I was reading an article today on Yahoo News referring to a blog on memolition a couple of years ago research from geographers who from Kansas State University who in 2009 were seeking to determine where in America the “7 Deadly Sins” were more prevailing. According to the article those sins are wrath, envy, gluttony, sloth, lust, pride, and greed.
Sin as a religious precept is core to understanding the relationship between God and humanity. In Abrahamic contexts, sin is the act of violating God’s will. Sin can also be viewed as anything that disrupts the relationship between a person and God. In addition sin has been defined as “to miss the mark.” An early 2nd century document, the Didache, contains a list of five. Origen produced a list of seven and at the end of the 4th century Cassian amended this list of seven. Eventually, the Seven Deadly Sins (or Vices) we know today were defined in the 6th century by Pope Gregory the Great, as a set of negative values: the values that you are supposed to adopt is that you will avoid these things and actually adopt their opposites.
1. Envy is wanting what others have, be it status, abilities, or possessions.
2. Gluttony is the desire to eat or consume more than you require.
3. Lust is a powerful craving for such as sex, power and money.
4. Wrath/Anger is the loss of rational self-control and the desire to harm others.
5. Sloth is laziness and the avoidance of work.
6. Pride is an excessive belief in one’s own abilities.
7. Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain.
In the Kansas State University research, sin was given a measurable value based on the relationship between humans but also indicates how closely aligned the biblical seven deadly ones are to the present realities of day-to-day life.
–Envy was calculated using the total number of thefts — robbery, burglary, larceny and stolen cars.
–Gluttony was calculated by counting the number of fast food restaurants per capita.
-Lust was calculated by compiling the number of sexually transmitted diseases — HIV, AIDS, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea — reported per capita
–Wrath was calculated by comparing the total number of violent crimes — murder, assault and rape — reported to the FBI per capita
–Sloth was calculated by comparing expenditures on arts, entertainment and recreation with the rate of employment.
–Pride considered the root of all sins, in this study, is the aggregate of all data.
– Greed was calculated by comparing average incomes with the total number of inhabitants living beneath the poverty line. (For a look at the screen shots of all seven maps go to memolition ).
It was greed as sin that captured my attention and it was fascinating to see that the entire state of California, western part of Washington state, the areas encompassing New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia on the east coast, Central and South Florida, and much to my surprise Dallas and my own hometown Houston, Texas were red hot sinful areas of greed on the map.
I wondered for a moment, “What were the common denominators of these of these four regions and why did they appear as exclusive centers of greediness?” A cursory look reveals the big four as centers of finance, energy, and international trade juxtaposed against the backdrop of extreme poverty due to the volume of vast homeless populations in each of the regions. Even though the wealth in these regions did not cause the homeless predicament, it does give us a clear picture of the antithesis of affluence and the need for a response in our individual daily lives.
The cause of greed is scarcity. In other words, not feeling as though I have enough; not feeling I can do enough; and not feeling I am enough. There is a proverb that goes, “The person who doesn’t know what enough is, will never have enough.” Scarcity is rampant in shame-prone, materialistic, competitive societies, which are overly focused on lack. Subsequently the solution to greed became evident. “Deny fear, trust God, and defy scarcity.” The major obstacle in today’s world prohibiting the sharing of love is scarcity, inadequacy, and insecurity. Greed compels the dualistic mind to pick and choose who’s in and who’s out. According to Father Rohr from his latest book “Yes, And…”, “It is living in the naked now, the “sacrament of the present moment,” that will teach us how to actually experience our experiences, whether good, bad, or ugly, and how to let them transform us from the need of greed to presence. Scarcity divides the moment; pure presence lets it be what it is, as it is. “When you can be present, you will know the Real Presence.”
“Either you see God in everything or you have lost the basis for seeing God in anything”
PS. In an effort to not leave you without hope for redemption or direction’s for a safe return, Aurelius Clemens Prudentius identified seven virtues in his ‘Psychomachia’ (‘Battle for the Soul’), written in AD 410. These were ultimately were adapted by the Christian church.
1. Chastity (opposite of Lust): Seeking moral wholesomeness and purity of body and thought through education and general betterment.
2. Temperance (opposite of Gluttony): Practicing self-control, abstention and moderation.
3. Charity (opposite of Greed): Giving to the needy. Nobility in thought and action.
4. Diligence (opposite of Sloth): Zeal and care in action. Working hard to create valuable achievement.
5. Patience (opposite of Wrath): Holding back anger, forgiving and showing mercy. Seeking peace over conflict.
6. Kindness (opposite of Envy): Compassion support of others without seeking reciprocation.
7. Humility (opposite of Pride): Modesty and selflessness. Respecting others and giving, rather than taking, credit.