Sins, Virtues, and Tales

The Seven Deadly Sins are those transgressions which are fatal to spiritual progress. Learn about the history and cultural associations of the Deadly Sins and Heavenly Virtues, peruse further reading and resources, and read the Tales of Sin and Virtue.

People have always been immoral, shiftless, and self-gratifying. For ages, humankind struggled to find a conceptual system to operationalize their spiritual shortcomings.

Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.

Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.

Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.

Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.

Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.

Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

In this world of iniquity, they are a few gleams of hope in the mire of our shameful indulgences. Various formulations of Virtue have been proposed over the ages: Cardinal, Theological, Contrary, and others.

In case you're looking for some in-depth info and not just satisfying a bar bet, here are some interesting scholarly and theological works about the Deadly Sins.