There was an article in Time Magazine about the Catholic Church's new sin list, and it made me want to revisit the originals - so here they are, courtesy of deadlysins.com - and why someone wanted to make a list of sins and what their religious political beliefs are, I cannot say, but their list is very well laid out:
Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.
Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.
Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.
Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.
Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.
Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.
Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.
Off the top of my head, I never get all 7, but I always forget different ones.
And then, in our 21st century post ironic way, I don't think of all of them as sins. Well, some of them are unpleasant, but envy can motivate us, anger can protect us, a good dose of lust can go a long way, and everyone needs some pride (not an overweening amount, but a little definitely helps.)
And then, in the article, there was the version that Mahatma Gandhi made:-
Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Science without Humanity
Knowledge without Character
Politics without Principle
Commerce without Morality
Worship without Sacrifice
And what an excellent list it is. I read them and know them to be unequivocally true. A much better list to memorize.
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