What are the seven deadly sins?

Well, the seven deadly sins are a pretty debatable topic in the church, but they are not actually in the Bible. So what did they come from and what are they?

The seven deadly sins are the following attributes or characteristics:

1. Pride
2. Greed
3. Lust
4. Envy
5. Wrath
6. Gluttony
7. Sloth

(There’s a funny video about the seven deadly sins by this comedy group called Studio C…and they basically make fun of sloth. You should watch it, it’s clean.)

Anyways: the seven deadly sins were created by a variety of scholars and theologians which is why it’s a thoroughly debated topic—it was hard to determine which sins were the deadly ones.

Eventually, after many lists had been made, they had decided on the seven listed above because 1) they were the most commonly listed ones and 2) many other sins derive from those sins.

So let’s dive into the seven deadly sins and why they are counted as ‘deadly’:

1. Pride

Pride is considered a deadly sin because pride is what leads the mind away from God—it makes you focus on yourself and your achievements instead of the goal of loving others. It’s apparently known as the worst and the most deadly on every list. I believe that it’s because the soul and mind strays from God to yourself and you lose track of what God is calling you to do. Once you lose track of that, you lose track of everything truly important.

2. Greed

According to Henry Edward Manning, greed “plunges a man deep into the mire of this world, so that he makes it to be his god.” If you’ve seen any Disney movie, then you probably know why greed would be counted as a deadly sin. With greed comes earthly desire and that often leads to evil. (At least that’s what all the Disney movies say! They’re not totally wrong though.)

3. Lust

Lust is typically seen as a sexual desire, but people are also lustful for money or power. It’s similar to greed, but a stronger, more unquenchable desire. Wikipedia describes it as an intense longing, but I would add, intense, sinful longing.

4. Envy

Envy is described as an insatiable desire, often related to greed or lust, but it is typically a desire for something unattainable that other people have. St. Thomas Aquinas (he is a scholar who had many notes and things to say about the seven deadly sins) says that envy has three stages: During the first stage, the envious person attempts to lower another person’s reputation In the middle stage, the envious person receives either “joy at another’s misfortune” (if he succeeds in defaming the other person) or “grief at another’s prosperity” (if he fails) and the third stage is hatred because “sorrow causes hatred.”

5. Wrath

Wrath differs from anger because it often is a variety of feelings like anger, hatred, and rage at the same time and often a desire for vengeance. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, when “anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin”.

6. Gluttony

Similar to lust, gluttony is often seen as one meaning (in reference to overindulgence of food) but can actually be used as a word meaning overindulgence of anything to the point of excess. (Social media, food, tv, etc.)

7. Sloth

Sloth is described to be “ceasing to use the gifts given by the Holy Spirit” according to Wikipedia, which I think sums it up really well. It’s not just forgetting to do something, but purposefully avoiding to do so.

Well, that sums up this post about the seven deadly sins. To be honest, I used the Wikipedia page about the seven deadly sins and I actually found it really helpful. I’m no scholar, so take my (and Wikipedia’s) thoughts with a grain of salt.

Thanks for reading!
~Willow