Much of conservative Christian thought revolves around redeeming humans and freeing them from "sin." At the apex of Christian definitions of sin are the cardinal sins or what are more commonly known as the "seven deadly sins."
In this thread I will disassemble them one by one and explain why I think the foundation of the Christian view of sin is deeply flawed.
Wrath: Wrath, defined as intense anger, is a natural human reaction to certain events that people encounter in their lives. Sometimes it can lead to less-than-optimal decisions that put emotion above reason as well as violent reactions to relatively harmless occurrences, but the worst that could be said about it is that it is an unnecessary emotion. To define it as a sin is to say that a very human and natural aspect of most people's emotions is sinful.
I personally think that anger is an unnecessary emotion and a hindrance to rational thought, but I also realize that it is natural and not something that people should normally be ashamed of experiencing.
Greed: While arguably being the most negative emotion out of the cardinal sins, greed is also a natural emotion for many people. Desiring to have a lot of possessions is only negative if it causes one to take away the rights of others or be selfish at the expense of other people. Other than that, the worst thing that could come out of it is preoccupation with one's desires. That is not always a negative thing, however, and one that I can hardly see qualifying as a sin unless it causes someone to harm others or infringe on their rights.
Sloth: The only context in which I would view sloth as anything close to a "sin" is when it hinders people's ability to achieve what is required or expected of them. Resting and even being lazy after one has done what is required of them seems to me to be a very healthy and natural activity. It also seems more than a little odd to me that sloth would be classified as one of the seven deadly sins while selfishness and hatred, for example, do not make the list. It certainly says a lot about the priorities of the thinking that underlies traditional Christianity.
Envy: Short of wishing that other people lose what they have out of envy, I don't see what is sinful about envy whatsoever. In fact, desiring to have things like what others have can be a positive incentive to work hard and achieve what one wants. And, like sloth, it strikes me as odd that envy would make the list of the seven deadly sins while hatred, for example, does not.
Lust: This is possibly the emotion that, more than any other of the cardinal sins, should not be on this list. Lust is natural. Lust is enjoyable. Lust is harmless. Lust is human. In most Christian definitions, lust often refers to intense sexual desire, and puritanical thought primarily frowns on lust due to its sexual connotations. Classifying lust as a sin is a classical method of controlling the masses and inspiring self-loathing in people due to the teaching that humans are inherently sinful and therefore need to repent from their innate feelings and desires.
Gluttony: I think most of us will agree that wasting resources is a bad thing. Excessive indulgence is also not particularly healthy or desirable for a lot of people. Self-indulgence every now and then, however, is both natural and healthy, at least as far as I can see. Like most other activities that we do in our lives, unless it infringes on others' rights or harms anyone, there is nothing wrong with gluttony. One can give to charity and engage in gluttony simultaneously. The assumption that the two are mutually exclusive seems to stem from nothing more than archaic notions of what qualifies as "sin," which in this case underlie the Christian notions of sin and redemption.
Pride: Arrogance, or excessive pride, can lead to harming others out of the belief that one is more important or worthier than others. Pride in the sense of feeling self-sufficient and independent, however, can and is usually a very positive emotion. Pride is why a lot of people desire to support themselves rather than rely on others. It is also why a lot of people seek to help others when they can instead of waiting for someone else to do so. The notion that pride is a sin seems to come down to the Christian belief that the Christian deity is superior to humans and humans, therefore, should feel inferior and foster such feeling. I think that is both unhealthy and irrational, as is the case with most other definitions of what qualifies as a "sin" in traditional Christianity.
Feel free to discuss the above or add your own comments. Also feel free to post questions to stir up discussion or debate in this thread.
In this thread I will disassemble them one by one and explain why I think the foundation of the Christian view of sin is deeply flawed.
Wrath: Wrath, defined as intense anger, is a natural human reaction to certain events that people encounter in their lives. Sometimes it can lead to less-than-optimal decisions that put emotion above reason as well as violent reactions to relatively harmless occurrences, but the worst that could be said about it is that it is an unnecessary emotion. To define it as a sin is to say that a very human and natural aspect of most people's emotions is sinful.
I personally think that anger is an unnecessary emotion and a hindrance to rational thought, but I also realize that it is natural and not something that people should normally be ashamed of experiencing.
Greed: While arguably being the most negative emotion out of the cardinal sins, greed is also a natural emotion for many people. Desiring to have a lot of possessions is only negative if it causes one to take away the rights of others or be selfish at the expense of other people. Other than that, the worst thing that could come out of it is preoccupation with one's desires. That is not always a negative thing, however, and one that I can hardly see qualifying as a sin unless it causes someone to harm others or infringe on their rights.
Sloth: The only context in which I would view sloth as anything close to a "sin" is when it hinders people's ability to achieve what is required or expected of them. Resting and even being lazy after one has done what is required of them seems to me to be a very healthy and natural activity. It also seems more than a little odd to me that sloth would be classified as one of the seven deadly sins while selfishness and hatred, for example, do not make the list. It certainly says a lot about the priorities of the thinking that underlies traditional Christianity.
Envy: Short of wishing that other people lose what they have out of envy, I don't see what is sinful about envy whatsoever. In fact, desiring to have things like what others have can be a positive incentive to work hard and achieve what one wants. And, like sloth, it strikes me as odd that envy would make the list of the seven deadly sins while hatred, for example, does not.
Lust: This is possibly the emotion that, more than any other of the cardinal sins, should not be on this list. Lust is natural. Lust is enjoyable. Lust is harmless. Lust is human. In most Christian definitions, lust often refers to intense sexual desire, and puritanical thought primarily frowns on lust due to its sexual connotations. Classifying lust as a sin is a classical method of controlling the masses and inspiring self-loathing in people due to the teaching that humans are inherently sinful and therefore need to repent from their innate feelings and desires.
Gluttony: I think most of us will agree that wasting resources is a bad thing. Excessive indulgence is also not particularly healthy or desirable for a lot of people. Self-indulgence every now and then, however, is both natural and healthy, at least as far as I can see. Like most other activities that we do in our lives, unless it infringes on others' rights or harms anyone, there is nothing wrong with gluttony. One can give to charity and engage in gluttony simultaneously. The assumption that the two are mutually exclusive seems to stem from nothing more than archaic notions of what qualifies as "sin," which in this case underlie the Christian notions of sin and redemption.
Pride: Arrogance, or excessive pride, can lead to harming others out of the belief that one is more important or worthier than others. Pride in the sense of feeling self-sufficient and independent, however, can and is usually a very positive emotion. Pride is why a lot of people desire to support themselves rather than rely on others. It is also why a lot of people seek to help others when they can instead of waiting for someone else to do so. The notion that pride is a sin seems to come down to the Christian belief that the Christian deity is superior to humans and humans, therefore, should feel inferior and foster such feeling. I think that is both unhealthy and irrational, as is the case with most other definitions of what qualifies as a "sin" in traditional Christianity.
Feel free to discuss the above or add your own comments. Also feel free to post questions to stir up discussion or debate in this thread.
