The Seven Capital Sins - Revised!

March 12, 2003 11:31 PM

Hey, It's Not Enough We Die Of Obesitywithout having to go to Hell too? Some enlightened Frenchmen are bending the Pope's ear, trying to spring Gluttony from the Deadly Sins blacklist. Well, even clever old Thomas Aquinas did his damnedest to narrow the seven buggers down. So: which sins would you excuse today's poor sufferers from and which ones would you insist on keeping, if any? [Something tells me MetaFilter is ideally suited to put in a good word for Sloth. I wonder why? Speaking of which, NYT reg. is required but you can read about it here instead. Via Arts and Letters Daily.]
posted by MiguelCardoso (19 comments total)

Garrulity is a venial sin, then?

So: which sins would you excuse today's poor sufferers from...

The sin of age?
posted by y2karl at 11:44 PM on March 12, 2003

How about the sin of Snark?
posted by namespan at 12:08 AM on March 13, 2003

Amusing link, Miguel. This seems basically just a linguistic squabble by De la Question Gourmande vs. the Academie Française: replacing one word for enjoyment of food with another. I'm afraid it's not going to enhance the reputation of les primates capitulards toujours en quete de fromage, with respect to fromage.

I think about the Deadly Sins a lot. Their individual reputations seem to rise and fall with passing fashions. Lust, which was big in the 19th century, is now discounted. I suspect Greed would get most of the rotten tomatoes on MeFi if there were a poll.

Personally, I keep coming round to the idea that Pride is the most underrated sin. I suspect it does more damage that all the rest put together.

Oh, and who can forget the Seven Deadly Virtues?

You'll never find a virtue un-statusing my quo
Or making my Beelzebubble burst!

The villains always get the best lines.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 12:17 AM on March 13, 2003

Sloth never sounded like a real sin. Sins should at least take a little effort.
posted by krisjohn at 12:42 AM on March 13, 2003

Methinks someone's relationship to the world would be as starfish to oyster, if only he could envelop it with his stomach. No ascetic, he...
posted by y2karl at 12:48 AM on March 13, 2003

Happiness is when you desire what you get, not when you get what you desire...
posted by i_cola at 1:31 AM on March 13, 2003

I find it interesting that Dante used a different heirarchy of sins to divvy up Hell. At the very center were betrayers, and I would say Betrayal would be the worst sin of all.

But Pride is way up there, too.
posted by meep at 3:57 AM on March 13, 2003

greed. greed is the center of everything wrong.
posted by grehy at 6:03 AM on March 13, 2003

greed. greed is the center of everything right.
posted by VeGiTo at 7:33 AM on March 13, 2003

Though not a Catholic, and utterly irreligious by nature, I was just thinking about this the other day.

I saw a red-faced, portly man in an expensive leather jacket get out of an enormous Hummer H2. He was riding alone, and had used his military SUV for nothing more than a quick trip to the grocery store.

Feeling self righteous on my bicycle, it occurred to me that this fellow - though not exactly obese - nonetheless exemplified the sin of gluttony. I couldn't think of a better example if I tried.

One can lead a gluttonous lifestyle without being the least bit overweight. It should certainly remain on the list.

VeGiTo: Have you been reading Ayn Rand again? Don't you know that it'll make you go blind?
posted by aladfar at 7:49 AM on March 13, 2003

I'm Jewish but I find it difficult to escape Aquinas's point that Pride is the the sin from which all others can be derived. In modern parlance: "Me, me, me."
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:53 AM on March 13, 2003

No, me!
posted by jennyb at 8:04 AM on March 13, 2003

I especially liked Rushman's comments emphasizing self-awareness: can we add self-delusion to the sin list? Or would that be pride again?
posted by win_k at 8:20 AM on March 13, 2003

Sin is silly.
posted by Summer at 8:30 AM on March 13, 2003

Sin is silly.

Thankfully though, silly isn't a sin.
posted by GeekAnimator at 8:47 AM on March 13, 2003

Isn't just being French enough of a sin?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:07 AM on March 13, 2003

Sin is silly.
posted by Satapher at 10:35 AM on March 13, 2003

It's been a while since I took the philosophy class, so my knowledge of the subject is rusty, but I personally liked Spinoza's view of people as being a part of God. By that reasoning, there can be no sin, since God cannot sin against him/her/itself.
posted by ArsncHeart at 4:30 PM on March 13, 2003

I find it interesting that Dante used a different heirarchy of sins to divvy up Hell.

Tenth Circle Added To Rapidly Growing Hell
posted by homunculus at 4:38 PM on March 13, 2003