Are we held responsible for our thoughts and imaginations?

The Details of the Question

Are we held responsible for our thoughts and imaginations?

The Answer

Dear Brother / Sister,

We are not regarded to have committed sins due to the evil things in our imagination. However, we believe that we should be careful because these willingly imagined thoughts can cause us to waste the blessing of imagination and can lead us to make various mistakes. At least, it is a waste of time and imagination.

We are not responsible for the images which we unwillingly think of and which come to our minds. Responsibility is in question for voluntary deeds. In other words, people are held responsible for the deeds which they choose to do based on their own will. Nevertheless, will is not in question related to evil thoughts that come to the mind. That is, you have not decided to think of evil things and have not committed them. For this reason, you are not held responsible for them. It is best to ignore them considering them as delusions of Satan.

Satan can impose his delusions on people’s hearts from the place called “sign of devil” next to the heart. The proof that these words and thoughts implied are not the products of the heart is the heart’s becoming nervous due to them. For example, even if a person observes the beauty of the sky through a dirty telescope, the dirt does not smear on neither the observer nor the observed. So, such words and thoughts are those of Satan and they do not harm us. The real damage is to trying to get rid of it in vain or becoming afraid, thinking that it is dangerous.

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