Anger. Gluttony. Sloth. Envy. Pride. Lust. Greed. They're the original seven deadly sins. Way back in the 6th century, the pope, Saint Gregory the Great, created a list of human weaknesses that he believed paved the pathway to hell. Commit one or two and risk the wrath of your community. Commit all seven and there was no hope.
These days the concept of sin has lost its ability to frighten us, so how relevant are the original sins? Is lusting after someone else's partner or eating too much that bad? A recent UK poll found the original sins need a makeover. According to the BBC survey carried out earlier this year, the only sin still relevant today is greed. The 1001 people in the study nominated cruelty, adultery, bigotry, dishonesty, hypocrisy, greed and selfishness as today's deadly sins.
"Attitudes have changed," says the BBC's Ross Kelly. "We're less concerned with the seven deadly sins and more concerned about actions which hurt others. We're less bothered about anger than we are about cruelty. While many of us enjoy lust, we frown on adultery."
Melbourne psychologist and Australian Psychological Society spokesperson, Meredith Fuller, isn't surprised the sins have been revamped. "I'm not surprised sloth has gone. Who's not doing anything today? We're all manic," she says. "We're too tired to feel lustful and who can be a glutton when everyone is supposed to be wafer thin? Greed has survived because the desire to acquire still pervades society."
cruelty Number one sin on the list. About 39 per cent of people felt cruelty was the biggest sin someone could commit now. "It's good that cruelty made the list because it shows people won't tolerate emotional or physical abuse these days," says psychologist Eve Ash. "I think there is more awareness of abuse now. About 20 years ago, a child could get the cane at school. Now we know that's not appropriate. We talk about abuse more these days so there is growing awareness of the huge impact of physical and emotional cruelty. That's a good thing."
adultery Fuller says the addition of adultery to the sin list surprised her because it seems old-fashioned. About 11 per cent of people said cheating is sinful. "I think there are two camps," she says. "There are those who believe in fidelity and focus on their partner and there are people who believe nobody owns anyone so if they want someone else's partner they'll take them. Those people are likely to be committing other sins such as selfishness, dishonesty and cruelty, too." Ash says listing adultery shows a craving for monogamy and fidelity. "It's nice to see people value that," she says. "In an era when there is so much marriage breakdown I like the idea that we still see one-on-one relationships as important."
bigotry Nominating bigotry as a sin is a reaction against problems such as racism, ageism and homophobia, says Ash. "I associate bigotry with not accepting diversity," she says. "I think events such as the war on terrorism have led to bigotry but our multicultural world is gradually erasing bigoted views. It's still there, but by putting it on the list we're saying we don't like it." Fuller says bigotry is a by-product of a selfish society that believes "It's my way or no way". She says: "It's about being intolerant of anyone else's beliefs and values. On the one hand we have a push for a society that values differences, but on the other side there are people who are blinkered. I think it will be a long time before we erase bigotry totally, if ever."
dishonesty Whether it's lying about your credentials to get a job or telling your mother-in-law floral prints suit her, deceiving someone is a no-no. "There used to be a stronger moral code. There was a binding way of living in whatever culture you lived in and that way was honoured," says Fuller. "Now we don't have moral maps. We've lost the layers of family, clan, village, church and community that helped develop our ethics." Ash says once people start being dishonest in one area of life, deceitfulness spreads. "Where do you draw the line?" she says. "A lot of sins are about breaking trust. We like consistency and reliability and we lose respect for someone if they're dishonest. Eventually dishonesty rebounds on us."
hypocrisy Pretending to have qualities or beliefs you don't possess is another turn-off according to the poll. Hypocrisy made the sin hit list with six per cent of people. "We're so concerned about what's happening in the world. We're worried about abortion and refugees and poverty, but what are we doing about them?" says Fuller. Most of us want to fit in so we don't speak up when someone says something we disagree with. "It's easier to be a chameleon and to change colour according to who we're with. It's harder to have the courage of our convictions," she says. "It's important to stand up for what you believe and to value individual opinion."
greed Greed peaked in the 80s. Think of Michael Douglas in the film Wall Street, Thatcherism, BMWs and the young guns in boardrooms. Greed is an original sin and it's as unattractive today as always, according to the UK poll. "In the US at the moment one of the fastest growing industries is self-storage. People have so much stuff and nowhere to keep it. It's the same in Australia. We have far more than we need," says Ash. "I think we are reaching a stage where we are so affluent and have so many things that we're becoming more giving. Look at how much Australians donated to the tsunami appeal. People want to give back now. Nobody likes a greedy person."
selfishness Selfishness and greed go hand in hand. They're about putting your own needs first and grabbing everything. It's a "to hell with everyone else" mindset. "The opposite is generosity, caring and sharing," says Ash. "They're more attractive and qualities we could all do with a lot more of." Fuller says selfishness is a result of feeling entitled to whatever we want. She says entitlement is an epidemic in the modern world. "Envy is no longer on the list of sins because people aren't envious these days. They assume they can have whatever they want anyway," she says. "Young people feel entitled to a new car as soon as they pass their driving test. A young couple buy a perfect first home and get into rampant debt. We have a "me first" attitude. "The tragedy is most of the new sins are about running a race and being first over the finishing line. Perhaps we need to bring back sloth so we slow down and think about where our life is heading."
