Are You Guilty??

This post is going to be about the seven sins. I am sure most of us must have seen these words in Mayz's blog. But do we know why is it called 7 sins!? Lemme tell u, the seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen man's tendency to sin. They are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.

But why do you think are these called capital sins?? These sins are called the capital sins because they destroy charity in the person's heart and thus may lead to final impenitence and eternal death. Let's see the real connotation of each of these seven deadly sins. They are:

1. Lust: Lust (or lechery) is usually thought of as excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. Giving in to lusts can lead to sexual or sociological compulsions and/or transgressions including (but not limited to) sexual addiction, fornication, adultery, perversion, and incest. Here the penitent walks within flames to purge himself of lustful/sexual thoughts and feelings.

2. Gluttony: Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. In the Christian religions, it is considered a sin because of the excessive desire for food, or its withholding from the needy.

Depending on the culture, it can be seen as either a vice or a sign of status. Where food is relatively scarce, being able to eat well might be something to take pride in (although this can also result in a moral backlash when confronted with the reality of those less fortunate). Where food is routinely plentiful, it may be considered a sign of self-control to resist the temptation to over-indulge.

3. Greed: Greed (or avarice, covetousness) is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, greed is applied to the acquisition of wealth in particular. St. In this case the penitents were bound and laid face down on the ground for having concentrated too much on earthly thoughts. "Avarice" is more of a blanket term that can describe many other examples of greedy behavior. These include disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason especially for personal gain, for example through bribery. Scavenging and hoarding of materials or objects, theft and robbery, especially by means of violence, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed.

4. Sloth: Sloth is defined as spiritual and/or actual apathy, putting off what God asks you to do, or not doing it or anything at all. Sloth can also concern wasting due to lack of use or allowing entropy, expanding into almost any person, place, thing, skills, or intangible ideal that would require maintenance, refinement and/or support to continue to exist. However, Sloth happens to be considered as a less serious sin as compared to the others.

5. Wrath: Wrath (or anger or "Rage") may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. These feelings can manifest as vehement denial of the truth, both to others and in the form of self-denial, impatience with the procedure of law, and the desire to seek revenge outside of the workings of the justice system and generally wishing to do evil or harm to others. The transgressions borne of vengeance are among the most serious, including murder, assault, and in extreme cases, genocide.

Wrath is the only sin not necessarily associated with selfishness or self-interest (although one can of course be wrathful for selfish reasons, such as jealousy, closely related to the sin of envy). The sin of wrath also encompassed anger pointed internally rather than externally. Thus suicide was deemed as the ultimate, albeit tragic, expression of wrath directed inwardly, a final rejection of God's gifts.

6. Envy: Like greed, envy may be characterized by an insatiable desire; they differ, however, for two main reasons. First, greed is largely associated with material goods, whereas envy may apply more generally. Second, those who commit the sin of envy resent that another person has something they perceive themselves as lacking, and wish the other person to be deprived of it. The punishment for the envious is to have their eyes sewn shut with wire because they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others brought low.

7. Pride: In almost every list pride (or hubris) is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self. One definition of pride in the first sense comes from Augustine: "the love of one's own excellence."

In perhaps the best-known example, the story of Lucifer, pride (his desire to compete with God) was what caused his fall from Heaven, and his resultant transformation into Satan. Here the penitents were forced to walk with stone slabs bearing down on their backs in order to induce feelings of humility.

Ok, now that we know what the 7 deadly sins are, the obvious question that arises in our mind is that what is supposed to be a good virtue if these are considered to be sins. The seven virtues which correspond inversely to each of the seven deadly sins are:

Vice Vs Virtue
Lust ---------- Chastity
Gluttony ---- Temperance
Greed ------- Charity
Sloth -------- Diligence
Wrath ------- Patience
Envy --------- Kindness
Pride -------- Humility

So tell me ppl, which of these sins are a part of u?? In my case i would say i have traces of all of the seven sins in me! I believe in moderation, so i don't over do anything. And i guess it works just fine for me. But what do u do if there is excess of any of these sins in you? Do u ignore it, saying that it is normal or do u work towards controlling ur vices!?