Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jhpb@granjon.garage.att.com Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Let's end the silliness of "relative" sinfulness, shall we? Message-ID: Date: 24 Jul 90 08:42:41 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: AT&T Bell Labs (Liberty Corner) Lines: 27 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu The distinction between mortal and venial sin is basic to Roman Catholic spirituality. The difference between the two is the gravity of the acts involved. Some things are incompatible with the love of God and the salvation of one's soul. Trying to make all sin mortal would not fit with the traditional practice of the Sacrament of Penance, which involves private confession of sins to a priest. If every sin were mortal, there would be no way you could ever confess them all. There are also interesting implications in the civil domain. If every fault deserves Hell, then putting someone to death for little things is justified. Catholic spirituality views the work of grace as a growth of the soul in sanctity. Mortal sin kills the life of grace. The Sacrament of Penance restores it. Holy Communion feeds it. The spiritual life is above all the avoidance of mortal sin, and a striving to eliminate all deliberate venial sin. Making all sins mortal involves puzzling notions of justification, or something. It would seem to make justification independent of human acts, since "the just man falls seven times daily." If I'm so inclined to mortal sin that even a holy man sins seven times a day, what has the Redemption done to restore the human race? Joe Buehler