intrusive thoughts” that they also don’t initiate. The idea of spontaneous and un-initiated thoughts and feelings being sinful is as absurd as demonizing the need for sleep. The same for feelings. Spontaneous feeling of jealousy, for example.
I believe, however, the idea of thoughts and feelings being sinful would apply to the willful initiation, ponderance and revelry of making the choice to continue to think about the “sinful” thoughts and feelings.
Here’s an analogy:
Presuming it’s not a sin to own a TV and that it’s not a sin to flip through regular network TV stations. Clicking from one channel to the next is like spontaneous thought. In both cases you have no control over either. No sin. However….say you pass a channel that has sinful content (spontaneous thought) and instead of continuing on to a different channel….you go back (making a choice) and you start watching that sinful channel (ie start pondering and reveling in that spontaneous thought). That would be considered the sin.
… Your small town who profess to be Christians Catholics is simply not the case. They may think they are. They may act as though they are but in God’ eyes to follow. Jesus has to be in your heart rejecting outsiders is the exact opposite of being a Christian your town people Are not the church. The Catholic Church of Christ stands as solid as ever Catholics, as well as members of the church have grievously sinned but the church stands walk away from your small town. You don’t belong there be a beacon of transformation as a Catholic following Christ , some will notice and repent and be saved as are you.
Well…you tell them that, cause they obviously haven’t gotten the memo. I was basically told today I was going to hell. It’s a never-ending vicious cycle over here. We have to be living in a simulation, people can’t be this vengeful right?
We can’t do what needs to be done in our lives on our own.
We have to give up that self sufficiency and turn it over to God
Ask the Holy Spirit for help
You have a unique opportunity to save souls
An opportunity to emulate Christ
To forgive those who do not forgive you
With humility and persistence ask the Holy Spirit to help you do this
Lord God, by your Holy Spirit, help me I pray in the name of Jesus Christ your son.
I recently read a good habit every time you look at your phone simply say “Jesus help me. “ Forgiveness will free you like nothing else? To love those who hate you will turn your small town into a Kingdom