Author’s Notice:
This article is a criticism and analysis of religious content, written from a secular point of view. Religious connotations understood by Christians may not apply, and the seven sins are not content from the Bible. This article is meant to enlighten and entertain a school of thought, not to commit sacrilege. Please read with discretion.
From the beginning of time to the modern day, mankind has been notorious for committing wrongdoing. The concepts of good versus evil and right versus wrong, albeit different depending on one’s upbringing or cultural background, are central to every person on the planet. Actions that are considered wrong have multiple words to define them, including crime, misdemeanour, wrongdoing, and error. However, no word describes a misdeed more than the word “sin.”
The concept of sin connects back to ancient proto-European languages, possibly meaning “true” or “guilty.” However, the most common connotation of the word relates to religion. Aside from family, religion is the oldest institution in the world because it has and still provides explanations on the origin of the world for those who seek a deeper understanding of it. To commit a misdeed or a sin in a religious sense is to violate a deep moral code that is connected to one’s soul. As an atheist and political scientist, I am deeply fascinated with why and how these rules form and develop.
The most notable of the rules, other than the Ten Commandments, are the Seven Deadly Sins. Originating in the Catholic Church and revised by Pope Gregory I, the list of Seven Deadly Sins attempts to address society’s problems by calling out the worst traits in people from which all sin originates. The seven deadly sins are as follows:
● Pride
● Greed
● Gluttony
● Sloth
● Wrath
● Envy
● Lust
Christians often debate that the worst sin of them all is pride, because pride in oneself is the main deterrent from a connection to faith. While this may be true in some cases, I would like to call pride’s stance into question as an atheist. The first reason I have for calling this idea into question is the concept of practicing the teachings of Jesus and God internally and externally. I would first like to concur and state that pride is the ultimate sin when it comes to internal practice. The desire for self-importance is what leads people astray. Wait, what was that?
Desire is a characteristic of greed, yet it seems the concept of pride is built on top of it? Let’s assume that the desire aspect is merely a coincidence and that pride is the ultimate sin for a moment? Why is pride a sin? Pride is defined by Merriam Webster as “pleasure that comes from some relationship, association, achievement, or possession that is seen as a source of honor, respect, etc.” The fact that pride is described as a form of “pleasure” makes it desirable, which ties directly back to greed.
At this point, it is evident that pride is bending the knee to greed at this point. My main point on dismissing pride is the idea that greed is interconnected with every sin, rather than pride. The two sins in question may be involved with each other, but not always. Pride is not necessarily required to be greedy.
A great example of pride not applying to a sin is sloth. Sloth, the sin that defines why people do not do their homework assignments or chores around the house, is simply laziness. No one is proud of being lazy, and I have not met one person who is even friendly with the concept. Greed, though, is heavily involved. A lazy person is someone who avoids work because the idea of leaving their desired relaxed state is too much to ask. Someone who is lazy is someone who is greedy for relaxation, pleasure, or “me-time.” There is nothing prideful about the concept. Pride can occur in succession to it, but the root of sloth is greed.
Gluttony is another sin on the list that doesn’t involve pride. Despite there being a few bloggers and media figures that show off their binge-eating on YouTube for challenges, a vast majority of people simply just like the taste of food. Who doesn’t? However, eating in excess is directly tied to greed. In many episodes of the classic cartoon The Smurfs, Greedy Smurf is often portrayed eating everyone’s dinner before they get to the table. This classic demonstration is an open display of the relationship between greed and gluttony.
Lust is directly tied to greed because all it consists of is the desire to have sexual relations with someone. While a few can pride themselves for being a good partner in bed, a vast majority of those committing lust are simply craving sensations from the act. The act of craving is greed brewing in one’s mind. Sex by itself and performed appropriately is perfectly fine, but it is the impulse of greed that can turn a well-behaved individual into a malicious sex-offender.
Wrath can be defined as the “uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage, or hatred” or “a great anger that expresses itself in a desire to punish someone.” Anger is a completely natural feeling to have, but committing the sin of wrath requires the internal desire for retribution that overrides self-control. The reliance on retribution for occurrence is proof that greed dominates wrath as well, because I can’t think of anyone who is proud of being in a state of anger.
The last sin, envy, is a root cause of other sinful acts to occur. While envy itself causes no immediate damage, the desire to have something that someone else has can stir any of the other sins to occur. The very concept of envy relies on a person wanting something that they do not have, and the greed is outlined by the very fact that the sinner has the time and energy to dwell on the absence of the desired label or object. Envy might as well be labelled as excessive greed due to the fact that a desire is making them suffer miserably, which is not something anyone can consider prideful.
After reviewing every sin, I believe that it is abundantly clear that every sin connects to greed in a significant way. In my opinion, this makes greed the worst sin because its underlying influence is ignored when one pays more attention to another sin. Greed is also more externally manifested than the other sins. As mentioned earlier, pride is a dangerous sin when it comes to the internal bond with God itself. However, when it comes to following Jesus’ teachings of love, humility, and forgiveness, greed is the worst sin.
In our world today, greed is on full external display as the rich receive tax breaks from the government and often form PACs to push forward their agendas. ICE officers exercise their desire for vengeance with their wrath against immigrants and citizens that have not committed any crime. Billionaires get to eat caviar in excess while many are struggling to afford food in our grocery stores due to the President’s tariff and trade policy. In a world where resources are limited, greed is the ultimate threat to global security. Trump’s Venezuela stunt over the Nobel Peace Prize and George W. Bush’s war for oil in Afghanistan are clear examples of greed’s influence on a global scale. The ultimate solution is for everyone to collectively share resources, band together, and pass laws to hold these powerful sinners accountable, because they will not ever stop because they possess the ultimate sin. Their pockets will never fill because the capacity for greed is endless, and they will always want more.