I was wondering what people thought about CCC 1860, that unintentional ignorance can possibly completely diminish the gravity of a sin to be mortal sin. Of course, venial sin still wounds the relationship with God, but mortal sin turns the person away from God.
Is it better for a person to remain in the dark about their sin so that their venial sin won’t become mortal sin?
For example, a couple, born Catholics, had parents that didn’t teach them about the faith, and that they never learned enough about their faith to know about sins relating to the adult nature of sex. They stopped practicing at a young age. They never learned that using contraception is sinful, in fact, they have been inundated by secular beliefs that contraception is very good. They’ve been using contraception for years, and they got to know a devout Catholic friend. The friend could tell them that contraception is a sin, and it could either result in them stopping the use of contraceptive or for them to sever ties with the friend, but now they are using contraceptives in full knowledge of their sin.
Now, I’m not looking for answers to the example. I am simply looking for your thoughts on the fact that giving someone knowledge of their sin can turn their venial sin into a mortal sin, and if it’s a good or bad thing to tell them about it. Is it better to remain in a state of perpetual venial sin, or is it better to realize it is mortal sin and have the freedom and chance of correcting it even if it means that their choice might be to further lose more of their salvation? Are we morally culpable if we do not provide the knowledge of what is sinful?
I personally think it’s always better to tell them. The secular world is banking on the fact that people are uninformed about what’s wrong. I do believe we are morally culpable if we don’t do anything, and I know that delivering such information requires the most charitable and delicate tone, however, if we do not act at all because we’re afraid of hurting feelings, it’s not their feelings that we should be concerned about, but their spiritual life.