What are sins in Catholic Church?

Answer 1

The Catholic Church uses the seven deadly sins as the basis of classifying all sins. In addition to this It has four sins that are specifically designated as "The Four Sins that Cry to Heaven for Vengeneance". These are:

* Willful murder * Sins against nature (sodomy) * Taking advantage of the Poor * Defrauding the laborer of his/her wages Specific sins to Catholicism would include offenses against Church law and practice. The possibility of sins of this kind are so numerous they can only be discerned by a study of canon law. Basically, any transgression done maliciously against the authority of the Church, its ministers, its ceremonies as well as the neglect of one's Catholic duties (such as receiving Communion once a year at Easter, going to Confession once a year, etc.) would be a sin for a Catholic.

Answer 2

Sins are things that we do, think, or say that move us away from God. There are two types of sins: mortal (serious) and venial (lesser, yet still important). I like to think that of a long road, with eternal togetherness with God being the end. When we develop a virtue or do something good, we move closer to the end. But when we sin or do something God doesn't want us to do, we get pushed farther away from the end, making the journey longer.

Roman Catholic AnswerSins are thoughts, words, or deeds which are contrary to the Will of God. God made us, and he made us with an infinite desire. The only "infinite" in the world (or out of it) is God; anytime we try to choose something less than God, we sin as we are choosing an idol, we are making something that is not God into a god and thus sinning. One incomplete analogy might be: anytime you are trying to use a tool for something for which it was not created, like a knife for a screwdriver, or some such thing, you are distorting its purpose. That is similar: anytime you are trying to use your body, your mind, or your spirit, for something other than glorifying God, you are distorting your purpose, the reason for which you were created and brought into being.

from

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

II. The Definition of Sin

1849

Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law." (St. Augustine, Contra Faustum 22: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 42, 418; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I-II, 71, 6)

1850

Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight." (Psalm51:4) Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods," (Genesis 3:5) knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God." (St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 14, 28: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina {Paris: 1841-1855} 41, 436) In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation. (Cf. Phil 2:6-9)