The Seven Deadly Sins Explained: How Do They Affect Your Life?

Everyone has heard about the seven deadly sins - lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride - but where did this list of bad character traits come from and how can the list be relevant in today's society? Read on and learn how you may be falling prey to any or all of these seven deadly sins without knowing it!

First, where did they come from? Originally created as a way to classify "vices" as defined by the early Roman Catholic Church, these seven deadly sins became more and more popular as a way to encompass all of the evil that man could inflict upon himself and move further from God. In fact, there are also seven holy virtues - exact opposites of the seven deadly sins that do not seem to get as much publicity as their nastier brethren. The holy virtues are humility, diligence, temperance, abstinence, patience, chastity and kindness. As you can see, one offsets the other and in theory one should devote him or herself to pursuing the holy virtues instead of the seven deadly sins - but that does not happen as much as perhaps we would like in our society.

But how can you be guilty of one of the seven deadly sins and not even know it? Well, let us take a look at the list and how these seven deadly sins may have ensnared you without even knowing!

First, lust. The obvious answer to the casual observer may be that lust is a sexual sin and thus one cannot be guilty unless one is having an affair or some other illicit activity. But in theory this also extends far past just having an affair with someone to perhaps a sexual addiction to the Internet or to pornography where there may not be an easily visible victim. In today's society where online addiction to pornography and the rise of sexual addiction there may be more people falling prey to the first of the seven deadly sins that at first glance.

Next, Gluttony. Obviously in today's world of obesity becoming a major health crisis the sin of overeating is abundant wherever you look. But this second of the seven deadly sins can also be applied to withholding food from others in order to feed yourself - and who has not heard a plea from the local food bank asking for donations to help feed the needy? Again, the seven deadly sins are more complex than they seem.

Greed is a simple one to see in today's society where oil companies make obscene amounts of profit and investors often find themselves bereft of their retirement funds thanks to an embezzler or a sly businessman who has found an easy way to make off with the funds. But this one of the seven deadly sins can also be applied to those who hoard items such as priceless art away from the public or who sell out their country or their friends for money. Taking these examples it is easy to see this one of the seven deadly sins in action almost daily.

Sloth is often taken to be the simple act of not doing anything - of just lying around the house and becoming a couch potato, for lack of an easier definition. But what if you extended the definition to include those who refuse to live up to their inner potential? Or those who refuse to take action when the opportunity presents itself, such as helping catch a criminal or something as simple as assisting an old lady across the street! Suddenly this one of the seven deadly sins becomes much more visible and common.

The fifth of the seven deadly sins known as Wrath can be seen anywhere and everywhere in the violence that fills the streets and our news broadcasts around the world. Anger against yourself, your friends or even strangers can bring about unfortunate consequences as we all know.

Envy is often confused with Greed, and it is not hard to see why. But Greed deals with the physical act of obtaining those items that are out of one's reach and Envy is all about the mindset that puts you in the situation of wanting those items. This deadly sin also includes when you take pleasure in the misfortune of others, such as laughing when you see someone you dislike have a bad fall. In today's society built on excesses and the need to have not only material items as soon as possible but also to get whatever you can to "keep up with the Jones", Envy is a very common deadly sin indeed.

The last of the seven deadly sins is Pride or vanity, and it is not hard to see how this deadly sin can be found in today's world. From Hollywood and the stars preening themselves for the cameras to the politicians seeking votes and pronouncing themselves to be the best for the job over others using less-than-honorable techniques, this last of the seven deadly sins can be found almost everywhere.

The seven deadly sins may seem outdated and ancient, but a closer look can show you that they are alive and well in the world of today. Maybe it is time for us to start reviving the holy virtues and making them a priority in our life to combat the seven deadly sins and to help make the world a better place - what do you think?