The “seven deadly sins” confuse a lot of people.
Back in 2008, a rumor spread that the Vatican declared more deadly sins. It came from an interview with Gianfranco Girotti, the head bishop of the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary. (I know; this sounds like the Vatican prison. It’s actually the theologians who handle questions about sin, repentance, and forgiveness.) Anyway, in Girotti’s interview with L’Osservatore Romano on 7 March 2008, he listed certain present-day practices which he believed have a harmful global impact: Pollution, drug trafficking, embryo-destroying research, other unethical human experiments, abortion, pedophilia, and economic injustice.
Somehow the press converted this into “The Vatican announced there are new sins!” And since your average reporter (lapsed Catholics included) know bupkis about the seven deadly sins, they just assumed there are now 14 deadly sins. Now littering is gonna send you to hell.
Like I said, they confuse people.
Most people figure
Loads of people think the seven deadly sins are in the bible. And they actually are. Just not in the form of a list.
I’ve heard Protestants claim the list is found in Catholic bibles. Well, maybe if it’s a Catholic study bible, it’ll be in the notes, but no. You’ll find passages—in all bibles—which rebuke these attitudes and the behaviors they cause. And whether you’re Catholic or not, you might wanna know about them. So here’s the list, in convenient chart form.
DEADLY SIN | LATIN | OUT-OF-CONTROL DESIRE | OPPOSITE VIRTUE | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | LECHERY | luxuria/“sexual lust” | For sex. | Purity |
2. | GLUTTONY | gula | For food, drink, intoxicants. | Moderation |
3. | GREED | avaritia/“avarice” | For money, wealth, possessions. | Generosity |
4. | LAZINESS | acedia/“sloth, discouragement” | To evade responsibility, avoid work, stay uninvolved. | Integrity |
5. | WRATH | ira/“anger” | To fight, take revenge, act out of rage or bitterness. | Meekness |
6. | ENVY | invidia/“begrudge” | To covet, be jealous. | Kindness |
7. | PRIDE | superbia/“magnificence” | To exalt oneself: Self-praise, self-promotion. | Humility |
What makes ’em deadly? Well,