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Robert Tuccechira wrote:

Dear Fathers,

I am living a life of penance through my celibacy, charity, and 2-3 hours of prayer a day, and I plan to donate one of my kidneys, all for the sake of love and penance.

I watched a daytime TV soap opera and there was a kissing scene. There was no nudity and I did not have a sexual experience at all but, because of the great guilt I had, I could only watch it for ten seconds.

  • Do I still need to go to Confession even though there was no nudity and I did not have a sexual experience at all?

I want to be without sin.

Respectfully,

Robert

  { Do I need to go to Confession after watching a soap opera even though I had no sexual experience? }

Paul replied:

Dear Robert,

We are not priests, but laymen who love the Church.

In my opinion, if you did not deliberately watch something you believed would sexually arouse you, you're okay. Lust is the sin to avoid. Only you can check your conscience on this.

Peace,

Paul

Eric replied:

Robert,

Watching a kissing scene is not intrinsically sinful.

  • However, I have to ask, if you are pursuing the life of virtue that you claim to be, why are you watching soap operas in the first place, and why are you thrown off when you see a mere kissing scene?

Soap operas are well known for portraying gratuitous immorality of all sorts, especially gross sexual immorality.

  • How is watching them helping you pursue your life of virtue?

Of course, I don't know whether you:

  • were channel surfing and briefly stopped at the scene in question, not realizing it was a soap opera (in which case you've done nothing wrong), or whether you
  • are an avid soap opera fan (in which case you need to examine your motives and priorities).

Sin starts in the heart, not on the television screen.

Eric

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