2014+SH+P6+Seven+Deadly+Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins (Aim) Kailie Szewczyk The Seven Deadly Sins play a major role in the religions underneath the umbrella of Christianity. They demonstrate the human tendency to fall to sin, and each title represents a negative characteristic that people have the potential to possess, but should overcome and resist. These specific sins are; Lust, sexual desires for another person; Pride, a deep sense of happiness that is derived from the achievement of one’s own actions; Sloth, the reluctance to complete tasks; Anger, strong feelings of displeasure; Envy, the feeling of desiring the objects or achievements that someone else has; Gluttony, excessive indulgence; and Greed, the selfishness that comes with money or power (Oxford Dictionaries 1). Christianity pessimistically portrays these characteristics by expertly using the words “deadly” and “sins” in the title. Right from the beginning, these seven traits are given a negative connotation. These sins are essentially used as guidelines to establish the actions that are deemed “morally wrong” and should be avoided. One article states, “…. they teach people about what displeases God and, by avoiding them, it enhances the believer’s efforts to live as a Christian” (“The Seven Deadly Sins” 1). Even within the title of these sins, it is explicitly explained that carrying out the actions that these sins stand for is not taken lightly. It is implied that succumbing to these transgressions against Christianity will result in dismissive punishments in the afterlife. By resisting the temptation and steering clear of these sins, people are rewarded with a clearer understanding of Christianity, and they are able to show this through their actions that promote the well-being of themselves and others.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Audience) Amanda Marks Within the Christian belief system, there are specific sins that are explicitly more warned against than others, meaning that these sins are more serious; these are classified as the Seven Deadly Sins. One article states, “The Seven Deadly Sins are a list of seven rebellious tendencies that afflict fallen and sinful humanity” (“The Seven Deadly Sins” 1). The Seven Deadly Sins are taught and educated on mainly through Christian doctrines; however, even though Christians are most affiliated with the teachings of the Seven Deadly Sins, they are not the only ones affected by them. People who are not of the Christian faith may not be taught on a spiritual scale about the context of the Seven Deadly Sins despite the fact that the Seven Deadly Sins are in action in the daily lives of a great percentage of the world population. This is because of the actual nature and meanings of the Seven Deadly Sins; pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust. Wrath, otherwise known as abuse or violence, is a common occurrence that expands the audience of the Seven Deadly Sins. One source states, “We all get angry...Wrath... has a lot to do with what's wrong in our world” (Friedlander 1). If the world is so affected by the wrath that is demonstrated through people’s actions, clearly the audience to the Seven Deadly Sins is not limited to those who steadily practice Christianity. While Christianity may have a deeper understanding of how to withdraw from the effects of the Seven Deadly Sins, that does not limit the rest of the human population from being exposed to the Sins. Therefore, the audience of the Seven Deadly Sins extends a hand to the entire population.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Historical) Megan Nickerson The idea of the Seven Deadly Sins is a well known concept throughout the Christian faith, mainly pertaining to Catholics. The Seven Deadly Sins are guidelines within the Christian belief system that discuss evils within all people. These are also referred to as capital vices or cardinal signs and have been used since the beginning of Christianity to educate Christians on humanity’s nature to sin. One source states, “The modern concept of the seven deadly sins is linked to the works of the 4th century monk Evagrius Ponticus”("Seven Deadly Sins" 1). Evagrius first wrote of eight “evil thoughts” in Greek which were later translated into Latin. When these “evil thoughts” were first translated they included gluttony, lust, greed, pride, sorrow or despair, vainglory, and sloth. This list was revised in the late sixth century by Pope Gregory the Great by, “ folding vainglory into pride, acedia into sadness, and adding envy” (A Brief History of Sin 1). Pope Gregory the Great ranked the level of sin by the degree they defended against love and based upon this his list from least to most serious included lust, gluttony, greed, sadness, anger, envy, and pride. During the seventeenth century, the sin of sadness was replaced with the more specific sin of sloth. The specifics of the Seven Deadly Sins continue to change while being molded by society overtime but the key ideals remain the same and enlighten Christians on the human tendency of sinful behavior.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Cultural) Estefania Camacho Garcia The Seven Deadly Sins influence modern society and select morals. A passage in the bible states, “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19). The components of the Seven Deadly Sins are pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth. All of these qualities are actions that, according to Christianity and their leader, God, people should not commit. These seven Deadly Sins are influential to modern society because they help set morals and therefore allow people to judge others and themselves. Morals are ideas or beliefs that a person should live by; therefore, people have ideas of how life should be lived, and boundaries are formed from these concepts. Society as a whole begins this process by taking specific steps to set laws and rules regulating said boundaries to establish a “normal”. At first, people may frown a upon an individual if they show different characteristics than what the society is used to. However, as people begin to mold to the established belief systems, they become more accepted. That being said, these seven sins have helped to identify and create those morals and belief systems. As time passes, cultural events that take place can also affect the power of the seven deadly sins for the human race. As modern society today has strayed away from religion, the sins seem less relevant. An example would be lust; in many situations, the sex appeal, or appealing characteristics, of either a male or female is very often used for marketing. As subtle as this action is, it falls under the category of lust, which therefore becomes a sin. Because humans are not perfect, they begin to make excuses for their wrongdoings. It was stated in “Seven Deadly Sins”, “It suggests that there are serious character flaws which may exist in a man and that the deeds which are produced as a result of these flaws have fatal consequences” (1). The religious perspective on human sin is that humans are born with original sin due to Adam and Eve. Because of this idea, it is impossible for a human to be perfect. The Catholic Church teaches not to succumb to sin and the evil, but to rejoice in the greatness of The Lord. Therefore the seven deadly sins can serve to people and society as a whole as a warning on what to do and what not to do; these sins serve as guidelines. The Seven Deadly Sins can be manipulated and modified by modern society which can easily then influence culture.

Works Cited: "A Brief History of Sin." A Brief History of Sin. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. Friedlander, Ed, M.D. "The Seven Deadly Sins." The Seven Deadly Sins. N.p., 30 Jan. 2005.Web. 27 Aug. 2014. "Oxford Dictionaries." Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press, 2014. Web. 27 Aug.2014. "Proverbs 6:16-19." Bible Gateway. Biblica Inc, 2011. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. "Seven Deadly Sins." AllAboutGOD.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. "Seven Deadly Sins." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 27 Aug. 2014. "The Seven Deadly Sins." Religionfacts. Bluehost, 3 May 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.