The seven deadly sins, which are lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride; were used by early Christians to keep fellow constituents from sinning. There were no set guidelines on what was too excessive. According to Wikipedia, the Roman Catholic Church divided sin into two principal categories: “venial,” which were minor forgivable sins and severe “capital” mortal sins, which ruined life. In the early 14th century the seven deadly sins became ingrained in Christian culture. The seven deadly sins are relevant in today’s society in many forms. The following article will discuss how the seven deadly sins have affected present day society.
Lust: The Internet has allowed individuals to view pornographic websites within seconds. The Internet has in a sense allowed individuals all over the world to lust without anyone ever knowing they are committing one of the seven deadly sins. The increase in lust has lead to an increase in adultery and thus has lead to more divorces. The Internet also has acted as a catalyst in adultery because it allows spouses who intend to cheat another form of communication via email and chat rooms. Cell phones have also allowed spouses to maintain a secret romance.
Gluttony: In today’s modern society, gluttony is a very common practice. Drive down any main street and there are fast food restaurants everywhere. Turn on your television and we are bombarded with advertisement commercials showing delicious food. Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, which is committed by millions of Americans everyday. America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but with great abundance comes great misuse. Americans tend to overeat and waste food. Overeating has caused many Americans to become obese and develop heart disease and other problems.
Greed: Greed can be associated with gluttony, because if someone eats an excessive amount of food on the kitchen table and thus overeats (gluttony), then they eat beyond their needs and didn’t consider sharing food with those at the kitchen table who didn’t eat a sufficient amount of food. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins and is an epidemic in our world today. In our present day society money is associated with power and happiness. A quick view at most television shows, music videos, magazines, and the Internet and greed is visible. Greed is what causes us to want more and more. Greed makes people want to drive expensive luxurious vehicles, brand name clothes, expensive purses, expensive jewelry, and multi-million dollar mansion homes. Young people are exposed to greed daily and some desire to grow-up having the same lifestyle. Greed motivates individuals, young and old, to get as much as they can and are driven by the mentality that you can never have enough money. This motivation applies to individuals who are trying to get more legally and illegally.
Sloth: In today’s modern society, sloth or laziness has also become an epidemic. Many Americans don’t want to work, because they were raised with a spoon in their mouth. Children are being raised to be irresponsible and are not taught the value of hard work. Americans expect to be supported by family relatives or the government if they don’t work. These types of irresponsible values are empowered by video games, cable television, and the Internet. Sloth also leads to obesity and health problems.
Wrath: There seem to be an increase in Americans becoming angry these days. It is common to hear stories about road rage incidents, children disrespecting parents, and parents fighting over concert tickets. The increase anger in Americans is a direct result from other seven deadly sins. There is a direct connection between anger, lust, greed and pride. Anger is everything opposite of good and becoming angry can also lead to health problems.
Envy: One of the seven deadly sins, which is viewed in today’s society as not very serious is envy. Envy is when one desires something that someone else has. Envy has lead Americans to sometimes damage others property, because they feel if I can’t have it, then they can’t have it either. I have heard stories of individuals “keying” or scratching another persons vehicle because they envy their vehicle.
Pride: I have heard that pride is the root of all evil. Pride is probably one of the most severe seven deadly sins. Pride is so dangerous because it can cause someone to commit all of the other seven deadly sins. Pride can easily lead to anger and greed. In order to stay away from the seven deadly sins one should not be prideful. Pride is sometimes encouraged in our society. You see pride when we were our favorite teams jerseys or support countries, which represent our ethnicity.
