On March 9th, 2008 Bishop Gianfranco Girotti published 7 new sins on behalf of the Vatican. Of course many of us are familiar with the '7 Deadly Sins' as listed by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th Century. There are also '7 Cardinal Virtues' which counteract the sins.
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The original Sins and Virtues are:
1. Lust - Chastity
2. Gluttony - Temperance
3. Greed - Charity
4. Sloth - Diligence
5. Wrath - Forgiveness
6. Envy - Kindness
7. Pride - Humility
Apparently, thinking that we didn't already have enough lists, the Vatican has now supplied us with this new list of sins for a new era:
1. Environmental Pollution
2. Genetic Manipulation
3. Accumulating Excessive Wealth
4. Inflicting Poverty
5. Drug Trafficking and Consumption
6. Morally Debatable Experiments
7. Violation of Fundamental Rights of Human Nature
What do you think of the new list?
Is there any point in making these lists at all?
Why do we all know about the original '7 Deadly Sins' but no one knows about the 7 Virtues?
7 comments:
I don't know why these lists are made...
My first reaction is that it just further feeds the quick-answer mentality for Christian thinking.
I know they aren't bad in and of themselves, but I just feel it's the kind of thing where, 400 years down the road, people may get hung up on some certain rule without really thinking and understanding why the rule was given.
Mennonite writings on dancing, for example. Originally written because of the winehouses where the dancing happened, and the debauchery that took place at the winehouses. Fair enough. Might be best to avoid 'dancing' as it was culturally understood.
Years later, I'm not allowed to have a dance in my wedding reception at my home church. Church policy.
The emphasis on the heart behind the 'rule' is lost, and all we remember is the rule itself.
---Mike
Interesting that most of the 10 commandments are "Thou shalt nots". I've also noticed that in God's covenant with Israel in Deut. 28 the negatives are spelled out way more plainly than the positives. Yet the message of Jesus was definately all about the heart and motivations. Maybe the negatives spell it out more plainly for a people who often need to be hit over the head with a 2x4 before we're willing to see. Maybe it offers a certain amount of protection in lifestyle and consequences even for those whose heart is not in the right place. Yet it is obvious that what God longs for is for us to love Him and to love holiness.
Honestly, the list is rather vague. For example, environmental pollution, is it now a sin to not drive a hybrid? Or is it OK to drive a gas vehicle as long as it gets 35 MPG? Or inflicting poverty. What does that mean? Would this include buying clothes from Wal-Mart? Someone has to work for nothing to make clothes that cheap, is that inflicting poverty? Or drug trafficking, are pharmacists all sinners? Who defines the fundamental rights (I just mis-spelled rights, tights) of human nature? Personally I think this is a publicity stunt by the Vatican so that people will look at this list and say, oh, that sounds good. I think that if they want to increase their profile they should make a Vatican theme song and make a music video.
Tim S.
I'm such a fan of fundamental tights and Vatican music videos. Very cool!
I'd have to say that I may have been a bit in the dark about this subject before now. I thought the seven deadly sins were taken from one of the Psalms...or some passage that sounds like the Psalms so I think it's in the Psalms. I really had no idea it had something to do with the Vatican. And I didn't know there were 7 virtues. Weird. I ought to become Catholic so I can know more about all these rules I'm missing out on.
The new rules are rather vague. Does drug trafficking include legal drugs, like medications or caffiene? Because I'm a fairly regular drug consumer when I get a headache. And what is a morally debatable experiment, really?
OK, so while I think that there is plenty to critique (and plenty to be impressed with) I don't think the ambiguity of the list is criteria to critique.
After all, Jesus deliberately took the very specific, tangible lists from the OT and made them more ambiguous.
OT - no murder; Jesus - don't be angry (at what point do I move from frustration to anger... that's pretty ambiguous).
OT - no adultery; Jesus - don't be lustful.
etc...
The point is that we are getting away from lists and into lifestyle.
So just because the list makes you think (probably the whole point) about what is considered "traficking" and what constitutes "pollution", etc... doesn't illegitemize the list.
PS - while I think the list is probably pointless I (personally) don't think that just because it's from the Vatican it is invalid either.
OK- maybe I'm missing something here, but why does the reason that something comes from the Vatican NOT immediately de-legitamize it?? I may have a different perspective from down here-- but in the view of a significant amount of ex-catholics that I know here the catholic church is a place to escape to embrace Jesus. There is a significant amount of Idol worship associated with the religion (statues around the country that people trek to to ask favours from)- they pray to Mary and not Jesus to intercede for them-- They actually have worship songs to Mary- I was outside my class one night and a group of children came by with candles singing songs- "We love you Mary" and such... Catholics here regularly partake in animal sacrifices, and set up altars to their dead relatives honouring them and setting out food for them to eat... Catholic Priests regularly persecute Jesus Followers and actively work to take away lands of believers and expel them from towns and parishes-- Even in North America many ex-Catholics repent of Catholocism to follow Jesus- so why do we work to embrace the religion? I'm not sure how we can take anything the hierarchy says seriously at all.
"but in the view of a significant amount of ex-catholics that I know here the catholic church is a place to escape to embrace Jesus."
I meant to say it is a place to escape FROM in order to embrace Jesus...
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