Is speeding a sin?

[chadders]

This is a very interesting topic... I often believe that so long as doing something is not hurting people (within reason), then it isn't a sin. It depends on how fast you are going over (or under the speed limit) and whether it is upsetting anyone.

As a general rule I would say that speeding in itself isn't a sin, on the other hand I wouldn't speed so I will avoid hurting others (or myself).

[FrauleinElsa]

No.

[CavFan]

Yes, speeding is a sin. It is breaking a law. Sampling a grape is the same as stealing. It's taking something that doesn't belong to you.

[Gukkor]

Yes, speeding is a sin. It is breaking a law. Sampling a grape is the same as stealing. It's taking something that doesn't belong to you.

What if you buy the grapes afterward?

[BRAN84]

No.

[faith guardian]

No.
Why not?
You gotta do better than a mere "no".

Is it "No, my youthful testosterone rampages command me"?
Or is it "No, because I want to do it it can't be a sin"?

Is it not a sin to speed in a neighborhood where kids are out playing? If not, I should think it is not a sin to fire bullets randomly up in the air either, huh? Even if they must come back down...

[HolyMary]

Is speeding a sin?

Yes, it is.

2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

Is sampling a peanut at the grocery store without asking permission a sin?

Yes, it is.

2408 The seventh commandment forbids theft, that is, usurping another's property against the reasonable will of the owner. There is no theft if consent can be presumed or if refusal is contrary to reason and the universal destination of goods. This is the case in obvious and urgent necessity when the only way to provide for immediate, essential needs (food, shelter, clothing . . .) is to put at one's disposal and use the property of others.

Is there such things a little or big sins?

Yes, there are.

IV. THE GRAVITY OF SIN: MORTAL AND VENIAL SIN
1854 Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture,129 became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.


1855 Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.
Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.


1856 Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is, charity - necessitates a new initiative of God's mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation:

When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object . . . whether it contradicts the love of God, such as blasphemy or perjury, or the love of neighbor, such as homicide or adultery. . . . But when the sinner's will is set upon something that of its nature involves a disorder, but is not opposed to the love of God and neighbor, such as thoughtless chatter or immoderate laughter and the like, such sins are venial.130 1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."131


1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother."132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.


1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God's law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.


1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.


1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.


1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.


1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly reparable. "Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness."134

While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call "light": if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession.135

1864 "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."136137 Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss. There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.


129 Cf. 1 Jn 5:16-17.
130 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II,88,2, corp. art.
131 RP 17 § 12.
132 Mk 10:19.
133 Cf. Mk 3:5-6; Lk 16:19-31.
134 John Paul II, RP 17 § 9.
135 St. Augustine, In ep. Jo. 1,6:PL 35,1982.
136 Mt 12:31; cf. Mk 3:29; Lk 12:10.
137 Cf. John Paul II, DeV 46.

[BRAN84]

Why not?
You gotta do better than a mere "no".

Is it "No, my youthful testosterone rampages command me"?
Or is it "No, because I want to do it it can't be a sin"?

Is it not a sin to speed in a neighborhood where kids are out playing? If not, I should think it is not a sin to fire bullets randomly up in the air either, huh? Even if they must come back down...

Okay, fine. Since you asked me...

Speeding as a SIN is flat out the most ridiclious 'sin' I've ever heard. So what are you saying then? If the road sign says 60, if my meter goes half an inch over the 60 mark I'm guilty of sinning against God?

You've got to be kidding me. Morally wrong in most situations? Yes. A sin against God? No.

I think getting behind the wheel drunk is what we should focus on as sinful behaviour. Because every aspect of it is wrong.

Are you saying you've NEVER sped your entire life either?

I've driven a handful of times five, six in the morning on country and farm roads for hours where there isn't an animal alive. Are you saying I should drive the posted speeding sign in that situation...? :sleep:

[Gal328]

Is speeding a sin? Is sampling a peanut at the grocery store without asking permission a sin? Is there such things a little or big sins?




That's cute*

Okay.... it says in the Bible to obey the laws of the land. So in that respect then yes it is.

[PastorMikeJ]

it is very hard to keep my camel down... he just wants to run!!!

[HawaiianTropicalDude]

this is one for jeeves or perhaps mel.

[faith guardian]

Okay, fine. Since you asked me...

Speeding as a SIN is flat out the most ridiclious 'sin' I've ever heard. So what are you saying then? If the road sign says 60, if my meter goes half an inch over the 60 mark I'm guilty of sinning against God?

Sometimes, yes. I see sin as whatever is wrong, or harmful. Smoking, drinking excessively, etcetera - are things I consider sins because they tear you down.

You've got to be kidding me. Morally wrong in most situations? Yes. A sin against God? No.

What is a sin though?

I think getting behind the wheel drunk is what we should focus on as sinful behaviour. Because every aspect of it is wrong.

That is quite clearly much worse.

Are you saying you've NEVER sped your entire life either?

I know this is hard to understand for someone who's American (and I do not blame you) but the system here is radically different from yours. Getting a licence costs an arm and a leg - several thousand dollars. Owning a car costs an obscene amount too. Driving it is ALSO expensive. Gas is about two dollars a liter. And then there are other fees in addition to that.
However, public transportation is fairly cheap. And in many cases quicker. So.... Buses, trams, trains and subway it is.

I've driven a handful of times five, six in the morning on country and farm roads for hours where there isn't an animal alive. Are you saying I should drive the posted speeding sign in that situation...?

It depends, doesn't it? Mostly I would say it is understandable. My issue is with those who speed recklessly. Like a former colleague of mine who in one occurrance drove at 100 km/h through a neighborhood, right as school had ended. Now this kind of speeding I would consider sinful as it is all about your selfish desires for speed, and it endangers others while fulfilling this selfish 'need'

[GregoryTurner]

God said we are to obey the laws of the land.

[firestar]

I think it is in the sense that you're not obeying the laws of the land.

[musicalmeg20]

I say yes, because of a verse I once read. Unfortunately, I cannot remember just where it was, except that it's probably somewhere in the New Testament. I remember it said that we are to follow the laws of men as long as they don't go against the laws of God.

[DUSTINtheCHRISTIAN]

Yes. It comes right out of the Bible.;)

[Waterhouse]

What happens if you live in a place where the laws contradict the bible?

[princessellie]

its kind of one of those not "official" sin but is kind of indirectly

we are called to live not only by gods law but also by the laws of the land

[charvel]

What happens if you live in a place where the laws contradict the bible?:confused: really,hmmm

[ChrisWin1]

Interesting how funding al Qaeda or Hezbolah is a sin, stealing someone's rusted out 1976 Ford Pinto with no engine is a sin, intentionally driving 38 in 35 is also a sin.

I wonder how many Christians will never confess their sin of breaking the Speed Limit law.

I wonder how many Christians laugh at how driving over the speed limit goes against God.

Sort of like spitting in His face.

I'm guilty of speeding... but I will say I've grown out of the "need" to speed... for the most part... and almost always drive the limit now. Most of us who drive probably think the limit could be usually 5 more mph, sometimes 10 or more, but that doesn't mean we should just go about breaking the law 'cause we want to or because the law is stupid. If it's a stupid law - obey it and try to get it changed but don't just go break it.

[HopfrogX]

I know it is a sin, but I think i'm not sure that is what people think about when they think about sins. :S

[Ruth~]

:wave: I really don't know. But I do know it can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.

[barbaraclarke]

yes because it breaks the laws of the land

[plum]

hmmm.... i guess it is since we're taught to obey the 'law of the land'...

makes me think!

[sandra8230]

speeding is a sin, you have to follow the laws of your land unless it opposes God's law, and speeding doesn't so unless your on the autobahn, stay at the speed LIMIT or under.

[Gukkor]

http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/laws.html

Good reference. Contrary to popular belief, speed limit laws aren't uniform, at least not in the U.S.

[heatherq17]

not sure

[Ritz]

it's destructive when you cause someone to wreck,that is a sin caused by your own doing but i have sped,yes I am guilty

[Snow Angel]

FOR YEAR'S MONTANA DIDN"T EVEN HAVE A SPEED Limit,So I don't think it is a sin.I just think you are breaking a State Law,and will get a speeding Ticket 'and could cause a lot of problems:

[worldwidewordfamine]

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

All sin is viewed by God as the same except for one - Blapheme against the Holy Ghost would be unto death.
yes speeding is a sin. It's agianst the law and since that law doesn't break God's law, we should obey it.

Note from above quote: Though Blaspheming the Holy
Spirit is a sin unto death, it isn't the only one!

Not Believing in Jesus as the Christ the Son of God.

RECEIVING the mark of the Beast (A mark that can only go IN the right hand or Forehead)

These also are unforgivable sins.

[krys4ever]

not sure.

[Samuel_Rigby]

Yes, it is.

[BecauseHeLivesJG]

Honestly, I think it is some sort of a sin. It is also one I have trouble not commiting.

[faith guardian]

Honestly, I think it is some sort of a sin. It is also one I have trouble not commiting.
You're 17. In my humble opinion at that age you should not be allowed to have a license. Most guys have a certain love for speed and adrenaline rush at that age. It is hard for a 17 year old guy to keep the speed limit. Much harder than for the average 21 year old for instance.
Not that I look down on 17 year olds. Far from it!

[Toast5]

speeding? a sin? no way. causing a pileup for going slow is a sin.

[fireman1173005]

yes, and unfortunatly this is probably my most often commited sin. "I can't drive 55."

Brian

[4EverBlessed]

Yes, if the law says that the speed limit on the road you're on is 55 and you know you're doing 60.........cause you know you look! Sin!!

[ysl_75]

I'm not sure

[jhanie777]

NO, i dont think speeding is a sin:wave:

[lyonguard]

Yes, but I don't like to admit it.

[GodsAmbassador2Nicolette]

Unfortunately speeding is a sin. And yes I am a sinner.

There is no big sin and little sin. Sin is sin is sin. As humans we judge different sins as more serious than others, but we must ask God for forgiveness whether we speed or steal.

[JPPT1974]

But as Christians we are called to obey the law.

[NostalgicGranny]

Completed the poll.

I agree - obey the laws of the land.

[Kirkhaven]

I didn't thinkit was until I received a speeding ticket, now I know better.

[Shocco]

To make speeding a simple black and white issue is very wrong. Let me put this in perspective for you:
God law is supreme. It never changes and it is never OK to break it. It is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
To place fallible man made law on the same level as God’s law is not right. Man’s law changes with a majority vote and circumstances. These are the same “men” that passed both the abortion law and the law to take prayer out of school and I don’t think God would approve of either. Besides, we agree that it is OK to speed to the hospital so that proves it isn’t as high as God’s law.

Let me go deeper on man made law for you. If you place traffic laws on the same level as the bible, then you better get you state traffic book and study it like the bible! I promise your probably breaking at least three laws and don’t even know it. And by the way, we are held accountable for sin whether we do it knowingly or not.

Here’s an example, here in Alabama, we have a law where you have to blow your horn when going around a blind curve. 99.9% of the people have never heard of the law and do not do it. Are they sinning by not doing it? Don’t you see the legalism of making man’s laws as high as God’s?.....And even if you go the speed limit, do you make a complete stop at every stop sign? Is your tag light working? Do you always use a blinker, etc, etc……

The reason the laws were made is to make our roads an orderly and safe place where we could all drive. There are two problems with this. The people that passed the laws were probably city council people who didn’t know three hoots about traffic laws. They were just good people who wanted the streets safe and the city not to get sued for any reason. So they had to make the laws according to the lowest common denominator. That means a speed that will fit all drivers in most conditions. Some people are good enough drivers they can go over the speed limit safely, and others probably can’t safely go the limit:>)

In some cities they simply make the speed 55 because they know people are going to go 75. And if they made the speed limit 65, people would go 85. I know some people are going to say “well that don’t make it right”. But look, remember that ol’ term “In Rome, do as the Romans do?” Well, that applies in traffic laws as well. The counselmen who passed the law probably doesn’t abide by it either. In Germany the Audobon used to let you go as fast as you wanted. Were they sinning because we thought that was too fast in this country and over there they didn’t? Here in Alabama everyone commonly goes 10-15 over. Are we less Christian because we see things a little differently than where you live?

Here is the bottom line. We don’t need to be so concerned about following man made laws perfectly. We need to make sure we are following them in PRINCIPAL, which is the real heart of any law.. Take for instance a stop sign. A stop sign is there to regulate traffic and keep people safe. But lets say you roll through a stop sign at 1 MPH at 2:30AM in the morning, in the middle of nowhere, with no other cars within 20 miles of you, after you made sure it was safe to do so. Does it really matter? Was the regulation of traffic kept and safety maintained? If so, I don’t think God really cares. Without going into a million scenarios, I think you get the point. God just wants us to be orderly and safe with each other. He wants us to show love for him and others as we drive and that is the whole biblical law summed up. If we do that, I don’t think He wants us to gets legalistic about it.

[emo4jesus]

Sin is what is not right in the sight of God.

[Krystina661]

I am not sure.. I guess it is, but not a serious sin. It would depend on the situation.....

[JDFU]

I think it is, for most cases anyway - it can lead to car collisions, or collisions with other vehicles. Or pedestrians, cyclists even!
What if that person was killed too?

[peacefulfire]

Is loitering a sin? Is bringing food & drink into a movie theater a sin? Is not keeping your dog on a leash when a sign says otherwise, a sin? Is loudly preaching the scriptures while on private property a sin? You know.. it's tough to answer these questions sometimes, especially when the scriptures seem to "clash" with secular laws. Don't even get me started on the biggies concerning laws on slavery, divorce, women, being a widow, ect... Unfortunately, the Bible isn't always good at spelling out what is a sin in 2008. So, we end up with LOTS of interpretations. And people 99.9% of the time go with the one they are most comfortable with, as opposed to the interpretation that most closely matches what the Bible says. But... thats just my observation :)

[gardenfairy]

Is speeding a sin? Is sampling a peanut at the grocery store without asking permission a sin? Is there such things a little or big sins?

No.

Maybe.

Sin is sin. All sin needs to be repented for.

That said,....

Stealing a packet of gum is not the same as murdering someone. If someone stole something, they were to pay it back with extra. If someone murdered someone else, they were to be put to death. God's words not mine.
Seems that God was fair in all situations. :thumbsup:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. :angel:

[ladyt28]

Guess I'm going to hell - I speed all the time. Oh well, not gonna stop doing it, not even going to try, it's part of having a hot little red roadster!

[mylass]

The Bible states that we must follow the laws of the land!

[JPPT1974]

Ain't that the truth Mylass!

[Some people call me...Tim]

The Bible states that we must follow the laws of the land!

What if that land doesn't go off the beliefs on which it is founded on. What if that land if full of hatred and its laws are meaning less? Another reason i have a problem believing...

[NotAshamed]

What is sin you may ask. In the Godly sense it is disobeying G_D. In our society here in the U.S.A. if the law says the speed limit says 35mph and you are driving 40mph you are guilty of sin aka the laws set forth by civil society.