So, the Vatican updated their seven deadly sins to include some present-day trespasses that fall a little more in line with the issues facing us in the twenty-first century.
I have to give the Catholic Church some credit for this. It feels like it's the first legitimate stab at modernization they've taken in a long time, or at least in my lifetime.
But I also question what the point is. I don't really understand why someone would need a church to tell them what is right and wrong in the first place. We all have an inherent and utterly human ability to tell the difference between right and wrong. And if you happen to be missing what is arguably the single most defining trait of the human race, well, then, I'm pretty sure you're not listening to the (or a) Church anyway.
Within the Catholic Church, the yin to a sin's yang is confession -- a concept which I'm a little torn on. Personally, I don't feel the need. I know damn well when I've done something wrong, and I think I do a good enough job guilting myself (or, at the very least, rationalizing my guilt out the door, but hey, at least I'm aware of it) to negate the need for a priest. But then again, I also had / have an irrational fear of confession, so much so that I would actively make up sins just to avoid confessing own. I mean, what is that, meta-sinning?
Maybe it's just that the act of confession makes it all the more real. You know how they say the best way to start getting rid of debt is to admit how much you have? Or how addicts have to admit they're addicts? Maybe that's the point of confession - it forces people to come to terms with their wrong-doing. OK. I can be down with that. But I don't really understand Catholic penance. If I say five Hail Mary's, then my sin is absolved? What about actually doing something to make up for the sin?
I also understand that some people need someone, be it an authority figure or a higher power, to answer to. But the idea of that just makes me feel like I'm four years old again and my mom has to explain to me why I can't just take a pack of watermelon Bubblicious gum from the checkout counter. But let's move on.
Let's take a look at the list: Polluting, genetic engineering, obscene riches, taking drugs, abortion, pedophilia, and causing social injustice. Hmm. Take out abortion (I'm staunchly pro-choice), genetic engineering (I'm not sure, but I'm not ready to call it a sin), and drugs (contrary to popular belief, I wouldn't define "taking drugs" as a mortal sin, it's more of a personal choice), and then, yes, you have, in my eyes, a solidly "bad" list. Oh, except for "obscene riches". That one has me a little confused. What if you use those riches to do good things? Is Bill Gates a sinner? Because he's most definitely obscenely rich, but I would argue that he does a lot of good as well. Or Oprah. Lord knows I love me some Oprah, and if she's wrong, then I don't want to be right.
And therein lies the problem. I personalized the list. Because I'm not willing to blindly believe or follow what a church (not capitalized) defines as wrong. I take no issue with those who do believe these things are wrong - feel free to think that abortion is a sin, it's most definitely a complicated idea - but just don't take away my right to think they might be OK. But all this does is bring me back to the idea of human understanding of right and wrong; we all know, in a highly simplified way, what is right and wrong. And some of these issues, like abortion, genetic engineering, and drugs, are not quite simple at all, and it worries me that other people will just follow the Church's mandates, without thinking about what's actually wrong and right for them.
So, I appreciate the effort, but I'm not entirely sure what it's going to accomplish.
And lastly, the Apostolic Penitentiary -- the department within the Vatican in charge of these sorts of things -- has me entirely befuddled. It sounds like something that would exist at the Ministry of Magic in the Harry Potter books. But, then again, maybe that's the point.
Follow Verena von Pfetten on Twitter: www.twitter.com/vonverena
but His Retirement plan is out of this world.
but it does include a free trip
around the sun every year.
Actually it sounds more like the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry of Magic.
Abrahamic Religions = Toxic fairy tales distilled and refined down through the ages from ancient Babylonian and Egyptian Religious Sun God texts, laid over pagan customs, then given a Roman twist, which were designed and perpetuated to deliberately wrest a share of political and financial power from the Kings, and keep people dumb, obedient and in endless war with each other. Quite sucessfully, too, I might add.
Do I believe in God. Yes.
Look around at what 's going in in the world as a direct result of "Religion" of one stripe or another. At the current rate it going to be the death of us all.
It all comes down to love or fear. Take your pick.
I agree with this statement. And, no slight intended towards members of any church. I just believe the most direct link between myself and "God" is having nothing between "us".
Then confess, ask forgiveness and after doing a moment's heartfelt penance go right back to doing it?
Seems to work, at least in politics.
Also please remember that there is no "updated sin list". All of this story is a run-away mess of nonsense. The media loves to pick on the Catholic Church and it is not very difficult to do, we are quite used to appearing foolish and knowing the truth, we don't care much. I am deeply sorry for all those who have read this story that is circulating and have made it an occasion to behave crudely and maliciously in expressing their difference of opinion with the Church.
I didn't find the article to be crude or malicious, but simply stating the author's opinion according to her style of expression. It offends you because you disagree. If you feel the media is picking on the Catholic Church, then the media is doing their job (everybody should feel the media is "picking" on them).
I am still pretty disgusted by your categorization of French women who embrace their sexuality/sensuality as "predators".
I took that headline from the article, originally published by The Telegraph, which I was referencing in the post. My apologies if it offended you.
Best,
Verena
No. No we don't. There is no internal "human" mechanism that tells us what is right and what is wrong. For example: Many westerners believe that the way Muslims treat their women is inherently wrong. However, many - if not most, Muslims (both men and women) do not see it that way.
Or, for a more local issue -
You speak to a hardcore Southern Baptist and they will tell you that homosexuality is "a grave and vile sin" and that homosexuals will undoutbedly burn in hell for all time. On the other hand, you speak to anyone with a passing knowledge of science and reason and they will, more than likely, come to the opposite conclusion.
Your definition of "Rightness" and "Wrongness" are more a product of your upbringing than anything else.
Sure you can argue that most cultures have various moratoriums on rape, murder, theft, so on and so forth - but these aren't proscriptions condemning "right and wrong" behavior. They are more or less "golden rule" guidelines: don't do shit to other people that you wouldn't want them to do to you. They aren't guidelines for right behavior, they are guidelines for self-interest/preservation.
Its that simple: No magic. No ultimates. No fantastic realms of good and evil. Only simple, reasonable, self-preservation. It just helps to dress it up fancy and put an "all-powerful rule giver" behind it because people don't tend to listen to common sense.
From the way you describe it, I am concerned that the church might be engaged in encouraging groupthink. This might be idolatry, in place of worshipping God they have in some way turned to encouraging their people to worship the group. This might be a sin committed by the church. We should check this out with God when the time comes.
Oh, really? You mentioned abortion. If we all inherently know what's right and wrong, then why is there so much disagreement?
How about unnecessary animal slaughter? A recent UN report (confirming a much shorter report I wrote back in 1993) showed that agriculture has more of an effect on climate change than transportation. We each can make more of a difference by being vegetarians than by trading in a Hummer for a Prius. Yet people overwhelmingly do not do this. Do people not know unnecessary slaughter is wrong, even when it's known to promote climate change more than anything else in the world?
Deciding what constitutes sin is to presume one knows what displeases God. If you don't know God in any detail, how can you say what is sin?
I also think looking at your inate sense for wrong and right is something that could prove useful on that spiritual journey. I'm not a religious person in the traditional sense, but my beliefs in and about God begin with that little voice I have inside of me. Deeper than logic can take you there are things hard wired, things that sometimes defy even logic. My inborn morality was, and still is, something I contemplate often, if for no other reason to make sure it's still alive and kicking.
Have you ever been to confession? I've never had a priest tell me to go say the equivalent of 5 Hail Mary''s for a penance, the pennance given has always had something to do to make up for what wrong I've done. I'm just one person, however, and I'm sure many have not had similar experiences. As to needing an authority figure to answer to, that's not the point. We all answer to each other. When a person commits an act on that list, the church believes they harm the entire community. Confessors represent the other, the community.
As to the things on the list itself, clearly they need to be explained.
"We all know , in a highly simplified way, what is right and wrong." I disagree. Have you ever seen George Bush and Dick Cheney in action?
St. Augustine taught that if an individual's well formed conscience conflicts with church teaching, then the individual should follow his conscience. There's no way to not think for oneself.
I'm with you on the Apostolic Penitentary. Sounds like where they lock up bad Apostles.