Scrupulosity is obsessive concern with one's personal sins, including "sinful" acts or thoughts usually considered minor or not sins at all within one's religious tradition. The condition can occur in nearly all religions having some sort of religious code (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.). The term is derived from the Latin scrupulus, a sharp stone, implying a stabbing pain on the conscience. This page is about sin in the context of religion. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

In modern times, scrupulosity is often considered to be a religious expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. The scrupulous person lacks a "normal" or balanced religious outlook, veering to the extreme. Often the person has a morbid feeling that he or she is rejected by God and doomed to damnation in spite of rigid adherence to rituals or rules of conduct. The over-scrupulous person may refuse to acknowledge the verdict of otherwise accepted religious authorities that he or she is being excessively concerned with moot religious points. Scrupulous behavior can take the form of repeated ritual observances or other "cleansing" behavior, such as baths -- in severe cases, as many as 35 baths a day. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... // [edit] Religious In some forms of Western Christian belief, damnation to hell is the punishment of God for persons with unredeemed sin. ...

In Catholicism, scrupulosity in itself is not considered to be sinful; some well-known saints, including Ignatius Loyola, Alphonsus Liguori, and perhaps Faustina Kowalska, have suffered from scrupulosity. Some Catholic scholars have speculated that Martin Luther, whose ideas and writings helped give rise to the Protestant Reformation, suffered from scrupulosity and broke with the Catholic Church because he could not accept Catholic assurances of grace in the face of his feelings of sinfulness. Ignatius of Loyola Saint Ignatius of Loyola (December 24, 1491? – July 31, 1556), baptized Íñigo López de Loyola, was the founder of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order commonly known as the Jesuits that was established to strengthen the Church, initially against Protestantism. ... Saint Alphonsus Liguori (27 September 1696 – 1 August 1787) founded the Roman Catholic order, the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer popularly known as the Redemptorists. ... Missing image Saint Faustina Saint Faustina, of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland (August 25, 1905 - October 5, 1938), born Maria Helena Kowalska, is perhaps best known for her promotion of the devotion to the Divine Mercy, and her inspired painting of the same name. ... Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement in the 16th century to reform the Catholic Church in Western Europe. ... In Christianity, divine grace refers to the sovereign favor of God for humankind, as manifest in the blessings bestowed upon all —irrespective of actions (deeds), earned worth, or proven goodness. ...

Protestants are likely to disagree that scrupulosity was the basis for Luther's actions, but some agree that he suffered from scrupulosity. Some Protestants also find traces of scrupulosity in the writings of the 17th century Puritan pastor and author, John Bunyan (well known for his work, The Pilgrim's Progress). This article describes a highly specialized aspect of its subject. ... John Bunyan. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Pilgrims Progress The Pilgrims Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (published 1678) is an allegorical novel. ...

In treating scrupulosity, medical treatment for OCD may be used with or without religious counseling. To help the individual conquer his or her scrupulosity, a pastor, priest, imam, rabbi, or other spiritual director will often counsel the afflicted person to focus on positive, objective messages of religious faith rather than subjective feelings of sinfulness and objection; he or she may also advise the person to avoid typical scrupulous behaviors such as (in Catholicism) re-confessing past sins already confessed or taking repeated baths. Main article: Minister of religion A pastor is the head minister or priest of a Christian church. ... Roman Catholic priests in traditional clerical clothing. ... Imam (Arabic: إمام ,Persian: امام ) is an Arabic word meaning leader. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy Rabbi (Sephardic Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī; Ashkenazi Hebrew רֶבִּי rebbī or rebbə; and modern Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished (in... Spiritual direction is a practice of asceticism for Christians who are aiming for sanctity. ... In criminal proceedings, a confession is a document in which a suspect admits having committed a crime. ...

References

• Thomas M. Santa, Understanding Scrupulosity: Helpful Answers for Those Who Experience Nagging Questions and Doubts (Ligouri, 1999)

• Joseph W. Ciarrocchi, The Doubting Disease: Help for Scrupulosity and Religious Compulsions (Paulist Press, 1995)

External links

• Scrupulous Anonymous
• OCD Sufferers Consumed by Religion
• Scrupulosity: Religious Obesessions and Compulsions
• God Forbid
• Life of a Scruple