Omission
Encyclopedia
In Catholic
teaching an omission is a failure to do something one can and ought to do. If this happens advertently and freely, it is considered a sin
.
The degree of guilt
incurred by an omission is measured like that attaching to sins of commission, by the dignity of the virtue and the magnitude of the precept to which the omission is opposed as well as the amount of deliberation.
A person may be guilty of a sin of omission by failing to do something which he is able to do and which he ought to do, by reason of a cause for which he is entirely responsible, as when a person knows that drinking to drunkness will incapacitate him, and yet drinks.
Paul the Apostle refers to this sin directly when he states "For I do not do the good I want ..." (Romans
).
James the Just
more exactly defines this sin when he states, "Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James
)
Another way to phrase the sin of omission would be to say "He who has the ability to act on an injustice, but who stands idly by, is just as guilty as he who holds the knife." ~~Dracano Sapien
"In the end we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends" ~~Martin Luther King
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
teaching an omission is a failure to do something one can and ought to do. If this happens advertently and freely, it is considered a sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
.
The degree of guilt
Guilt
Guilt is the state of being responsible for the commission of an offense. It is also a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has violated a moral standard, and bears significant responsibility for that...
incurred by an omission is measured like that attaching to sins of commission, by the dignity of the virtue and the magnitude of the precept to which the omission is opposed as well as the amount of deliberation.
A person may be guilty of a sin of omission by failing to do something which he is able to do and which he ought to do, by reason of a cause for which he is entirely responsible, as when a person knows that drinking to drunkness will incapacitate him, and yet drinks.
Paul the Apostle refers to this sin directly when he states "For I do not do the good I want ..." (Romans
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, often shortened to Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
).
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James the Just
James the Just
James , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
more exactly defines this sin when he states, "Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James
Epistle of James
The Epistle of James, usually referred to simply as James, is a book in the New Testament. The author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ", with "the earliest extant manuscripts of James usually dated to mid-to-late third century."There are four views...
)
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Another way to phrase the sin of omission would be to say "He who has the ability to act on an injustice, but who stands idly by, is just as guilty as he who holds the knife." ~~Dracano Sapien
"In the end we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends" ~~Martin Luther King
External links
- "Omission", Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...