Friday, September 9, 2016

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS.

The seven deadly sins in their current form are not found in the Bible, however there are biblical antecedents. One such antecedent is found in the Book of Proverbs, chapter 6, among the verses traditionally associated with King Solomon, it states: "There are '6 things' which the Lord hates, '7' which are an abomination to him: - Haughty eyes, - a lying tongue, - and hands that shed innocent blood, - a heart that devises wicked plans, - feet that make haste to run to evil, - a false witness who breathes out lies, - and a man who sows discord among brothers."
Another list, given by the Epistle to the Galatians, chapter 5, includes more of the traditional 7 sins:
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the Flesh, for the desires of the Flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the Flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. ... Now the works of the Flesh are plain: -fornication, -impurity, -licentiousness, -idolatry, -sorcery, -enmity, -strife, -jealousy, -anger, -selfishness, -dissension, -party spirit, -envy, -drunkenness, -carousing, -and the like.  ... But the fruit of the Spirit is -love, joy, -peace, -patience, -kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law."
Still another list of things that God hates comes from Revelation, chapter 21. This list has 8 items, and includes 7 sins listed previously which states: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
There are 7 deadly sins in the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy (Dante's Hell). The story begins with the narrator, who is the poet himself, being lost in a dark wood where he is attacked by 3 beasts which he cannot escape. He is rescued by the Roman poet Virgil who is sent by Beatrice (Dantes ideal woman). Together, they begin the journey into the underworld or the 9th Circles of Hell. 
Ranked in order, the 7 deadly sins are: 
-Lust (Fornication), unlawful sexual desire, such as desiring sex with a person outside marriage. Dante's definition was 'excessive love of others,' and this reduced the love that a person could give God. Lust is placed in the 2nd circle of Hell, by Dante, where the punished souls, are blown around by a strong wind, without the hope of ever resting. This is because lust is so powerful, that it can blow one around without need or aim.
-Gluttony, wasting of food, either through eating too much food, drink or drugs, misplaced desire for food for its taste, or not giving food to the needy. 'Excessive love of pleasure' was Dante's definition. It is placed in the 3rd circle of Hell, by Dante, where the souls are forced to lie in a kind of slush, made by freezing rain, black snow, and hail. This used to symbolized what they made with their life.
-Greed (Covetousness, Avarice), greed is when somebody wants more things than the person needs or can use. Dante wrote that greed is too much 'love of money and power.' They are in the 4th circle. There, they are boiled in hot oil, it is the best oil that money can buy, but it is still pretty hot and they are turned into gold.
-Sloth, as a laziness, idleness and wastefulness of time that a person has. Laziness is hated because others have to work harder. Delay what God wants a person to do or not doing it at all. Makes the life of that person harder, because useful work does not get done. Like gluttony, it is a sin of waste, for it wastes time. Sloth is considered a state of equilibrium -one does not produce much, but one does not need much either. In Dante's theology, sloth is the 'failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind, and all one's soul.' They are in the 5th circle, where they are thrown into a snake pit where the indolent will have to move around to get the snakes off them eternally.
-Wrath (Anger, Hate) defined as an inappropriate (not right) feelings of hatred, revenge, or even denial, as well as punitive desires outside of justice. Dante's description was 'love of justice perverted to revenge and spite.' They are in the 5th circle as well. It is a combined circle of sloth and wrath. Their limbs are ripped apart, because the furious use their arms and/or legs in their act of violence.
-Envy (Jealousy) defined as hating other people for what they have. Dante wrote that envy is 'love of one's own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs.' In other words, thinking that the person himself should have more, even if it means someone else will have less because of him.
-Pride (Vanity) defined as the desire to be important or attractive to others or excessive love of self. Dante's definition was 'love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor.'
Some of this sins are connected. For example, 'pride' (love of self out of proportion) is needed for gluttony (the over-consumption or waste of food), as well as 'sloth', 'envy', and most of the others. Each of these sins is a way of not loving God and not loving others as much as oneself. 
In philosophy, especially that of Aristotle, there is a desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. For example, in the Aristotelian view, 'courage' is a virtue, but if taken to excess would manifest in recklessness, and, in deficiency, turn to cowardice.
The opposite of these 7 deadly sins are the 7 virtues: -chastity, -moderation, -charity, -zeal, -meekness, -generosity, and -humility, in corresponding order.

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