Who's afraid of the Seven Deadly Sins?

U.S. CATHOLIC readers say they still struggle with the seven sinister sins of pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy, and sloth.

ASK THE AVERAGE PERSON IN THE pew to name the Seven Deadly Sins and you'll get either a long pause followed by a shrug or a fractured list as they try to remember the grisly murders in the movie Seven. Even some of those nuns who tried to drill the capital sins into students' consciences during the '50s can't always come up with all seven on their own.

But if you think the Seven Deadly Sins went out with hairshirts, think again. Although they are no longer a staple in religious education classes, older Catholics still remember them and younger ones have at least been exposed to the concept through popular culture. Like many ancient Catholic practices and teachings, the Seven Deadly Sins have enjoyed something of a revival of late; more likely, they have never completely lost their relevancy.

The Seven Deadly Sins--pride, greed (or avarice), lust, wrath (or anger), gluttony, envy, and sloth--received an overwhelming show of support in a recent survey of U.S. CATHOLIC readers, with 82 percent of respondents agreeing that they should still be taught, even though only a minority (40 percent) was able to name all seven off the top of their head.

"They're still relevant and still spiritually deadly," says Anthony Oreglia of Elk Grove, California, speaking for the majority. Others simply pointed to the need for a better sense of sin overall. "Whatever happened to sin?" asks John Steele, another Californian. "We need to have a heightened awareness of sin itself, deadly or otherwise."

Many who support the continued teaching of the capital sins reported that they found them personally relevant. "As I looked at them, I realized that, indeed, these are the things that keep me from really knowing and following Christ, and from the freedom that brings," says Sue Ann Saltarelli of Tonawanda, New York.

A few readers (only 5 percent) felt the Seven Deadly Sins were not helpful, preferring a morality that focused on God's love or a relationship with Jesus. "I would rather see a positive approach," says Rosalie Glenn of Bedford, Massachusetts. "If you concentrate on the good, you will find it."

Some thought the Seven Deadly Sins could use a little make-over to bring them into the 21st century. "Update the terminology," suggests one respondent. Ditch the guilt or method of mere memorization, said others. "The teaching should be more `awareness' than `threat,'" suggests one Wisconsin reader.

The winning sinning

With seven to choose from, it is somewhat surprising that one sin easily led the pack when readers were asked which Deadly Sin they struggled with the most. Pride topped the list for nearly half of survey respondents. Traditionally taught as the root of all other sins, pride manifests itself as the "difficulty to admit I am wrong" and "struggling with my will over God's will," readers say.

"I know I don't put all of my faith and trust in the fact that God will always love me, take care of me, and knows what is best," admits Kathleen White of Holland, Michigan.

Sometimes pride means not asking for help, being too concerned about what others think, or thinking your way is the only way. "I must be first; I must be the best; I must be in charge; I must not admit my inadequacies," says Laurie Rumpf of Virginia Beach, Virginia in describing her struggle with pride.

More than just a character flaw, the sin of pride has a real spiritual side, say readers who find it a challenge. "It's forgetting or not seeing that it is all grace and not from myself," says Janice Young of Pepperell, Massachusetts. One solution: "Remembering that God is in charge, not I," says Patricia Clarke of Pebble Beach, California.

The other six Deadly Sins shared the remaining votes for most tempting. Fueled by a consumerist culture, many find themselves battling the sin of greed (sometimes referred to as "covetousness" or "avarice"). "If I didn't think carefully, I'd be buying stuff all the time," says Diane King of Raleigh, North Carolina.

But shopaholics aren't the only people who find themselves tempted by greed. "I'm not a tremendous accumulator of goods or money, but I can be terribly stingy about giving things away," admits one Massachusetts reader.

Readers who struggle with sloth seem to get at the original meaning of the Greek word, acedia, which meant "not caring."

"I'm too content with the way things are," reports Carol Szkudlapski of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. Others described their own slothfulness as sitting on the sidelines and not being involved. "As a retiree, I have much free time that is not spent serving," says Anthony Merlo of Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Gratitude is a sure cure for the sin of envy, say the respondents who chose the green monster as their most trouble-some Deadly Sin. "Sometimes it's difficult not to be envious of others, particularly when they don't seem to deserve it," says Bonnie Vlach of Lake Forest, California.

Ethalee Mulhern, a 78-year-old Carmelite sister, admits she has grown more envious as she ages. "I miss the activities of young years and the ability to get around as I see others doing," says the New Orleans resident.

Those who struggle with the sin of lust often mentioned the impact of today's sex-saturated society. But one reader sees it as more than sexual desire: "It is about new adventures and excitement with someone different. It's a desire to experience more."

Anger can be a problem for those who saw it modeled in their early childhood homes. "Keeping that `cobra in the basket' and learning how to handle my own anger and resentment appropriately seems a never-ending task," says one Ohio reader.

Surprisingly, one reader claims to be untempted by the Seven Deadly Sins. "I am able to deal realistically with them and consider them to be avoided in daily life," the Illinois resident says.

Least tempting

Although few readers could admit to mastering all seven, they were able to name those that seem to dog them the least. Least tempting, according to the survey respondents, were sloth, envy, and lust.

"I've never really envied anyone," says Rod Mayer of Park Ridge, Illinois. "I have what I have because of God's good blessing, and I am satisfied and comfortable with that."

Our industrious and hardworking respondents say they often struggle more with finding balance in their lives than with the sin of sloth. "Our society encourages us to do, do, do!" says Thomas Lynd of Cincinnati.

Finally, a few who mentioned lust as not particularly problematic credited their happy marriages--or their advancing age!

Society's sins

But not everyone in American society shares our readers' concerns about the Seven Deadly Sins. In fact, television, movies, music, and the Internet actually promote or even glorify many of these sins.

"The Seven Deadly Sins have been clearly converted into virtues," concludes Robert Sponder of Riverside, Illinois.

Gordon Gekko's proclamation that "Greed is good" in the movie Wall Street is just one example of how vice has been made out to be virtue. Indeed, survey respondents chose greed as the Deadly Sin that most plagues American society today--and the one that has become the most socially acceptable.

"Society's biggest sin is its greed," says Nathan Standifer of San Antonio, Texas. "Society clearly says, `Take it all; we deserve it, and share nothing.'"

"Whoever dies with the most toys, wins" is another message from the consumerist culture, says Kay Parish of Madison, Wisconsin.

The costs of this sin are truly deadly. "Greed drives people to want more at the expense of their family and values, and at the expense of the world's resources," notes a West Virginia reader.

Also ranking high as society's most troublesome sins were lust and pride. "I think we're still in an `if it feels good, do it' society, where lust is considered a behavior that doesn't harm anyone," says a Nevada reader.

"There's too much emphasis on self-satisfaction and not enough on serving others," agrees a respondent from Washington.

Road rage, domestic violence, and racial hatred are among the symptoms of societal anger, says Joan Lilly of Port Orange, Florida. "It seems as a society we have difficulty recognizing God in everyone and accepting each other as brothers and sisters in Christ."

Even gluttony is commonplace, if not acceptable. "National surveys indicate Americans have never been more obese," notes a reader from California.

But the traditional roster of capital sins isn't necessarily an exhaustive list of lethal vices. When asked what they might add as en eighth Deadly Sin, respondents came up with a creative slate of sins.

Most frequently mentioned was indifference and apathy, which actually is included in the wider meaning of the sin of sloth.

Racism, bigotry, prejudice, and hate also received multiple votes. Similarly, unkindness, callousness, and selfishness were obvious answers. Somewhat more surprising suggestions included waste, tack of self-respect, nihilism, ingratitude, and unbridled capitalism.

But several readers refused to add to the list. "Seven is quite enough!" says Father Ted Jost of Buffalo, New York.

Spiritual weapons

Thankfully, readers come prepared to fight the capital sins to the death. One of the most powerful tools for overcoming the temptation of the Seven Deadly Sins is prayer, according to the large number of survey respondents who mentioned it. A few mentioned God's grace. Others credited scripture, spiritual direction, the sacrament of Reconciliation, and the practices of mindfulness and meditation.

Rita Patterman of Indianapolis pulls out these two short prayers when she is struggling with the temptation of sin: "Come Holy Spirit, enlighten my mind and enkindle my heart" and "Mary, Queen of Peace, help me through this trial, this task, this day." Ultimately, they give her "an awareness that we don't have to do it alone," she says.

When asked for the best piece of advice or wisest saying to help people conquer these seven obstacles to holiness, readers were prolific. Several mentioned the Golden Rule or Jesus' version of it: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

The Bible can be a key source of wisdom on how to battle the Seven Deadly Sins. A few readers cited the Beatitudes; another mentioned Matthew's gospel passage that "What you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do also to me."

"Moderation in all things" and "know yourself' were among the other wise sayings cited as helpful in fighting the temptations of the capital sins. A few people suggested asking, "What would Jesus do?"

Other advice? "Listen to your conscience," suggests a Rhode Island reader. "Just because you may have engaged in these behaviors in the past doesn't mean you can't change and be forgiven," says an Arkansas respondent.

Mary Ann Krems finds courage in the 12 Steps, especially the first, which says, "I am powerless and need to acknowledge a Higher Power to help," says the Stevens Point, Wisconsin resident. Michael Bryant of Dallas, Pennsylvania, suggests pretty much the same thing: "Relax. God's in charge."

RELATED ARTICLE: Centuries of temptation

Athough seven is considered a sacred number, the earliest lists of deadly vices actually contained eight, not seven, sins. The enumeration has its origin in the first centuries of Eastern monasticism, with Egyptian monk Evagrius Ponticus getting the credit for drawing up the first list of eight malicious attitudes that engendered sin and threatened monastery life.

But it is Pope Gregory the Great who goes down in history for paring the list down to the Seven Deadlies we have today (by adding envy, combining sadness and sloth, and folding vainglory into pride), and for popularizing them by insisting they applied to all Christians, not just monks.

The Seven Deadly Sins were enormously popular in the medieval period, thanks in part to the decision of the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 to make annual confession of all mortal sin obligatory.

Throughout history, the cardinal sins have made their mark in art and literature. Perhaps the most well-known literary depictions are Chaucer's sermon on the capital sins in "The Parson's Tale" in his Canterbury Tales and Dante's use of the Deadly Sins in his description of the terraces of purgatory in the Divine Comedy.

Two contemporary "classics" also are suspected to be depictions of the capital sins, according to a Web site devoted to the topic (www.deadlysins.com). Are Snow White's seven dwarfs "harmless mythic munchkins or the epitome of evil?" More convincing is the assertion that the characters on the seemingly inane television show Gilligan's Island represent the Seven Deadly Sins, and the cast-away's inability to get off the island a sure example of eternal torment.

RELATED ARTICLE: AND THE SURVEY SAYS ...

1. Do you think the Seven Deadly Sins should still be taught today?

agree      82%
disagree    5%
other      13%

2. Which of the Seven Deadly Sins do you struggle with the most?

pride      49%
sloth      12%
gluttony   10%
greed       9%
lust        7%
envy        7%
wrath       6%

3 Which of them seems to dog you the least?

sloth      34%
envy       19%
lust       18%
greed      11%
gluttony   10%
wrath       6%
pride       2%

Result are based on survey responses from 111 U.S. CATHOLIC readers and Web site visitors.

Join the conversation--online. In addition to a sample of subscribers, all are invited to respond to U.S. CATHOLIC'S monthly Sounding Board survey at www.uscatholic.org. This month, join U.S. CATHOLIC readers as they give their opinions about what makes a good godparent.

HEIDI SCHLUMPF, assistant editor of U.S. CATHOLIC.