74 SIN 



in character; and they are not sinful at all if performed 

 for some reasonable cause, even though accompanied by 

 venereal pleasure, provided, of course, no consent is given 

 to such pleasure. 



1. Some sins of lust or impurity are according 

 to the order of nature, others are against nature. 



a) Sins according to the order of nature (in 

 or dine naturae) are all acts of sexual intercourse 

 committed by unmarried persons, e. g., fornica- 

 tion, concubinage, etc. 



b) Sins against the order of nature (contra or- 

 dinem naturae') are those which frustrate the di- 

 vinely ordained purpose of sexual intercourse, 

 e. g., onanism, self-pollution, pederasty, sodomy, 

 etc. 20 



Certain sins of impurity derive additional grav- 

 ity from the attending circumstances, e. g., dou- 

 ble adultery, incest, fornication committed by per- 

 sons vowed to celibacy, 21 seduction practiced by 

 persons in authority upon their subjects, etc. 



2. Lust or impurity is a sin which ought "not 

 so much as be named" among Christians. 22 It 

 involves most serious consequences for the indi- 

 vidual as well as for society. 



a) "Know you not," says St. Paul, "that your 



20Cfr. Gen. XIX, 5-7; XXXVIII, 21 Cfr. Gen. XIX, 31 sqq.; 



9; Ex. XXII, 19; Lev. XVIII, 22 XXVIII, 13 sqq.; 2 Kings XLI, 4; 



sq.; XX, 13, is sq.; Judg. XIX, 22 XIII, 11 sqq. — Cfr. 1 Cor. VI, 



sqq.; Wisd. XIV, 26; Rom. I, 26 15, 19; St. Thomas, Sumtna Theol., 



sq.; 1 Cor. V, 1; VI, 9 sq.; 1 Tim. 2a 2ae, qu. 154, art. 6-10. 



I, 9 iq. 22 1 Cor. V, 1 ; Eph. V, 3. 



