What R The 7 Deadly Sins?

The Seven Deadly Sins list is a legacy from medieval times, originating in Greek philosophy and later adopted and adapted by the Catholic church. Humans have been intrigued by the concept, and even artists such as Hieronymus Bosch have captured the essence.

While you won't find the 7 sins in the Bible listed as we have come to know and love them, the holy book was certainly one source for the idea. Also known as capital sins, they are the source and origin of all other, less serious sins. Name a vice and/or a sin and chances are it is related to one of the seven big ones.

There is something rather musty, decrepit and depressing about these sins - they still have that old-fashioned, outdated air about them. We can easily picture the somber nuns, monks and priests preaching to the unwashed multitudes about the disastrous results of these venalities.

But while the woodcuts and antique book versions may be outmoded, the seven deadlies are alive and well in today's world. In fact, they never went away, they only became transformed and sometimes unrecognizable in these modern times.

We’re going to unveil some modern examples in this article and welcome you to do the same!

First stop on today's list of the 7 Deadly Sins is WRATH. The most visible modern arena for the capital sin of wrath or anger is on today's highways, roads, expressways and freeways - the infamous syndrome of road rage.

Most of us have had some sort of run-in with a person deep in the grips of this truly deadly sin. It's deadly and dangerous to the sinner and to everyone around him or her, for obvious reasons.

It seems that the pressures and tensions of modern life can be released out on the roads where nobody knows who you are - just another victim lost to the sin of wrath.

Let us also not forget the wrath and anger we see daily on the news, with victims of homicide, domestic violence, child abuse and much more. Wrath seems to be all around us, wherever we look.

Third on the Seven Deadly Sins list is SLOTH. Laziness has certainly lost its place on anyone's list of sins, deadly or not. And rightfully so - the idea that there is something wrong with doing nothing is probably a bit Puritanical - after all, didn't Jesus say basically not to worry, to be happy?

But there is a role and a place in the modern world where being lazy is a great sin - as the parent in the average ordinary home. Parenting has become a matter of regulating which distractions the child can be busied with, and how much the parent can get away with not doing.

Simple laziness as a parent is leading to many huge problems in our world - failing schools, rising crime, lack of knowledge and decreased importance of learning. And as the slothful are parented by the slothful and become lazy parents themselves, the solution is nowhere in sight.

It is also rare to witness anyone going "above and beyond" for others anymore - more likely you will encounter those who squeak by doing the bare minimum, even if it negatively impacts others.

At 4th place in the Seven Deadly Sins is PRIDE. When the medieval priests warned against pride, they were talking about a human foible in which a person would be proud of a personal quality or characteristic. These days, pride pretty much means pride of ownership - a big part of keeping up with the Joneses, as it is known. People who have enough money to buy things are proud of owning the things they buy - and feel superior to the neighbor who isn't keeping up. We love our possessions, and are especially proud of our cars, houses, boats, motorcycles, jewelery, TVs, swimming pools, and so on. Pride leads to all sorts of other sins and vices, so it is really a capital sin.

Marrying one for wealth or status, so you can surround yourself with "things" is, sadly, not uncommon - and healthy love begins to disappear...

Fifth of the 7 Deadly Sins list is LUST. Way back in the old days, just being naturally and normally interested in the opposite sex was a big sin. If those monks, nuns, and priests from the middle ages could only see what we have now.

Adult content on the Internet is an unbelievably huge business, raking in billions of dollars a year. There are now support groups for such addicts, books about how to quit the habit, and therapists trained in treating the addiction. Lust is actually becoming a syndrome needing intervention, which would probably make those old geezers laugh.

In addition, promiscuity in the very young, divorces from adultery and a rising increase in STDs might be telling us that lust is running out of control.

Next in line of the 7 Deadly Sins is ENVY. This is a hard sin to get a good grasp of, because we often confuse it with jealousy. To start with, jealousy involves 3 people, and has to do generally with love and affection - the fear of losing it to a rival.

Envy, which only takes two people to make it work, is defined as resenting  another person for possessing something that you don't have but you really want, and wishing that the person you envy didn't have it.

Let's take the example of Bob the neighbor's 55 inch plasma high-definition TV - I really resent the fact that he owns one of those monsters, and I don't. Not only that, I wouldn't mind at all if a solar flare reached into his house and rendered his TV unusable. Envy is wanting to keep up with the Joneses, and wanting to take them down a notch or two at the same time - a very modern emotion.