Thursday, March 13, 2008 | Reason : In the News | print version

Deadly Sins 101

by Slate

Thanks to Linda Ward Selbie for the link.

http://www.slate.com/id/2186416/

Deadly Sins 101Is stem-cell research worse than sloth?
By Samantha Henig

The Vatican released a list of seven new sins on Monday. Dubbed the "social sins," they include conducting stem-cell research, polluting the environment, and causing poverty. Along with the old standbys—like lust, pride, and greed—these seven are considered to be of the "deadly" variety. What kinds of sins aren't deadly?

The venial ones. The Catholic Church divides sinful behavior into two categories: mortal and venial. (The distinction wasn't widespread until the medieval period.) Mortal sins are those that the sinner knows are serious but nonetheless decides to perform. They include the seven deadly sins as well as countless others, like witchcraft or skipping out on Sunday Mass. Other indiscretions, including any that were carried out by an ignorant or unwilling sinner, fall into the venial category. So do lesser versions of the mortal sins; for example, mild overeating would be a venial sin whereas gluttony is deadly. With both types, you can wipe the slate clean with confession and repentance, but only unrepented mortal sins can condemn you to eternal hell.

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1. Comment #143025 by notsobad on March 13, 2008 at 11:22 am

fairy tales

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2. Comment #143038 by Newk on March 13, 2008 at 11:39 am

"polluting the environment"

DAMN, that means we all have to become Armish people!.. Since were all somewhat polluting the shit out of this planet ;> ...

Other Comments by Newk

3. Comment #143046 by movingshadow on March 13, 2008 at 11:43 am

Sin lies only in hurting others unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense.

-Robert Heinlein

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4. Comment #143048 by Quetzalcoatl on March 13, 2008 at 11:45 am

Could it be any more obvious that they make these things up as they go along?

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5. Comment #143056 by Animavore on March 13, 2008 at 11:53 am

Those this mean we have to write a new 'Inferno' or 'Cantenbury Tales?'

And 'SE7EN' will have to be changed into 'FOURTEEN' and have twice has many victims.

Other Comments by Animavore

6. Comment #143061 by bamafreethinker on March 13, 2008 at 11:57 am

Sin lies only in hurting others unnecessarily

But is the potential to hurt others a sin, i.e. adultery that goes undetected, or the occasional prostitute? Even if the "sin" doesn't hurt others... still wrong?

Potential harm as apposed to kinetic harm - so to speak?

Other Comments by bamafreethinker

7. Comment #143063 by monoape on March 13, 2008 at 12:01 pm

It's a fiendishly brilliant scheme of the religious - heap a few more sins on the faithful so that they need to come in more often to be de-sinned ... and while they're on their knees, begging forgiveness from Chief Sky Fairy, pass the ol' collection plate around.

The HRCC'll soon have that $660 million settlement payout for paedophile priests recouped....

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8. Comment #143077 by annabanana on March 13, 2008 at 12:18 pm

stem-cell research

Save people's lives...go to hell...

pollute the environment

Drive a car, use electricity, litter, etc...go to hell...

cause poverty

Not being a socialist, spending money on something not absolutely necessary to life...go to hell...

Sounds sort of like monopoly. "Go directly to [hell], do not pass go".

Other Comments by annabanana

9. Comment #143082 by Vaal on March 13, 2008 at 12:22 pm

You couldn't make it up. Oh, sorry, they have!

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10. Comment #143085 by Geoff on March 13, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Anna, I think you've just initiated a new game!

Chance card: You are lustful; pay the church £200.

Other Comments by Geoff

11. Comment #143088 by JamesDB on March 13, 2008 at 12:29 pm

What qualifies them to make up new sins anyways. I'm pretty sure I should be allowed to make up sins too in this case, or for that matter just say that none of them are sins and we can all just be done with it.

We need to figure out a way to change these sins the way the priests do, there have to be some people on this site who know their way into vatican computers ;)

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12. Comment #143089 by al-rawandi on March 13, 2008 at 12:29 pm

Anna,

Socialism has caused more poverty than any other social system I can think of.

But the Church can still go to hell.

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13. Comment #143092 by robotaholic on March 13, 2008 at 12:39 pm

Having zero impact on the environment seems impossible. I'm gonna invest in the manufacturers of biocontainment suits and gas masks lol Mabye in heaven I can take off my mask.

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14. Comment #143097 by al-rawandi on March 13, 2008 at 12:47 pm

Anna,

I have my Karl Marx radar on right now. Let me pull the plug on that.

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15. Comment #143099 by annabanana on March 13, 2008 at 12:50 pm

al-rawandi,

That would be preferable, thanks. ;-)

Or... [:-{|

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16. Comment #143101 by HourglassMemory on March 13, 2008 at 12:57 pm

My god!
It's like these people don't think!
"Polluting is a sin."
Give me a break. Cows farting 'Pollute the environment'. Dogs dropping their excrements on a pretty lanscape, are 'polluting the environment'.
You just by talking are throwing into the athmosphere "the evil Co2".

The whole issue is just so relative and so human based and it's extremely complex.

These people don't spend nights and days thinking about these issues seriously, ala Descartes/Kant....they just think "mmmm let's make this a sin...perhaps people will do less of it."

It's such a bad method. That sort of stuff doesn't work anymore.

It doesn't motivate people.
It might work in the minds of those afraid of hell, which scares me because their 'good behaviours' hang, then, by a thread of delusion. By a story. By archaic concepts.

This Sin stuff doesn't work in the 21st century.

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17. Comment #143108 by Inferno on March 13, 2008 at 1:09 pm

Obviously there's some wiggle room as to what exactly qualifies as a mortal sin

Ah, my job as a lawyer is secure even after death!

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18. Comment #143128 by Wosret on March 13, 2008 at 1:50 pm

I know what will happen to an adulter after death. Same thing that will happen to the rest of us. Nothing, we'll be dead.

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19. Comment #143129 by Diacanu on March 13, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Like I said in the other thread, catholicism is circling the bowl.

Every new loony stupid thing they do is like another gurgle of the flush.
I'm loving it.

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20. Comment #143130 by al-rawandi on March 13, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Mitchell,

I don't understand why they don't see that it will be a lot like before they were born.

They were not alive then, and are not alive after life either. Same shit.

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21. Comment #143134 by mkcarbs on March 13, 2008 at 2:00 pm

...Reminds me of that song by The Bastard Fairies...

How does it go??? That's right. We're All Going To Hell!

Other Comments by mkcarbs

22. Comment #143176 by theantitheist on March 13, 2008 at 3:04 pm

The original story inspired me to write a huge email to my entire catholic family, where i ranted and i raved about how only fucking morons could keep up with this shit and that they were praying to a loving god that would condemn my little sister to a life in hell for taking the dogs name in vain, becoming successful and rice or curing cancer using stem cells!!

Not heard back from them yet but hopefully it's another dent in their belief.

Just the pure nerve to come out with this shit, no wonder the pope wears those long robes he must have huge balls of steel to conceal.

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23. Comment #143182 by Double Bass Atheist on March 13, 2008 at 3:12 pm

Sitting here relaxing and reading these wonderful posts, I'm feeling most rather slothy...
Oh Shit! I'm going to hell!

New sins, eh?
Is there any clearer example that these people really are just making this stuff up as they go along?!

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24. Comment #143185 by Diacanu on March 13, 2008 at 3:14 pm

Double Bass Atheist-

Like how all of a sudden "whoops, turns out there was never such a place as Limbo after all! Oh, by the way, we're still infallible".

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25. Comment #143217 by Grantaire of JC on March 13, 2008 at 4:59 pm

It's a shame that the Vatican needs to take this step. Like the extreme fundamentalists didn't already believe this? Now the Pope wants to take this mainstream? Oh well the church will continue to lose people as they inflict their perception of the "modern" world onto their congregation. I hope these "believers" remember that stem cell research is evil when they need the technology to cure what ails them.

What is Shakespeare who wrote that there is no good or evil but thinking makes it so?

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26. Comment #143240 by 82abhilash on March 13, 2008 at 5:48 pm

By continually telling people what to do in a world where freedom is being valued, almost universally, are they not digging themselves in a deeper hole than they in already in?

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27. Comment #143246 by dragonfirematrix on March 13, 2008 at 6:31 pm

This is a sin, that is a sin, everything is a sin...

The only thing evolving in religion is the list of things the religious hate, and the list of people the religious want to persecute.

I wonder how many people throughout history have been severely punished, or put to death, by religion for failing to follow the little black books of mandates.

Let us start calling religion a sin.

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28. Comment #143251 by Bonzai on March 13, 2008 at 6:38 pm

The Vatican released a list of seven new sins on Monday.

Yawn.

Some people have too much time on their hands, how about the Popes and Bishops start making an honest living for a change?

It just strikes me as odd that there are actually people whose only purpose in life is to invent sins, stupid rules and make up scary stories about being sodomized by demons after you die if you sin as if they have experienced it first hand,--sorry that was Father Max who buggered you when you were 6, not a demon. They then solemnly announce their rules and stories to the world as if we should take them seriously just because they wear funny cloths and believe in fairies. I mean, grow up.

The sad thing is too many people do take them seriously instead of just laughing them off as the clowns that they are. This is beyond irrational, it is insane.

Other Comments by Bonzai

29. Comment #143255 by Bonzai on March 13, 2008 at 6:48 pm

roboholic

Mabye in heaven I can take off my mask.

What made you think that you are going to heaven?

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30. Comment #143262 by Richard Morgan on March 13, 2008 at 7:08 pm

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE

Bryan English : he is a lovely, unpretentious person, who humbly tries to avoid appearing perfect by composing songs.

Bryan of Oz

http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

Other Comments by Richard Morgan

31. Comment #143263 by Jestyr on March 13, 2008 at 7:11 pm

Hey all, here's a depressing thought for everyone (it's 2am here, the time for depressing thoughts). More sins. Will they be taken seriously by lots of people? Yes. Unfortunately they will. We apparently need people to tell us what to think and how to act. Look at Wednesdays budget, a beautiful example of an attempt to legislate morality through the tax system. Another example of outsourcing your thinking processes. I've been watching for a while now and that seems to be the trend. People afraid to think for themselves, people just content to parrot the latest received wisdom. Even here. Is it genetic? Are we programmed to go along with the majority, to follow the fashion, to disengage our critical responses? Or are we perhaps culturally brainwashed into this? Does it matter which? Ah well, that's depression enough for one morning... :)

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32. Comment #143272 by Plan 9 on March 13, 2008 at 8:16 pm

Damn...NEW deadly sins???...I guess I'm totally screwed now.

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33. Comment #143281 by Electric Monk on March 13, 2008 at 9:41 pm

Ohhh yum... some new sins to commit! - the old ones were more fun though (i really LIKE my neighbour's ass)

- Looks like the Pope's going to hell then - his ban on condoms for Catholics is probably the single action that is most likely to result in huge numbers of people living in extreme poverty ever made by any person anywhere.

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34. Comment #143292 by Gymnopedie on March 13, 2008 at 9:56 pm

I can't even imagine the sort of cognitive dissonance a practicing Catholic has to go through. Holy shit!

I remember learning in Catholic after school class about mortal and venial sins over and over and over and over and over again. The priest was EXTREMELY liberal and pretty much only considered murder to be a mortal sin, along with blasphemy. But, shit, even blasphemy could be undone with a confession and a prayer, so make that just murder.

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35. Comment #143305 by Richard Morgan on March 14, 2008 at 1:03 am

Gymnopedie

I can't even imagine the sort of cognitive dissonance a practicing Catholic has to go through. Holy shit!

Darn it, you shouldn't have said that. You've just given them another sin to add to their list!!
Or is it on the list already under "Doubts (various)"?

Other Comments by Richard Morgan

36. Comment #143314 by dr joneZ on March 14, 2008 at 1:45 am

I move that the Catholic Church to immediately add the following sin to the new 7:

8. Suggesting that taking drugs is sinful when the very basis of one's chosen religion is highly likely to be the preserved beliefs arising from drug-induced hallucinations of acacia-bark-snorting tribal elders in the Palestinian wilderness

saw a burning Bush the other day ;)

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37. Comment #143319 by Phoenix42 on March 14, 2008 at 2:04 am

It's all about guilt.

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38. Comment #143334 by irate_atheist on March 14, 2008 at 2:43 am

37. Comment #143314 by dr joneZ -

saw a burning Bush the other day ;)

Excellent! Which one of them? And was he choking on a pretzel?

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39. Comment #143335 by Darwin's badger on March 14, 2008 at 2:44 am

I can't even imagine the sort of cognitive dissonance a practicing Catholic has to go through.

Thou shalt not take the names of Festinger and Aronson in vain. :)

Have you read "Mistakes were made (but not by me)"? It's fantastic.

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40. Comment #143342 by passutoba on March 14, 2008 at 2:56 am

idiocy on such a grand level its hard to know where to start.....and to think they have deeply serious meetings to discuss these absurd pronouncements. I'd love to be a fly on the wall.....I think it might be the funniest thing I might have ever heard, as these silly papists earnestly nodded with collective self-approval as they brought sinning into the 21st century!

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41. Comment #143347 by dr joneZ on March 14, 2008 at 3:15 am

But why only 7???? Why not 6 or 9 or 11 for chrissake? Just because there were 7 deadly original sins doesn't mean we have to stay with that number in the revised version. Can't anyone in the Catholic Church count beyond 7? Whoops - there's the TEN Commandments now isn't there - I forgot! We're at least into double figures now. And just WHEN can we expect the newly revised and updated 21st Century edition of the Ten Commandments???? I'm positively gagging with prurient excitement...

11. Though shallt not dispense with the concept of God. (We'd love to burn you at the stake for that but it doesn't even qualify as apostasy and even if it did, apostasy isn't punishable by death anymore. At least not by our lot...)

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42. Comment #143368 by Tyler Durden on March 14, 2008 at 3:43 am

Dubbed the "social sins," they include polluting the environment

Are we to assume The Vatican is carbon-neutral?

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43. Comment #143402 by woe-monger on March 14, 2008 at 5:08 am

Have you heard this month's offer? Two sins for the price of one.

So, if you've sinned twice (and let's face it, who hasn't?) you can appease the wrath of the "all-forgiving", "all-benevolent" Lord with just one Hail Mary.

And the more productive of you can cover all 14 sins with just seven Hail Marys.

But hurry! Offer must end soon!

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44. Comment #143502 by Ygern on March 14, 2008 at 6:56 am

I wish Holy Mother Church in her wisdom would remove the log from her own eye first.

Did I say log? More like an entire forest.

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45. Comment #143519 by savagemickey on March 14, 2008 at 7:20 am

When I first started to voice my disbelief, my father-in-law said I was just angry over the no meat on Friday and other such rules that have been rescinded. My reply was that they're making all of this shit up. The fact that they've come to their senses on some of it doesn't mean the rest of it is true. It's so obvious. Can you imagine anything more intellectually vacuous than sitting around and discussing this shit with any amount of seriousness. It's so ripe for satire. The late night tv guys could survive another writers' strike by just reading these papal encyclicals word for word.

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46. Comment #143568 by WallOfSeparation on March 14, 2008 at 7:56 am

I have had no religious education so maybe I have it wrong. Is it true that adultery is a mortal sin but rape and incest are not?

By the way, irate_atheist, thank you for the laugh. That was the pretzel that tried to save the world.

Other Comments by WallOfSeparation

47. Comment #143573 by Mbee on March 14, 2008 at 7:58 am

To the Catholics out there.

Does it matter if you committed one of the new sins before they became sins?

I guess that before the announcement these were not sins and were perfectly acceptable.

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48. Comment #143581 by annabanana on March 14, 2008 at 8:08 am

Good question, MBee. Ex post facto, anyone?

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49. Comment #143584 by Vaal on March 14, 2008 at 8:13 am

How about thinking is a sin? At least Wooter would be in the clear.

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50. Comment #143617 by rod-the-farmer on March 14, 2008 at 8:50 am

I am imagining a forthcoming announcement by a team of Christian archaeologists, digging up things in the Sinai. "We have found some ancient pottery, with early Aramaic writing - seven distinct lines. These may be the missing Commandments, 11 through 17. The writer was able to fit seven on a single teapot, compared to the usual five, as some took only a single line - Don't". Suspicions that the nearly unintelligible writing has nothing to do with Dog, but were deliberately mis-interpreted to support the Popes' latest announcement of new sins, were discarded by Father John Fitzpatrick and his assistant (who made the actual discovery) Father Patrick Fitzjohn.

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