Lord's name in Vain a Mortal Sin?

[cairaiii]

A few days ago in traffic I used the Lord's name as a curse to a fellow motorist who thought I was letting him go but wasn't. I really didn't mean to say it and knew it was a sin instantly after I said it.

Am I unclean to recive the Lord? It is my cousins wedding tommorow, I'd really like to but my spiritual family is more important to me than what my real family thinks.

Love to hear from ya.

 

[Carrye]

The criteria for mortal sin are:

Grave matter - something that breaks the 10 Commandments

Full knowledge - knowing that it is wrong, and doing it anyway

Consent - you freely chose to do it; no one forced you or coerced you.

What do you think? Mortal or venial?

 

[Look Homeward Anglican]

You did not premeditate this sin, did you? You did not act on full consent of the will, because it was an instantaneous reaction to an immediate scare. It was an instinct, verbalized. But I would not presume to know what was in your heart at the crucial moment. This is up to you.

 

[CrystalBrooke]

id say it is, i let it slip once and cried and asked for forgivness immediatly after.

 

[cairaiii]

I'm almost positive that I did it without thinking. However I probably won't recive, better safe than sorry.

 

[Kusanagi]

The criteria for mortal sin are:

Grave matter - something that breaks the 10 Commandments

Full knowledge - knowing that it is wrong, and doing it anyway

Consent - you freely chose to do it; no one forced you or coerced you.

What do you think? Mortal or venial?

This is the thing that I am struggling to figure out, especialy in a situation where you just blirt out the Lord's name in vain without even thinking about it like if it was an impuslive reaction. Often times this can happen in eather out of anger or out of fear (IE almost comming face to face to death, or a stimuli to induce fear into our subconcious mind).

 

[Pogue]

I was taught at my school that taking the Lord's name in vain actually had a broader definition. If you were to swear an oath on the Bible, and then broke the oath, then that would be taking God's name in vain, not necessarily just saying it.
Anyway, that's arguable and probably a little off topic. I don't believe that it's a mortal sin either way, especially as it wasn't premeditated.

 

[gitlance]

Every now and then I ask God to give me a "smite" button. But he never does.

 

[nyj]

This is the thing that I am struggling to figure out, especialy in a situation where you just blirt out the Lord's name in vain without even thinking about it like if it was an impuslive reaction. Often times this can happen in eather out of anger or out of fear (IE almost comming face to face to death, or a stimuli to induce fear into our subconcious mind).

An occassional slip would IMO not be mortal. It's a grave offense against our Lord, but He knows the circumstances surrounding our missteps. However, do you take steps afterwards to ensure this doesn't happen again, or do you continue putting yourself in situations where you will slip up and have taken no precautions in training yourself to avoid these slips of the tongue? As we continue with these "slips" I would contend that our excuses become less and less, and we must face the fact that we're merely attempting to abuse some sort of system. Nevermind that venial sins still kill charity and they should not be overlooked just because they were done in the heat of moment.

 

[HisKid1973]

Two things to remember: As a believer in Christ we bless and curse not.. Fresh and bitter water should not come from the same fountain ( James 3 ) and pray for our enemies..Matt. 5:44..Remember, It,s what comes out of the mouth that defiles us..Check your heart to see what's causing it..shalom..Kim

 

[RoseofLima]

I'm almost positive that I did it without thinking. However I probably won't recive, better safe than sorry.

I don't think refraining from the Eucharist because of possible sins all that prudent, personally--expecially from someone who admittedly has trouble allowing God to forgive her and releasing her sins.

Here it is--you are asking here whether or not this is a mortal sin.....if you don't know that ahead of time and then freely do it anyway (which means that you are not angry, which even in secular law decreases culpability)...you are not steadfastly rejecting the gift of the Holy Spirit. You have to know it is gravely wrong ahead of time, and then freely consent to it.

I think Satan works double time on our guilt and discouragement to keep us from reciving the source and summit of all garces--the Eucharist.

ANd best yet-- just go to confession and confess...

 

[Look Homeward Anglican]

Every now and then I ask God to give me a "smite" button. But he never does.

You too, ay?

 

[Carrye]

An occassional slip would IMO not be mortal.

I tend to agree. My point was not to "convict" the OP, but to show him how to work these things out himself.

 

[pax]

The rule of thumb that I've been following is that if you are honestly not sure about whether or not you gave consent, you probably didn't have sufficient opportunity to reflect on what you were doing. It probably isn't mortal in that instance, but it might be a good idea to talk to a good confessor about it and try to get a better understanding so your conscience becomes better formed. I've found that helps a lot.