[adiaireton8]

Do you think it is not possible to have sinful desires? More specifically, do you think that if action x is wrong, then desiring to do action x is not wrong?

-A8

[cammie]

I think, and the Church has traditionally taught, that the “sin” isn’t being homosexual, it is engaging in homosexual acts.

[EKrusling]

Do you think it is not possible to have sinful desires? More specifically, do you think that if action x is wrong, then desiring to do action x is not wrong?

I think a distinction needs to be made here between the desire and the temptation to do sin.

In my mind, the word desire translates into a want to do a thing and the willingness to do it if other obstacles/consequences didn't exist. By this meaning of the word desire to sin can definitely be sinful in itself.

This is different from temptation. Here, a person feels an inclination to sin in some way but retrains oneself not for fear of its consequences but because of an understanding of the wrongness of the act and for the sake of God. Temptation in itself is not sinful. In fact, fortitude in resisting very strong temptations is a great virtue. However, as the leaders of the Church are figuring out, powerful temptations of a sexual nature can render good people unable to properly approach and minister to folks without those feelings. Furthermore, because of the nature of the sin the gravitate towards, and the consequences of the sin, they cannot be trusted in certain roles.