In 1973 Dr. Karl Menninger, M.D. from the famous Menninger Clinic published a Book entitled: “Whatever Became of Sin?” Here in the year 2013, many are asking the same question. According to Progressives the term Sin is politically incorrect now that we have begun divorcing ourselves from our Judeo-Christian value system.  Pope Gregory who served from 590 to 604 selected what has been called the Seven Deadly Sins. While sin is sin, Pope Gregory came to believe some sins are more deadly to the human soul than others. They also had a negative affect on both individuals and society in general.

The first sin chosen was Pride. It reveals itself when we humans disregard any allegiance to a Creator God or Higher Power and choose instead to deify ourselves. We can see this today as one of the main goals of the Secular Humanists.

The second was sensuality or Lust. Occasionally it takes the form of sexual abuse which is spreading in our military today and destroying families. Judeo-Christian principles seem to have little support among many Americans.

The third was Slothfulness. It is more commonly referred to as Laziness. Today it is best known as an attitude of: “I don’t care.” Scandals in our government? Unless they affect me personally, I really don’t care. Shall we try Socialism as our form of government? Whatever you decide is fine with me. 

Number 4 is Envy. Presently our President is encouraging the lower and middle classes to be envious of the upper class. Rather than helping to unite the nation it is having the negative effect of dividing it. Today as Michael Douglas’s character said in the movie Wall Street, “Gentlemen, greed is good.” Most people seem to agree.

Deadly sin number 5 is Gluttony. Another issue we are debating today is how do we solve the problem of obesity as it affects our medical costs. By medical standards, a sizeable portion of our population today is considered to be over weight. Among our college students binge drinking of alcohol has become a favorite pastime. The end result is a variety of addictions from the overuse of some product or chemical.

Next is the sin of Anger. The protests in the streets well known in the 1960’s are making a comeback. For a variety of reasons including Envy and Greed we are a nation of angry Americans. We want what we consider to be our fair share of the pie and if we can’t get it, we are prepared to demand it. Occasionally our demands can result in violence. Some now believe the government should hand it to them and become angry if it doesn’t.

The Seventh sin chosen by Pope Gregory was Avarice. It appears that we have some soul searching to do, or continue on the road leading to our social and moral decay. In the meantime we continue to add modern sins to the original seven.