Seven deadly sins get a freshening up
Pope Benedict must be running out of things to do. He’s produced a new list of the seven deadly sins. [OK, so I'm playing a bit loose with the Pope here, to make a point and for a bit of humor. I know these are not "official."] Naturally, “bioethical” sins hold the top spot. Just as you’d expect, the committee of men has placed a “sin” that affects women the most at the top of their list. I might have placed “leading Christians into error” at the top of the list, but they didn’t ask me.
Until they get updated, I hadn’t thought much about the good old seven deadlies. Now that I’ve seen the new list, I kind of miss the old list. They were, somehow, timeless. Now that we’re opening them to revision (what will Benedict revise next?!), I figure I might as well come up with my own list of seven deadly sins. I’ve created a handy chart showing the original list, Benedict’s list, and my list. You pick the deadliest list, and don’t do those things!
| Original | Benedict | 7WD |
| Pride | “Bioethical” violations such as birth control | Men naming sins that affect women as most important |
| Envy | “Morally dubious” experiments such as stem cell research | “Morally dubious” cover-ups of abuse by priests |
| Gluttony | Drug abuse | Demonizing and criminalizing addictive behavior, instead of medically treating it |
| Lust | Polluting the environment | Agreed: polluting the evironment |
| Anger | Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor | Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor, by preaching about abortion more often than economic injustice |
| Greed | Excessive wealth | Preaching about “excessive wealth” when you live in a palace and own priceless artistic treasures |
| Sloth | Creating poverty | Creating oppression of women |
So before anyone gets worked up, I mean this to be a little cheeky. I also mean it to make a point that Benedict, like all of us, might want to check his own sinfulness before casting stones. On another day, I might make a more serious attempt to write a list of seven deadly sins. I think there will be some mention of war, and certainly poverty. It will probably include bloggers, but will probably not include birth control.
What is your list?
(Incidentally, I saw this news first over on Boing Boing, not exactly known for its religious coverage.)
