What type of sins

What was the difference between Adam's sin and Cain's sin? Just this, that when Adam sinned he hurt only himself. But when Cain sinned he hurt another human being as well.

There are some sins that we commit that hurt only ourselves. There are other sins that we commit that hurt others as well. God takes more seriously the sins which hurt others. If you smoke or drink or take harmful drugs or indulge in dirty habits or thoughts, or keep bitterness or anger in your heart, etc. But if you gossip, speak evil of others, judge others, lose your temper at others, act in jealousy or bitterness or anger or hatred against others, or commit adultery or murder, etc.

Ask yourself what you are more horrified to hear - that a brother in your church got drunk or that a brother in your church spoke evil of another brother? Your answer to that will show you clearly whether you look at sin the way God looks at sin or not. Think of all the sins that you can commit that harm only yourself. There are many. They fall under the category of Adam's sin. Then think of all the sins that you can commit that harms others as well. These too are many.

These fall under the category of Cain's sin. Jesus condemned the Pharisees primarily because their sins hurt others. The sinful woman caught in adultery on the other hand may have hurt only herself John She may have been forced or blackmailed into adultery, we don't know.

Jesus however, gave her the benefit of the doubt and was merciful to her and forgave her. But the self-righteous Pharisees who criticised her for adultery were guilty of far greater sins, such as evicting poor widows from their rented apartments for not paying their rents on time!

And Jesus denounced those Pharisees severely for that Matt. Because their sin hurt others. They may have been legally right in turning those widows out on to the streets. Four other sins are considered grave also. These sins not only offend God, but men as well. These grave sins are:. The voluntary murder Genesis The sin of impurity against nature —Sodomy and homosexual relations Genesis Taking advantage of the poor Exodus Defrauding the workingman of his wages James Finally, the capital sins are also considered grave matter.

These sins are vices and are defined as contrary to the Christian virtues of holiness. They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth acedia. Note from the author: For those of you who do not understand why these particular sins are of grave matter, I would suggest that you refer to the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas.

He does an excellent job of explaining why these sins are of grave matter, and also explores the counter-arguments and objections that some people have regarding these grave sins. Idolatry— Idolatry is the worship, veneration or belief in false gods. Because it is a direct rejection of God, it is a grave sin 1 Corinthians Idolatry includes worship of images This does not mean that we cannot venerate religious images.

Veneration of images such as a crucifix is veneration of the person depicted, and not the actual image in and of itself.

Divination, magic and sorcery —This is a grave sin which includes attempting to command the powers of the occult, control or speak to demons or spirits especially Satan , attempting to divine the future, and the use of magic charms CCC Deuteronomy speaks against this grave sin. Sacrilege — The sin of sacrilege is a grave sin that consists of profaning or treating unworthily the sacraments and liturgical actions of the Church as well as things consecrated to God CCC Atheism— Because atheistic humanism falsely seeks man and human glory and rejects God, atheism is a grave sin CCC It is a sin against the virtue of religion.

Blasphemy— This grave sin is the uttering of hatred, reproach, defiance or speaking ill of God. Blasphemy against the Church, the saints and sacred things is also a grave sin CCC It fails to give love and respect to our Creator.

Perjury and False Oaths — Those who take an oath in the name of the Lord and fail to keep it, or break the oath at a later date, show a grave lack of respect for the Lord of all speech CCC Pledging oneself to commit an evil deed is also sinful. During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks against sinners who give false oaths Matthew All humans have a duty, to praise God and give him thanks.

Thus all Christians are bound to participate in the Mass, and must partake of the Eucharist at least on holy days of obligation. Deliberate failure to do this constitutes a grave sin CCC This commandment obliges the faithful to show respect for their parents — as children and adults.

Children must obey their parents, and adults must respect and see to the care of their parents, when they become old and infirm.

Murder intentional homicide — Direct and intentional killing is gravely sinful CCC It is a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance, much like the murder of Abel at the hands of Cain. Indirect homicide can also be of grave nature such as refusing to help a person in danger. If the attacker is mortally wounded or killed, then the death of the attacker is not a sin. Those who use unnecessary aggression in self-defense can sin mortally, if the attacker is killed or gravely injured.

Abortion is therefore murder. The oldest Christian book besides parts of the Bible is the Didache, a book composed by the twelve apostles or their disciples. Euthanasia— The direct killing of the sick, handicapped, or dying, regardless of motive, is a grave sin. Those who are suffering and are nearing death must be allowed to die or recover, which is sometimes a possibility naturally. Administration of painkillers is permissible, provided the drugs are not willed as an end or a means to precipitate death.

In this case death is not willed, but is merely accepted as inevitable and cannot be impeded. Suicide— Suicide is murder of the self. It is contrary to the love of God, self, family, friends and neighbors CCC It is of especially grave nature, if it is intended to set an example for others to follow. Voluntary cooperation in a suicide is also contrary to the moral law. However, the responsibility of and gravity of suicide can be diminished in the cases of grave psychological disturbances, anguish, grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture.

But this does not make it morally permissible, and it is the judgement of God that will measure the gravity or responsibility of the sin. Scandal— Scandal is an attitude or behavior that leads another to do evil. Intent is of prime concern. Unintentional ignorance can reduce both the gravity of the offense and the magnitude of the punishment.

All mortal sin results in a loss of the state of grace. When outside the state of grace, Catholics cannot fully participate in church activities. Though of less severity than mortal sins, the venial variety can lead to serious repercussions if ignored. These are sins committed when disobeying moral law without full knowledge or complete consent.

Venial sins are often committed through wicked thoughts rather than deliberate actions. Over time, venial sins weaken the ability of people to avoid committing mortal sins; in this regard, they are precursors to greater sins. Never mind that the poor devil never entertains the slightest wish for even a brief flirtation, let alone an affair.

Just convince him that his feeling is lust, and gotcha! Sin is a serious matter. Let's take it very seriously indeed. But let us never confuse real sin with the imagined sins manufactured out of normal human nature.

You aren't taking sin seriously when you turn the wholesome doctrine of overcoming sin into something ridiculous or cultish. You are replacing sanctity with insanity, and love of truth with legalism. Which kind are you? Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to that lesson, with a link back to this page. What then is the source of sin? Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to that lesson with a link back to this page.

Four Kinds of Sin —Sins of Attitude, Action, Neglect, and Intent Having seen how serious sin is, we begin now to build ourselves a better understanding of sin, that we might avoid the confusion of legalistic thinking. Conclusion Sin is a serious matter. Cross references Tap a Lookup below to generate a list of lessons.