Transcript mortal sin

Knox, Ian. Theology for Teachers
Sin is always understood as a refusal to do God’s will.
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Just by being born we
are influenced by the
state of sin that exists in
the world: we are born
with a tendency to selfcentredness.
As we mature we
eventually make a
conscious decision to
accept and be a part of
this evil. Thus we
commit our own
personal sins
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Early Biblical writers
were conscious of the
power of evil in the
world. How did they
reconcile this with their
faith in the goodness of
God and of creation?
Their stories in Genesis
offer the explanations
that teach us that God is
not the author of evil,
humans are.
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We must take
responsibility for the
state we’re in. Evil
came into the world as
a result of sin: our
refusal to accept and
respond to God’s
invitation to love.
Christian Scriptures
affirm and add to the
Hebrew Scriptures’
image of sin.
 The Christian
Scriptures talk about
sin in relationship to
Jesus, who came to
forgive and conquer
sin.
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In order for it to be said
that someone has sinned,
the Church teaches that all
three of the following
conditions must be
present:
 Sufficient knowledge or
reflection.
 Full consent of the will.
 Serious matter—causes real
evil to myself or another
person. Often the gravity of
the evil determines the
gravity of the sin.
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If knowledge or consent
is completely absent
(e.g. someone commits
murder while
sleepwalking) then a
person is not considered
guilty of sin; if
knowledge or consent is
impeded then the
corresponding personal
responsibility is also
diminished. We cannot
sin if we don’t want to or
are not aware of it.
Taking the previous conditions into account,
the Church has distinguished degrees of
sinfulness.
A complete break in one’s
relationship with God
 We make a conscious decision
to turn completely away from
God’s offer of love.
 By looking at human
relationships we can see the
mortal results of some
actions and attitudes. Murder,
for example, obviously kills a
relationship with another.
Slander (causing the
destruction of a person’s
reputation) is also a serious
sin.
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We don’t commit mortal sins by
accident.
Mortal sins are not usually
single, isolated acts (although
they can be).
Mortal sin involves a whole lifeorientation that has caused us to
turn away from God completely.
We don’t commit mortal sins by
accident.
Mortal sins are not usually
single, isolated acts (although
they can be).
Mortal sin involves a whole lifeorientation that has caused us to
turn away from God completely.
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Does not completely
separate us from God
but represents a
‘cooling’ in the
relationship. Examples
might include a failure
to be honest, or crude
behaviour.
Describes human-made
structures when they offend
human dignity by causing
people to suffer oppression,
exploitation, or
marginalization
 Sin begins in the hearts and
minds of individuals but it
then creeps into the systems
that we set up in society.
 These institutions and
systems are contrary to the
divine goodness.
 Social sin leads its victims to
do evil in their turn.
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Doing wrong.
Failing to do what is right.