The Town Hall Archives

Disco Dan · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:23 am Post subject: Dreaming...

Can one do something in a dream while they are sleeping that is sinfull? If you rob a bank in a dream, is it counted as a sin? Yellow Question

rosie · Inquisitive Member Joined: 07 Jan 2003 Posts: 1197

If you have a dream that is just storylike, regular dream stuff, I don't think so. But I think you CAN making choices when you're dreaming, so sin is within the realm of possibility when you're asleep. Sleep is also a vulnerable point for demonic influence for some people, so I think dreams can be more than just plain old dreams sometimes.. But for most people, I would think dreams are perfectly harmless.

Arwen · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:38 am Post subject:

I doubt that it can be a sin. It COULD depend on how the person dreams, but often when I dream it's more something where I was watching myself do things, it wasn't something I could control. Also, dreaming is kind of (although NOT completely) like thinking. I doubt that if I thought about what it would be like to rob a bank, I'd be sinning. Just as long as I'm not actually planning to do it.

Carolita · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 10:58 am Post subject:

Dream about robbing a bank a sin? Hon, I honestly don't think so.

Now, there may be some things you were thinking of before you went to sleep that wouldn't bring pleasure to God. Then that night you dream about it.

But, that's as close as I can come to 'sinning in a dream.'

Melka · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:48 pm Post subject:

you do not sin when you are asleep becuase you are not realy doing anything. If it was something that botherd you, you could pray that God would take the feeling away or stop you from having a simaler one.

EB; it is hard to tell who you are now that you changed to Joey Gladstone.

happysmiler · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 3:13 pm Post subject:

I have wondered about this, too. It's really weird, but I have dreamed a lot that I've done some things that I'd rather not say here, but they weren't very great. And, it's not like I think about doing them, or anything, but I still dream it fairly often. Is it wrong that I dream of doing bad things?

Coralfish · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 3:27 pm Post subject:

I'd hold pretty strongly that things dreamed cannot be considered a sin. Why? Because you had no control over the dream in any usual sense of the word.

Besides, the criterion for sin has to involve an act of the will, does it not?

Now, if you go and act upon anything you may have dreamed, therein lies a completely different problem. Dreams themselves though, by their nature of being out of our control, are not sinful.

Melka · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 3:46 pm Post subject:

That's what I am trying to say. Wink

rosie · Inquisitive Member Joined: 07 Jan 2003 Posts: 1197

I agree mostly, that if you do something in a dream it's not wrong. I guess what I meant was choices of the heart. Sure, you aren't really acting on your choices in the dream, but choices can be made, and therefore sin is possible. I'm not talking about the sort of choice where you see yourself decide to do something, or any regular dream-story. But your heart, your spirit, isn't shut off when you dream. And that's where sin originates. Sure, you aren't really acting on your choice. But isn't hating like murdering? So, you can murder in your sleep and be innocent. Or you can decide to hate someone in your sleep, and murder them, and not be innocent. Do you see what I mean? Most dreams are in a different realm than that of the heart, despite emotions they elicit. But that does not mean choices to sin aren't possible in dreams.

Disco Dan · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:17 pm Post subject: