Can the sins of parents be passed down from generation to generation? Exodus 20 speaks of "visiting the iniquity unto the third and fourth generation."

What is the Catholic teaching on that? Are sins (mortal and not confessed) passed down in families?

The apple does not fall far from the tree?

There's the demons/curses running in family aspect, and the simple 'learning by imitation' which all children do so well. Imitating vices and virtues.. whichever you have.

The loss of faith.

There are prots today who can trace their loss of the faith back to the parents who went along with Luther +500 years ago. Quite the heritage.

I was referring to supernatural curses fallen upon children souls as a consequence of the mortal sins of parents, passed down through generations.

I believe there are such curses. Aren't the Jєωs under such a curse because of their deicide?

Quote from: Cantarella

So is that what Exodus 20 talks about?  

A kind of damnation to souls?

I'm not referring to the earthly consequences of sinner parents. They are too obvious. I was referring to supernatural curses fallen upon children souls as a consequence of the mortal sins of parents, passed down through generations.

I don't think its a kind of damnation to souls, I think it compares more to the sin of Adam in that the tendency toward the parent's sin is inherited so to speak to the next 3 or 4 generations - which of course is then handed down to the next 3 or 4 generations and so on.

People who have been raised outside the faith while keeping close relations with their faithless or NO/prot  family and friends  yet convert to and persevere in the true faith is very rare IMO - and those who actually leave those anchors to perdition and convert must receive extra special graces IMO.
 

If there was a curse in my family, which would explain a lot, it was a self curse, because they willingly lived lives of intense evil.

All curses are overcome by the keys of the church, which has the power even to bind demons, and which alone has the power to save souls from any situation.

I learned the faith from the internet 5 years ago, despite the worst of family backgrounds. ( my family are all militant church hating atheists )

Haterz gonna hate.

Children of God gonna convert to Catholic church.

I consider myself a convert.

If what you say is true it explains the great graces I believe I received.

"There is good without evil, but there is never evil without good" St Aquinas
The same is true for situations.

Can the sins of parents be passed down from generation to generation? Exodus 20 speaks of "visiting the iniquity unto the third and fourth generation."

Yes.  

Consider how alcoholism and gambling seems to trail down a family tree.  Or even bigamy and adultery.  


Only the Grace of Christ can stop a curse.  

the only way a person commits a mortal sin ... is if a grave sin is committed with full knowledge and full consent.  

Mortal sin is still mortal sin even if the person does not know it, that is, mortal sin is still mortal sin even without full knowledge.