It used to be a mortal sin in the Catholic Church to eat meat on Friday so here's the question....?

Question

When the Catholic Church changed the rules and it was no longer forbidden to eat meat on Friday, what happened to the people who went to hell for breaking that rule? Did they get let out?

Responding to some answers, regardless of others' experience, I was taught that this WAS a mortal sin. 50s and 60s Catholic schools in my area taught a rather brutal and very black and white version of sin and punishment.

This question is from a pamphlet produced by a local Catholic church which for those who had fallen away from the church and were thinking about returning.

Other experiences may differ, but in Catholic school, I was not taught there were gray areas nor any difference in church law; the no Friday meat rule was clearly mortal sin.

Soon after, the church and its educators became more enlightened. But in my experience it frankly amounted to abuse for the sake of mind control.

Imagine a bunch of second grade kids hearing this: If you die in mortal sin you go to hell and spend forever burning in indescribable agony. If you wiped the Rockys every 1000 years with a towel, when they were worn down, forever would have just begun. That's not trivial, its abuse.

Answer 1

It's still against tradition to eat red meat on Fridays during Lent.

I doubt something that small would doom anyone to hell. I don't think God really cares about the small things, but about the goodness of your soul.

Answer 2

I sure hope so lol. That said, in the early church there were many fishermen. Some of the apostles were fishermen. During the early years of the church, when they actually got organized it was decided that the fishermen of the time needed some support. If all Catholics were told to eat fish once a week the fishermen would make some money. Therefore another man made church law. Celibacy is the same. Up until I think the 12th or13th century all clergy could be married. The Catholic Church had a 12 yr old Pope. When they felt they could no longer amass riches and support families of priests well the families had to go. That's how it works in any religion. Someone decides that ______ is not good so they say God prohibits it. It's worked for centuries.

Answer 3

It never was a mortal sin. It was a venial sin. The kind of sin that could be wored out in the atonement after confession.

Regarding the rule change, you have to recall the whole point of rules and what was regarded as a sin. The sin is based on the intent as much as the act. If a person knowingly sinned, then he was "guilty" and would be punished for doing it. Just because the rules changed later, he would not automatically be forgiven if the the act if it were done before the change.

If you believe in all this, then you can rest easy. Nobody burned in hell over eating meat on Friday.

Answer 4

The Catholic Church changed a lot of rules. And yes, if you ate meat on Friday's you were suppose to be damned to hell. As well as if a baby wasn't baptized before he/she died, that baby went to Limbo.... Now there is no more Limbo....where did all the babies souls go? There were a lot of pretenders who were Popes. What happened to all the saints that were de-sainted, like St. Christopher????? I know for a fact, that at one time if your friends were not Catholic, you were sinning, because the Catholic church was the only church, and the Catholics were the only true religion. If you passed a non-Catholic church and you even attempted to go near the door, you were told that you would be struck by lightening.
The Catholic Church has a lot of rules, Canon laws, etc. that you were taught if you broke them you would pay by the fires of hell or purgatory.

Answer 5

1. It was never a mortal sin to eat meat on Friday: "Thou shalt not eat meat on Friday" was never one of the ten commandments.

2. There is a difference between Tradition (teachings and doctrine--notice the capital T) and tradition (practices that are commonly accepted, which abstinance from eating meat on Fridays is considered---lower-case t). This is STILL a tradition (notice the little t) among Catholics. Just because a bunch of misinformed nuns hammered it into the heads of little kids because it was easier for them than reasoning with them doesn't make it Doctrine.

3. Catholic Tradition (notice the big T) states that salvation belongs to God alone. Therefore, assuming that people are in hell for breaking a rule would be judgement of others. Judging others is forbidden by God, therefore in your flippant way, you've committed a mortal sin.

As Christians, we are commanded to love, forbidden to judge. That simple.

Answer 6

People have never went to hell for eating meat. Just because an organized church makes up a rule, that does not mean that Jesus condones the rule. Only Jesus made the rules that a Christian of any denomination must follow.

Follow the teachings of Jesus, and you will be happier, more content in life, and you will go to Heaven if such place does exist in the hereafter. You may feel free in ignoring without fear all rules made up by any and all churches. Manmade rules are not imperatives required for entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. Trust me on this one! And rest in your new awareness of the simplicity of the truth.

Answer 7

Eating meat on Friday was a "rule or discipline" of the Catholic Church, and it applied only to members of the Catholic Church. Since it was a Church "Rule or discipline" the Church was free to change it.

Let me ask this: The speed limit on the highway out here is 65 MPH. Several years ago it was 55 MPH. Can those who received speeding tickets several years ago for 62 MPH ask for a refund?

The rules in place when the act was committed are the rules that apply.

Answer 8

Lucky for us all, God is the only one who determines who does and doesn't go to hell. If man (the church) was in charge of that we'd all be in trouble. The spirit of religion has taken over in many church organizations to make men think they have that much control, which is where we get all the stupid, not found in the bible, tradition of men rules. The bible actually specifically warns against this, saying that if you add to or take away from what is in the bible you are cursed. So religion brings a curse on itself by doing this, and becomes corrupt. So my answer would be, that nobody ever went to hell for eating meat on a Friday.

Answer 9

My friend, if those people were in Hell, it was NOT for eating meat on Friday.
I have a brother who is a member of the Catholic religion so I understand your question. I have been a born again believer for a few years and have studied the Bible for various other questions. In the book of Acts, Peter had a vision from Heaven and the interpretation was given to him. If God says that something is okay, who are we to disagree?
The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. So just because a person eats meat on Friday - even Catholics - it doesn't mean they are on an irreversible path to Hell.
If you do not believe me, fine. Read the Bible for yourself.

Answer 10

Nobody went to hell for eating meat on Fridays. That is one of the Catholic Church's many laws and rules to be in control of what their followers do and say. If you do some research, you will see that most of what we were taught in Catechism won't be found in The Bible. These are added. The Bible says:

"What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." Deut. 12:32 [KJV]

"Every word of God's is pure; he shields those taking refuge in him. Don't add anything to his words; or he will rebuke you, and you, found a liar" [Prov. 30:5-6 CJB]

I grew up Catholic and I remember always being afraid of going to hell if I did this or that, or if I didn't go to confession. That's no way to live.

I mean no disrespect, but the Catholic religion has their own way of thinking and doing things that has nothing to do with whether or not someone will go to heaven or hell.
God isn't about that. Catholics took the phrase, God is to be "feared" at a literal term, but it means that God is to be "respected".

God is such an Awesome Being who loves us so much. He wouldn't send us to hell for eating a steak on Friday. He has our best interest at heart. We as individuals just seem to go against Him on a daily basis by breaking His 10 Commandments, which are written in The Bible. Those are what we are to follow and really try our hardest to live by.

Of course, when Jesus died for our sins, we are now covered in a New Covenant, therefore, we must abide to what He commanded in the New Testament.
Jesus says in John 15:12-13: “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Answer 11

I do not believe that anyone went to hell for eating meat or not eating meat or anything else for that matter. I beleive that it was something that was braught up to be a sacrifice for GOD. If you could go without meat for one day that would show as repect for your love and faith in your Lord. Just like not working on the sabbath day. 100 years ago maybe peolple did not work on sabbath but many years agao the day of the week that is actually sabbath was changed to sunday due to it being more conveinent for the working man. Just like christmas day, or the birthday of CHRIST is not really the 25 it is truly the 23. It was chaged at some point in time. so if you work on sunday it does mean that you will go to hell. Just ;ike for example sex before marriage and adultery is a sin. so because a girl has a baby or cheats sh cannot be forgiven if she asks for forgiveness? It was a sin that was committed so does she have to be condemed to hell forever? I don't think so. SIns are like th rules that God has given the earth. His version of right or wrong. We are his children he has to mold us and teach us and nurture us. And yes I do believe that you will be punished for committing sin if you dont repent. I do beleive that if you live your life by Christ he will take care of you in every aspect of your life.