Apologetics 101: Was the poisoning of the Toomer Oaks a mortal sin?

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI
Q:
I find the actions of the person who poisoned those trees at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn to be very disturbing and I was wondering if what they did would rate as a mortal sin?

A:

I have my opinion on this, but before I give my opinion, I would like to say that my opinion doesn’t really count. Only God knows for sure if this action constitutes a mortal sin or not. We can speculate given the facts and circumstances as we know them, but in the end, only God knows the heart of man. Our job, in all instances where sin is committed - mortal or venial - is to do what we can to help everyone turn to God, repent of their sins, and seek forgiveness.

There are three things that must be present for a mortal sin to occur:

1. The person is operating with enough intellectual capacity to know that what they are doing is wrong; 
2. They are doing it with the full consent of their will - no coercion; and 
3. Grave matter is involved.

In the instance of the tree poisonings, it seems as if the first two criteria - knowledge of wrong-doing and free consent of the will were met, unless this person has some sort of mental illness that no one is currently aware of. The question is, then, does this action constitute grave matter?

Well, I don’t know if the act itself, poisoning two trees, would constitute grave matter. It might, but it might not. On the one hand, it was two trees that were poisoned, not two human beings. On the other hand, these are not your ordinary trees. These trees are part of a tradition and ritual that affect tens of thousands of people. Plus, replacing these two trees will cost into the tens of thousands of dollars. So, it very well may be that the act of poisoning these two particular trees constitutes grave matter.

But, what is probably more relevant in this instance, is that it would seem these poisonings were born of an intense hatred and malice. To hate someone, or a group of people, to the extent that was needed to commit this act, undoubtedly constitutes graver matter than the actual act of poisoning two trees. Again, God alone knows the heart of man, but if hatred and malice were indeed the motivating factors for this action, as they seem to have been, then the probability of this action constituting mortal sin seems to be very high.

The thing that I find most disturbing about this whole incident, though, is the attention its getting from the media and from the general public. It’s been headline news on most local stations in the state for several days. On Twitter and Facebook it has been talked about over and over again. In people’s conversations at home, work, and at play it has been topic numero uno. The Birmingham News has had headline after headline, on the sports page and in their editorials, about what a horrible thing this was and lamenting about how the rivalry between Auburn and Alabama has gotten so out of hand that it could come to this. Internet headlines: “Thousands mourn...” And so on.

Yet, on the day those trees were poisoned, and every day since, 3000 unborn babies were killed in their mothers’ wombs in this country. Where is the Birmingham News reporting on what a terrible thing this is? Why aren’t they talking about how out of hand society has gotten when it routinely kills its most vulnerable? Why aren’t ordinary people outraged about that? Why aren’t thousands mourning? Why aren’t the local TV and radio stations covering that story and asking, “How has it gotten to this point?” Why aren’t they lamenting this sickness in our society?

Two trees are poisoned, and thousands of hours are spent by the media reporting on it and millions of people are talking about it. Three thousand unborn babies were killed today, and nary a peep. Make room, Alice, society is falling down the rabbit hole.

About John Martignoni
John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

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