The Catholic Church divided sin into two principal categories: “venial sins”, which are relatively minor and could be forgiven through any sacramentals or sacraments of the church, and the more severe “capital” or mortal sins. Mortal sins are believed to destroy the life of grace and create the threat of eternal damnation unless either absolved through the sacrament of Penance or forgiven through perfect contrition on the part of the penitent.

The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of the most objectionable vices that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen humanity’s tendency to sin.

GLUTTONY

Vice’s Meaning: To the point of assuming a self-indulgent character; craving for sexual intimacy and yearning of the soul; desire for the flesh, drugs and of the lower appetite contrary to reason.

Explanation: In the Christian religions, it is considered a sin because of the excessive desire for food, or its withholding from the needy.  St. Thomas Aquinas went so far as to prepare a list of six ways to commit gluttony, including:

  • Praepropere – eating too soon.
  • Laute – eating too expensively.
  • Nimis – eating too much.
  • Ardenter – eating too eagerly (burningly).
  • Studiose – eating too daintily (keenly).
  • Forente – eating wildly (boringly).

Specific Forms: Addiction, Dishonor, Exaggeration, Hoarding, Injustice, Masochism, Over-consumption

Vice’s Virtue: Temperance

Virtue’s Meaning: Restraint. Temperance. Justice. Constant mindfulness of others and one’s surroundings; practicing self-control, abstention, moderation, Zero-sum and Deferred gratification. Prudence to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time. Proper moderation between self-interest, versus public-interest, and against the rights and needs of others.

LUST

Vice’s Meaning: To the point of assuming a self-indulgent character; craving for sexual intimacy and yearning of the soul; desire for the flesh, drugs and of the lower appetite contrary to reason.

Explanation:  Aristotle’s criterion was excessive love of others, which therefore rendered love and devotion to God as secondary.

Specific Forms: Adultery, Concupiscence, Debauchery, Extravagance, Hedonism, Nymphomania, Seduction

Vice’s Virtue: Chastity

Virtue’s Meaning: Abstaining from sexual conduct according to one’s state in life; the practice of Courtly love and Romantic friendship. Cleanliness through cultivated good health and hygiene, and maintained by refraining from intoxicants. To be honest with oneself, one’s family, one’s friends, and to all of humanity. Embracing of moral wholesomeness and achieving purity of thought through education and betterment. The ability to refrain from being distracted and influenced by hostility, temptation or corruption.

GREED

Vice’s Meaning: An inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, especially with respect to the pursuit and accumulation of material, wealth, status, fame, power, or gain; ignoring the realm of the spiritual.

Explanation: Greed (Latin, avaritia), also known as avarice or covetousness, is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, greed (as seen by the church) is applied to a very excessive or rapacious desire and pursuit of wealth, status, and power. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that greed was “a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things.”

Specific Forms:  Betrayal, Corruption, Discrimination, Exploitation, Materialism, Selfishness, Theft

Vice’s Virtue: Charity

Virtue’s Meaning: The willingness to give away wealth and material good. The energy to devote attention and personal service. The knowledge to promote wisdom and mutual prosperity. The Social Responsibility to create a strong, rich and diverse community, especially in the interests of the impoverished. A nobility of thought or actions.

SLOTH

Vice’s Meaning: To allow the prosperity of evil by not intervening.

Explanation: The modern view goes further, regarding laziness and indifference as the sin at the heart of the matter. Since this contrasts with a more willful failure to, for example, love God and his works, sloth is often seen as being considerably less serious than the other sins, more a sin of omission than of commission.  St. Francis of Assisi: “If the man be bereft, give him solace. If he be in physical torment, give him medicine. If he be to the desire of death, give him hope. Reason, encouragement, and faith bring hope, therefore, use them liberally.”

Specific Forms: Apathy, Boredom, Complacency, Despair, Indifference, Laziness, Opportunism

Vice’s Virtue: Diligence

Virtue’s Meaning: A zealous and careful nature in one’s actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Steadfastness in belief. Fortitude and the capability of not giving up. Budgeting one’s time; monitoring one’s own activities to guard against laziness. Upholding one’s convictions at all times, especially when no one else is watching.

WRATH

Vice’s Meaning: To maim, destroy and even kill.

Explanation: Wrath is the only sin not necessarily associated with selfishness or self-interest (although one can of course be wrathful for selfish reasons, such as jealousy, closely related to the sin of envy). Dante described vengeance as “love of justice perverted to revenge and spite“.  Mahatma Gandhi: “It takes ten generations for healing to become real. Given time, we will end the demand of, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ fearing that the whole world may wind up blind and toothless…“ In its original form, the sin of wrath also encompassed anger pointed internally rather than externally. Thus suicide was deemed as the ultimate, albeit tragic, expression of wrath directed inwardly, a final rejection of God’s gifts.

Specific Forms: War, Fear, Anger, Hatred, Suffering, Revenge, Murder

Vice’s Virtue: Patience

Virtue’s Meaning: Forbearance and endurance through moderation. Resolving conflicts and injustice peacefully, as opposed to resorting to violence. The ability to forgive; to show mercy to sinners. Not killing or being violent in any way to any life form or sentient being; to practice vegetarianism and consistent life ethic. Creating a sense of peaceful stability and community, rather than engendering suffering,hostility and antagonism.

ENVY

Vice’s Meaning: To secure a sense of superiority in the face of another person’s ability by using contempt to minimize the other person.

Explanation: Like greed, Envy (Latin, invidia) may be characterized by an insatiable desire; they differ, however, for two main reasons. First, greed is largely associated with material goods, where as envy may apply more generally. Second, those who commit the sin of envy resent that another person has something they perceive themselves as lacking, and wish the other person to be deprived of it. Dante defined this as “a desire to deprive other men of theirs.” Envy can be directly related to the Ten Commandments, specifically “Neither shall you desire… anything that belongs to your neighbor“. In Dante’s Purgatory, the punishment for the envious is to have their eyes sewn shut with wire because they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others brought low. Aquinas described envy as “sorrow for another’s good“.

Specific Forms: Anxiety, Deception, Cruelty, Possessiveness, Manipulative, Prejudice, Resentment

Vice’s Virtue: Kindness

Virtue’s Meaning: Charity, compassion and friendship for its own sake. Empathy and trust without prejudice or resentment. Unconditional love and voluntary kindness without bias or spite. Having positive outlook and cheerful demeanor; to inspire kindness in others.

PRIDE

Vice’s Meaning: Arrogance.

Explanation: In almost every list Pride (Latin, superbia), or hubris, is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). Dante’s definition was “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbour.”

Specific Forms: Egotism, Grandiosity, Hubris, Idolatry, Narcissism, Shamelessness, Vanity

Vice’s Virtue: Humility

Virtue’s Meaning: Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. The courage of the heart necessary to undertake tasks which are difficult, tedious or unglamorous, and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved. Reverence for those who have wisdom and those who selflessly teach in love. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one’s own self. Being faithful to promises, no matter how big or small they may be. Refraining from despair and the ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation.

Sources:  Wikipedia, America’s Next Top Model