Death and mortal sin question

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Hi there !

Have a quick hypothetical question. If you died in a state of mortal sin and didnt know it - what would happen to you ? Would you go to hell ?

thanks in advance

-- thinking catholic (dont send@noemailaddress.com), July 15, 2004

Answers

One cannot commit a mortal sin without knowing it. A mortal sin is a deliberate, intentional, conscious, informed decision to violate the will of God in a serious way. If through no fault of your own you don't know that a certain act is seriously wrong when you commit the act, it is not a mortal sin. If you know it is seriously wrong, but do not give full consent of your will (you are forced or pressured into committing the act by serious circumstances), it is not a mortal sin. If you commit a mortal sin, you know you are committing a mortal sin. You may not be thinking of it in precisely those terms, but you know the act is seriously wrong, and you say "I don't care, I'm doing it anyway". That can't happen without you knowing that it happened.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), July 15, 2004.

Hi thinker, a few related thoughts that may help. We must always remember it is wrong to judge the heart of another person solely on the basis of their actions. It may well be that some people do bad things, but they are not free when they do them -- such as when people act out of a compulsion rooted in an illness of some kind. We trust that God, who alone can search hearts, understands what it going on in the minds of us all.That is why it is not for us to pass judgment on others, for we do not really know the level of freedom out of which their actions -- even their evil ones-have sprung.

The Church does not presume to know their fates after death, the Church has never condemned a particular person to hell, not even Judas; rather, the Church leaves ALL judgment to God.

Peace!

-- Kiwi (csisherwood@hotmail.com), July 15, 2004.


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