The Sin of Omission

[Xipe Totec]

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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omission

Was is a sin to watch a man's house burn to the ground and do nothing?

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."

- Proverbs 3:27

[RagAss]

1. Is it a sin to hide pedophiles ???

[Xipe Totec]

2. Yes

Your response is neither surprising, constructive, nor original.

[RagAss]

3. Reality sucks.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. "from those to whom it is due"

Right now, America can't decided to whom goodness is due. That's what most of the fighting is about.

Ironically, most Americans claim to follow this Jesus guy. Someone asked him, "Who is my neighbor?" He responded with a story illustrating that everyone is your neighbor and goodness is due to all of them.

So the Jesus people when spelunking through another part of their book until they found sections on hating, killing, driving out, etc.

That suited them better, so that's how the whole "Jesus" thing eventually played out.

[JVS]

5. I'll take your sin of omisssion and raise you Aquina's Doctrine of the Double Effect

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_double_effect

The principle of double effect; also known as the rule of double effect; the doctrine of double effect, abbreviated to DDE; double-effect reasoning; or simply double effect, is a set of ethical criteria for evaluating the permissibility of acting when one's otherwise legitimate act (for example, relieving a terminally ill patient's pain) will also cause an effect one would normally be obliged to avoid (for example, the patient's death.) Double-effect originates in Thomas Aquinas's treatment of homicidal self-defense (Summa Theologiae, IIa-IIae Q. 64, art. 7).
This set of criteria states that an action having foreseen harmful effects practically inseparable from the good effect is justifiable if upon satisfaction of the following:
the nature of the act is itself good, or at least morally neutral;
the agent intends the good effect and not the bad either as a means to the good or as an end itself;
the good effect outweighs the bad effect in circumstances sufficiently grave to justify causing the bad effect and the agent exercises due diligence to minimize the harm.

[Rex]

6. Your post is arguing against your own intentions.

Just thought I'd let ya know.

[JVS]

7. Nope.

This set of criteria states that an action having foreseen harmful effects practically inseparable from the good effect is justifiable if upon satisfaction of the following:
the nature of the act is itself good, or at least morally neutral;
the agent intends the good effect and not the bad either as a means to the good or as an end itself;
the good effect outweighs the bad effect in circumstances sufficiently grave to justify causing the bad effect and the agent exercises due diligence to minimize the harm.



The action is sitting still at the fire house. This is morally neutral.
The Agent intends the good effect of increasing payments of the $75 in order to keep the fire department solvent and able to provide the service to everyone.
The good effect is that many houses will be saved from fire. The bad effect in the circumstance is that one house burns.

[opihimoimoi]

8. well said... :o)

[Xipe Totec]

10. I call your bluff and show Analysis Paralisis

The term "analysis paralysis" or "paralysis of analysis" refers to over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation, so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. A decision can be treated as over-complicated, with too many detailed options, so that a choice is never made, rather than try something and change if a major problem arises. A person might be seeking the optimal or "perfect" solution upfront, and fear making any decision which could lead to erroneous results, when on the way to a better solution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis

[demosincebirth]

9. How many of us are guilty of that sin?.I know many times i should have

said or done something and I didn't. Thanks for posting.

[Xipe Totec]

11. We are all guilty of inaction at some point or another

In my long life, I have more regrets for actions I did not take, than actions I actually took.

I have rarely regretted acting in a moment of crisis.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6602619

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=230x3915

I have often regretted standing by, when I could have helped.

[Cleita]

12. I understand they are already feeling the guilt,

the fire responders. The man whose house burned down said so on KO tonight. He says that he's heard some of the firemen involved are having regrets and even crying about what happened.

[Xipe Totec]

13. What they did goes against their sense of decency

I would be in tears too.

Which is more than I can say for some of our fellow posters here in DU.

I have a lump in my throat just saying it.