Expert: Tom Schott - 2/14/2005

Question
Thanks deacon that did help, i had a few more questions i hope you can answer these, these are things i worry about everyday and too scared to ask som1 in person, so if you answered these question you would be helping me a whole lot, so please take your time, thank you and god bless you.
I have a friend who say they have a homosexual orientation, and they have no problem staying away from homosexual relationships and sodomy, are they still sinning?

is fantasyzing a sin? what if a person fantasizes about 2 heterosexuals having sex is that a sin?, whats an expample of fantasising?

sexual thought ABOUT 2 PEOPLE HAVING SEX a sin?

Is a sexual or homosexul desire a sin?what is an example of this?

is a homosexual tendency a sin, what is an example of this?

if a practicing homosexual never confesses to there homosexual sin can they still go to heaven if they obey all other gods beliefs?
do you need to confess to all your sins in order to get into heaven

my teen masturbates all the time while watching 2 people on tv having sex deacon what should i do i tried talking to him and asking other deacons and priest, i dont understand what they are telling me still, is this natural for him? is this considered a sin?

thank you and god bless you


Answer
Ryan,

 To have a tendency and not act on it is not a sin. To have natural human desires, such as to have sex with someone of the opposite sex is not a sin. To fanatasize about sex is not a sin--it is a natural human behavior. God will judge the practicing homosexual who never confesses. We cannot judge this or know that person's heart. Getting to heaven is not about following the letter of the Church's law about confessing, but about the disposition of the heart. God will be just and fair in his judgments. Excessive masturbation could be a sign of deeper psychological problems, but what is excessive for a healthy teenageed boy? The Church considers masturbation "gravely disordered" behavior, but it also recognizes that there are countless factors that may lessen the seriousness of this behavior. I would definitely remove the access of my teen to pornography on TV that he uses as a masturbation aid. I hope this helps. You seem to me to be a sincere person who is overly concerned about sexual matters. Remember that six is a powerful human drive. It has been placed there by God, so unless we act inappropriately on this desire, it should be considered natural and not sinful. It is no sin to have desires and fanatasies.

Deacon Tom