One of the lists of sins in the writings of Christian theologians and spiritual writers: pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and laziness (or despondency). This list is not based on biblical texts, but has become generally accepted since the time of Thomas ... ... Collier Encyclopedia

Seven deadly sins. Wed Sins unto death, which will not be forgiven a man. Wed 1 John 5, 16 17. Deadly sins named in scholastic dogma (since the 12th century) and especially in the Catholic catechism for the people: Arrogance, Avarice, ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

SEVEN DEADLY SINS- - human sins that originated "from the root of all evil - pride": vanity, envy, anger, despondency, avarice, gluttony, wastefulness. These sins, in turn, give rise to a number of others: disobedience and arrogance come from vanity, from ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

Seven deadly sins These are the sins that are not forgiven a person even after his death. These include: vanity, arrogance, envy, anger, despondency, avarice, gluttony, laziness (waste). These sins give rise to others - disobedience, arrogance, arrogance, greed, etc. Fundamentals of spiritual culture ( encyclopedic Dictionary teacher)

Seven deadly sins- a stable combination For believers: seven especially serious sins that are a violation of divine prescriptions. Encyclopedic commentary: Envy, stinginess, debauchery, gluttony, laziness, anger and pride are considered especially grave sins. ... ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language

Seven deadly sins- ♦ (ENG sins, seven deadly) in Roman Catholic theology, the seven most serious sins or offenses in relation to morality: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony (greed), anger and laziness ... Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms

Seven deadly sins- Obsolete. Very big vices, unforgivable offenses. He himself said, irreconcilably bent his wife, that the matter was unclean, as if Ivan had already been caught by the hand, convicted, and only out of incomprehensible obstinacy refused to confess to seven mortals ... ... Phrasebook Russian literary language

Wed Sins unto death that will not be forgiven a person. Wed 1 John. 5, 16 17. Deadly sins named in scholastic dogma (since the 12th century) and especially in the Catholic catechism for the people: Arrogance, Avarice, Debauchery, Anger, Gluttony, ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary

Book. A very big vice. BMS 1998, 137 ... Big dictionary of Russian sayings

SEVEN DEADLY SINS- if these S.S.G. were performed in full consciousness, then they endangered the life of the soul. Many other less significant sins are known as venial sins. One of the lists of such S. S. G. is as follows: Lucifer - pride; Mammon - stinginess; Asmodeus - ... ... Eurasian wisdom from A to Z. Explanatory dictionary

Books

• The Seven Deadly Sins, Pavic Milorad. Compiled from several short stories, the book "The Seven Deadly Sins" Milorad Pavic (1929-2009) considered an indivisible novel. As if in magic mirror with a hole, Dante's "Hell" is reflected here, ...
• The Seven Deadly Sins, Pavic Milorad. Composed of several short stories, the book 171; The Seven Deadly Sins 187; Milorad Pavic (1929-2009) considered an indivisible novel. As if in a magic mirror with a hole, Dante's reflection is reflected here ...

Major sins is a term used in Catholic theology to refer to seven major vices that give rise to many other sins. In the Eastern Christian tradition they are called seven deadly sins(the list below). In Orthodox asceticism, they correspond to eight sinful passions. Modern Orthodox authors sometimes write about them as the eight deadly sins. The seven (or eight) mortal sins should be distinguished from a separate theological concept of mortal sin (Latin peccatum mortale, English mortal sin), which was introduced to classify sins according to severity and consequences into serious and ordinary.

Sin corrupts the life of God in man. First of all, one must beware of those sinful acts that drag a person to the following sins (list according to the Catechism Catholic Church item 1866. 2001)

1. Pride
2. stinginess
3. Envy
4. Lust
5. Gluttony (gluttony)
6. Despondency

Moral virtues opposed to the seven cardinal sins

1. Humility.
2. Renunciation of earthly goods.
3. Chastity.
4. Mercy.
5. Moderation.
6. Patience.
7. Diligence.

Sins against the Holy Spirit

The constant resistance to God's grace and the frequent commission of serious sins in the future can lead to the fact that the human conscience becomes insensitive and leads to the disappearance of the sense of sin. Such acts are called deeds or sins against the Holy Spirit (Mt 12:31).

1. To sin, boldly counting on the mercy of God.
2. To despair or doubt the mercy of God.
3. Resist the learned Christian truth.
4. To envy the grace of God given to one's neighbor.
5. Postpone repentance until death.

Sins towards neighbor

Contributing in any form to the sin of other people, we ourselves, to some extent, become the perpetrators of this evil and participate in sin. To sin against one's neighbor is:

1. Persuade someone to sin.
2. Order to sin.
3. Allow sin.
4. Incite to sin.
5. Praise the sin of another.
6. Maintain indifference if someone has sinned.
7. Don't fight sin.
8. Help sin.
9. Justify someone's sin.

“Woe to that man through whom stumbling comes” (Mt 18:7).

Sins crying out for heavenly punishment

Serious sins also include actions that cry out to heavenly punishment (Genesis 4:10):

1. Conscious malicious homicide.
2. Sin of Sodom, or sodomy (homosexuality).
3. Oppression of the poor, widows and orphans.
4. Deprivation of payment for work performed.

Briefly about sin according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church(references are given to points from chapter 7)

• "God hath bound up all in disobedience, that he might have mercy on all" (Rom 11:32). n. 1870
• Sin is "a word, action, or desire contrary to the eternal law." He is an insult to God. He rebels against God in disobedience, contrary to the obedience of Christ. n. 1871
• Sin is an act contrary to reason. He hurts human nature and damages human solidarity. n. 1872
• All sins are rooted in the human heart. Their types and severity are evaluated, mainly, depending on their subject. n. 1873
• To choose freely, that is, knowing and willing it, that which seriously contradicts the divine law and the final destiny of man, is to commit a mortal sin. He destroys love in us, without which eternal bliss is impossible. Left without contrition, it entails eternal death. n. 1874
• Ordinary sin is a moral iniquity, corrected by the love that it allows us to abide in. n. 1875
• The repetition of sins, even ordinary ones, gives rise to vices, among which we distinguish the main (radical) sins. p.1876

Test of conscience:

SINS AGAINST GOD

Do I believe that God is present in everything that happens in my life?
Do I believe that God loves and forgives me?
Have I turned to horoscopes, divination, do I wear amulets, talismans, do I not believe in omens?
Do I forget about prayer? Am I reading it mechanically? Do I pray morning and evening?
Do I always thank and praise God, or do I only turn to Him when I need something?
Do I doubt the existence of God?
Have I denied God? Did I blame him for the trouble that happened to me?
Have I spoken the name of God in vain? Am I making enough attempts to get to know God better?
Do I try to know God in my Sunday school classes?
How often do I read the Holy Scriptures and other books about God?
Have I taken the sacrament in a state of grave sin? Am I preparing to receive the Body of Christ and thank Him for this gift?
Am I ashamed of my faith in Christ?
Is my life a witness of God to others? Am I talking to other people about God, am I defending my faith?
Is Sunday a special day for me? Do I miss Sunday and holiday masses, am I late for them? Do I participate in the Sacraments with faith?

SINS AGAINST THE CHURCH

Do I pray for the Church, or do I think that there is only me and God?
Am I criticizing the Church? Do I reject the teachings of the Church?
Do I forget that if I live in sin, then the community becomes weaker because of it?
Do I not behave during the performance of the Sacraments as an observer or spectator?
Am I interested in what is happening in the local Church (parish community, diocese, country)?
Do I pray for the unity of the entire Church, do I treat Christians of other confessions with respect?
Doesn't it happen that I am with the community only during prayer, and when I leave the Church, I become a "normal" person - and others do not concern me?
Do I forget about God during the holidays?
Do I always fast? (this is an expression of our participation in the sufferings of Christ) Do I know how to refuse pleasures?

SINS AGAINST NEIGHBORS

Do you want to be the center of attention all the time? Am I jealous of my friends? Do I recognize their freedom?
Do I give my friends to God, do I "let" Him into my relationships with my acquaintances? Do I always notice other people?
Do I thank God for my brothers and sisters, do I help them?
Am I praying enough for others?
Do I thank for the good, do I forgive the evil?
How do I feel about the crippled, the sick, the poor?
Am I blaming others for my problems?
Do I devote enough time to those who need me, do I refuse to help?
Do I speak ill of my neighbors?
Do I not envy others, do I wish that they lose what they have?
Is there hatred in my heart for others? Do I wish harm on anyone?
Do I want to take revenge on others?
Do I give out other people's secrets, do I use the information entrusted to me against others?
Do I love my parents and try to strengthen my relationship with them? Do I listen to them?
Did I take other people's things without asking, did I steal money from my parents or someone else?
Do I faithfully perform the work entrusted to me?
Didn't he senselessly destroy nature? Didn't you litter?
Do I love my country?
Do I follow the rules of the road? Am I endangering someone's health?
Did he push others to evil?
Did he seduce others with his word, behavior, appearance?

SINS AGAINST YOURSELF

Do I treat God with indifference and frivolity? (This is a sin against God, but also against myself, because by doing so I cut myself off from the source of Life and become spiritually dead.)
Am I locked in my own dreams? Am I living for today, not in the past or in the future?
Do I ask what God thinks about my decisions?
Am I accepting myself? Am I comparing myself to others? Do I rebel against God because He made me this way?
Do I accept my weaknesses and give them to the Lord so He can heal them?
Am I avoiding the truth about myself? Do I accept comments addressed to me and change my behavior?
Am I doing what I promised?
Am I making good use of my time? Am I wasting my time?
Friends, circle of friends that I have chosen - do they help me to strive for good?
Do I know how to say "no" when they push me to evil?
Doesn't it happen that I tend to see only the bad in myself; Do I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to me what gifts I have and help me develop them?
Do I share with others the talents that the Lord has given me? Do I serve other people?
How do I prepare for my future profession?
Am I closing in on myself, ceasing to rejoice at what I received from God?
Man is soul and body; do I care enough about the development of my body, about its physical health (warm clothes, rest, fighting bad habits)
Am I chaste to different areas of my life? (Am I making an effort to prepare my heart to receive true love?)
Do I tell dirty jokes, read obscene magazines? Can I refuse films and magazines that push me to impure thoughts? Do I evoke such thoughts in others with my manner of dressing or my behavior?

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Sin in Greek means "to miss, miss the target." And a person has one goal - the path to spiritual growth and insight, to the highest spiritual values, striving for God's perfection. What is sin in Orthodoxy? We are all sinners, we already appear to the world like that, only because our forefathers were sinful, accepting the sin of our relatives, we add our own and pass them on to posterity. It is difficult to live even a day without sin, we are all weak beings, with our thoughts, words, deeds we move away from God's essence.

What is sin in general, which of them are stronger, which are forgiven and which are mortal sins?

« Sin is a voluntary departure from what is in accordance with nature into what is unnatural (against nature)"(John of Damascus).

Everything that is a deviation from is a sin.

Seven deadly sins in Orthodoxy

In general, there is no strict hierarchy of sins in Orthodoxy; it is impossible to say which sin is more terrible, which is simpler, which is at the beginning of the list, which is at the end. Only the most basic often inherent in all of us people are singled out.

1. Anger, anger, revenge. This group includes actions that, in contrast to love, bring destruction.
2. lust e, debauchery, fornication. This category includes acts that lead to excessive desire pleasure.
3. Laziness, idleness, despondency. They include unwillingness to perform both spiritual and physical work.
4. Pride, vanity, arrogance. Unbelief in the divine is arrogance, boasting, excessive self-confidence, passing into boasting.
5. Envy, jealousy. This group includes dissatisfaction with what they have, confidence in the injustice of the world, the desire for someone else's status, property, qualities.
6. Gluttony, gluttony. The need to consume more than necessary is also referred to as passion. We are all mired in this sin. Fasting is a great blessing!
7. love of money greed, greed, avarice. It does not mean that it is bad to strive for material wealth, it is important that the material does not overshadow the spiritual ...

As you can see from the diagram, (click on the picture to enlarge) all the feelings that we show in excess are sin. And only love for one's neighbor and one's enemy, and only goodness, light and warmth does not happen much. It is difficult to say which of all the sins is worse, it all depends on the circumstances.

The worst sin in Orthodoxy is suicide

Orthodoxy is strict for its pastors, calling them to strict obedience, observing not only the ten basic commandments of God, not to allow excess in worldly life. All sins can be forgiven if a person realizes them and begs for forgiveness through communion, confession and prayers.

It is not a sin to be a sinner, but a sin not to repent - this is how the people interpret their whole earthly life. God will forgive everyone who comes to him with repentance!

What sin is considered the most terrible after all? Only one sin is not forgiven a person - this is a sin suicide. Why is it?

1. By killing himself, a person violates the biblical commandment: Thou shalt not kill!
2. A person will not be able to atone for his sins by leaving voluntarily from life.

It is known that each of us has his own destiny on earth. With this we come into this world. After we are born, we take on the nature of the Spirit of Christ in which we are to live. The one who voluntarily breaks this thread spits in the face of the Almighty. The worst sin is to voluntarily die.

Jesus gave his life for our salvation, which is why the whole life of any person is a priceless gift. We must value it, cherish it, and no matter how difficult it may be to carry our cross until the end of our days.

Why can the sin of murder be forgiven by God, but not suicide? Is the life of one person more precious to God than the life of another? No, this should be understood in a slightly different way. The murderer, who interrupted the life of another, often innocent person, can repent, do good, but the suicide, having deprived himself of his own life, cannot.

After death, a person no longer has the opportunity to do good, bright, trustworthy deeds in this world. It turns out that the whole life of such a person who committed suicide was meaningless, just like God's great idea is meaningless.

All sins are forgiven by God through repentance, communion, in the hope of purification and salvation of the soul.

That is why, in the old days, suicides were not only not buried in the church, but they were even buried outside the cemetery fence. No rituals and commemorations have been held and to this day are not held in the church for the deceased. This alone, and how hard it will be for loved ones, should stop the suicide. But, unfortunately, this is not the case and the number of victims - suicides is not decreasing.

Russia occupies fourth place in the world in these sad statistics, after India, China and the USA, the number of voluntary deaths per year is more than 25,000 people. Millions of people around the world voluntarily die. Fearfully!!!

All other sins our God will forgive us, provided that we not only repented of them, but also corrected them with our good deeds.

And remember that there are no small or big sins, even the smallest sin can kill our soul, it is like a tiny cut on the body that can cause gangrene and lead to death.

If a believer repented of sin, realized it, went through confession, one can hope that the sin is forgiven. So sees Orthodox Church so the Bible teaches. But it is important to understand that each of our deeds, our words of thought, everything has its own weight and is deposited in our karma. So let's live now, every day, so that we don't have to beg them when the time of reckoning comes...

Prayers for the suicidal

Is it possible to pray for people who have committed suicide. Yes, there are prayers that allow you to do this.

Master, Lord, Merciful and Humanitarian, we cry out to You: we have sinned and lawless before You, we have transgressed Your saving commandment and the love of the gospel to our despairing brother (our despairing sister) is not revealed. But not with the fury of Your appearance, punish us below with Your anger, O Lord of mankind, weaken, heal our heartfelt grief, may the many bounties of Your sins conquer our abyss, and may Your countless goodness abyss cover the bitter sea of ​​our tears.

To her, the Sweetest Jesus, we still pray, give to Your servant, a kinsman who died of his own will, in sorrow their consolation and firm hope in Your mercy.

Yako, God is merciful and philanthropic, and we send glory to you with Your Father without beginning and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen

Prayer for those who committed the worst sin (suicides)

Granted by the Optina Elder Lev of Optina

“Seek, Lord, the lost soul (name); if it is possible to eat, have mercy! Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not put me in the sin of this prayer of mine. But Thy holy will be done!”

Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

What is considered a sin

If you do not believe that it is I, you will die in your sins.

Sin is a transgression of the Law of God, a failure to fulfill the holy commandments of God. “Whoever commits sin also commits iniquity; and sin is iniquity" ( 1 In. 3, 4).

A person can sin in various ways: by deed, by word, by thought, by knowledge, by ignorance, by will and not by will.

We sin "deed" when it is contrary to the commandment of God. If a person indulges in overeating, drunkenness, delicacies, then he sins against the commandment of God: "do not make for yourself an idol and any likeness." Theft, robbery, murder and other similar acts are sins by deed.

Sin "word" when the word is contrary to the will of God. For example, idle talk, words, songs are sins in a word. The Lord Jesus Christ forbids these sins by saying: “for every idle word that people say, they will give an answer in the day of judgment” (Matt. 12, 36). If we reproach our neighbor with the words, reproach him, scold him, or speak lies about him behind his back, complain about him unfairly, slander him out of hatred, then we sin against the commandment of God: "Do not listen to your friend, your testimony is false". These sins in word are more pernicious than many sins in deed, and can stand side by side with homicide.

We sin "thinking" if we have any desires that are contrary to love for our neighbor, when we act against the commandment of God: "Do not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor." Sins of thought are just as grave as sins of deed and word, and are strictly forbidden by Holy Scripture.

sins "leading"- those that we do, knowing that they are forbidden by the law of God, we do them according to our passions - out of pride, malice, laziness, and the like - and justify ourselves with false arguments. Those who act in this way are worthy of the same sentence that the master pronounced on his crafty and lazy servant: “Cunning slave and lazy! You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and I gather where I did not scatter… Throw the worthless servant into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:26-30).

sins "ignorance" come from the weakness of human nature. It is very difficult to see these sins behind oneself and protect oneself from them. “Who understands the fall?” (Ps. 18, 13), - says the prophet David, that is, who can see his errors, his ignorance. However, since these are also sins, it is possible to be kept from them; wherefore he adds the prayer: "Cleanse me from my secrets" that is, from sins, due to weakness and ignorance, made by me, which I either do not know, or which I do not remember, or which I do not even consider to be sins.

Sin "by will" means to sin knowingly, with intent and out of malice. The apostle Paul says this about these sins: “If we sin voluntarily after we have received the knowledge of the truth, then there remains no more sacrifice for sins.” For those who apostatize from Christ and rebel against Him, it is impossible to receive forgiveness; as the same Apostle explains it, saying: “It is impossible, once enlightened and having tasted the gift of heaven, and having become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and having tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and fallen away, to renew again with repentance; when they again crucify the Son of God within themselves and swear at Him"(Heb. 6:4:5:6). But what is impossible for men is possible for God: the special mercy of the Lord can touch the heart of a sinner and return him to the path of truth.

"Involuntary Sin"- one that a person does not foresee, creates it against his will and desire.

Of the great multitude of sins, the most important, grave sins are called "mortal"; for for the unrepentant sinner who stubbornly abides in them, after bodily death comes spiritual death, and with it eternal separation from God, death and endless torment.

Seven deadly sins: pride, love of money, fornication, envy, gluttony, sloth and anger.

From these sins, as from seven mothers, all other sins are born. If these seven sins, these seven mothers, are eradicated, then all their offspring, all other sins will be destroyed.

These mortal sins are like the seven demons that the Lord Jesus Christ cast out of the body of a sinner, Mary Magdalene. They can also be compared with the seven enemies of the people of Israel, who had to be destroyed in order to enter the promised land, representing the Kingdom of Heaven.

From the book Good News Commentary on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians author Wagoner Ellet

Under the law, under sin We were all under the law until the time when faith was revealed. We know that everything that is not of faith is sin (see Rom. 14:23), so being "under the guard of the law" is tantamount to being under sin. The grace of God brings salvation from sin,

From the book In the beginning was the Word ... A statement of the main Bible doctrines author author unknown

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From the book Questions to the Priest the author Shulyak Sergey

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From the book 1115 questions to the priest author PravoslavieRu website section

5. Is laziness a sin? Question: Is laziness a sin, and where in Holy Scripture Is the issue of work and laziness covered in detail? Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) answers: Laziness is a manifestation of lethargy and inaction. Wise Solomon advises to follow the example of the industrious ant: Go to

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Why pentagram ( five pointed star) is considered a satanic symbol? priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery Because some occult societies, both in ancient times and in our time, chose the pentagram as a magical sign. At the same time, it is necessary

From the book The Jewish Answer to the Not Always Jewish Question. Kabbalah, mysticism and the Jewish worldview in questions and answers author Kuklin Reuven

Is boasting a sin? Priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery The word bragging comes from the ancient Slavic “boast” - to lie, to add too much to the conversation. Therefore, a person who boasts sins by lying and

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Why is the closeness between loving friend other people is considered a mortal sin? Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) First of all, one must clearly understand what sin is and why Divine revelation classifies fornication and adultery among the mortal sins. Lord God created the world

From the book of the Monk John of the Ladder the author Agrikov Tikhon

Is laziness a sin? Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) Laziness is a manifestation of lethargy and inaction. Wise Solomon advises to follow the example of the industrious ant: Go to the ant, sloth, look at its actions, and be wise. He has no boss, no supervisor, no

From the author's book

Is death from a drug or alcohol overdose considered suicide? Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) No. Suicide is the deliberate taking of one's own life. It is performed in a state of despair, extreme despondency, wounded pride, loss of all meaning in life.

From the author's book

Why is smoking a sin? Priest Afanasy Gumerov, resident of the Sretensky Monastery The Holy Fathers define various illnesses of the soul with the concept of passion. There are various classifications of passions. Man combines the carnal and spiritual principles. Therefore, in

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Why is Wednesday considered a fast day along with Friday? Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) Betrayal of the Divine Teacher one of the disciples is grave sin. Therefore, fasting on Wednesday not only reminds us of this terrible fall, but also exposes us: with our sins, we again

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2. Stage of rebirth and struggle with sin Approaching the second stage of moral life - the rebirth of a carnal person and his struggle with sin, let's compare his understanding of the holy fathers. Are there any differences between them in this matter, or are they as unanimous as

Contrary to popular belief, the expression "seven deadly sins" does not at all refer to certain seven acts that would be the most serious sins. In fact, the list of such actions can be much longer. And the number "seven" here only indicates the conditional association of these sins into seven main groups.

For the first time such a classification was proposed by St. Gregory the Great in 590. Although along with it in the Church there has always been another classification, numbering not seven, but. Passion is a skill of the soul, which was formed in it from repeated repetition of the same sins and became, as it were, its natural quality - so that a person cannot get rid of passion even when he realizes that it no longer brings him pleasure, but torment. In fact, the word "passion" in Church Slavonic it just means suffering.

Related material

Today, talk about the future has interesting feature- while we are discussing how this or that innovation will affect our life, this innovation is already entering life and taking over it. And we are left to think not about what will happen, but how to deal with what has already happened. In the age of progress, the future has time to become the past while we drink morning coffee.

St. Theophan the Recluse writes about the difference between a mortal sin and a less serious one: “ Deadly sin there is one who robs a person of his moral-Christian life. If we know what the moral life is, then the definition of mortal sin is not difficult. Christian life is zeal and strength to be in communion with God by fulfilling His holy law. Therefore, every sin that extinguishes jealousy, takes away strength and weakens, separates from God and deprives Him of His grace, so that a person after it cannot look at God, but feels himself separated from Him; every such sin is a mortal sin. ... Such a sin deprives a person of the grace received in baptism, takes away the Kingdom of Heaven and gives it to judgment. And all this is affirmed in the hour of sin, although it is not done visibly. Sins of this kind change the whole direction of a person's activity and his very condition and heart, they form, as it were, a new source in moral life; why others determine that mortal sin is the one that changes the center of human activity.

These sins are called mortal because the falling away of the human soul from God is the death of the soul. Without a gracious connection with its Creator, the soul dies, becomes incapable of experiencing spiritual joy either in the earthly life of a person or in its posthumous existence.

And it is not so important how many categories these sins are divided into - into seven or into. It is much more important to remember the terrible danger that any such sin is fraught with, and to try in every possible way to avoid these deadly traps. And also - to know that even for those who have sinned with such a sin, the possibility of salvation remains. Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) says: “He who has fallen into mortal sin, let him not fall into despair! May he resort to the medicine of repentance, to which he is called until the last minute of his life by the Savior, who proclaimed in the Holy Gospel: whoever believes in me, even if he dies, he will live(In 11 :25). But it is disastrous to remain in mortal sin, it is disastrous when the mortal sin turns into a habit!

And the Monk Isaac the Syrian said even more definitely: "There is no unforgivable sin, except the unrepentant sin."

Seven deadly sins

1. Pride

“The beginning of pride is usually contempt. He who despises and considers others as nothing - considers some poor, others lowly, others ignorant, due to such contempt, comes to the point that he considers himself alone wise, prudent, rich, noble and strong.

... How is a proud person recognized and how is he healed? Recognized because it seeks preference. And he is healed if he believes the judgment of Him who said: God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble(Jac 4 :6). However, you need to know that, although he is afraid of the judgment pronounced for pride, he cannot be healed of this passion if he does not leave all thoughts of his preference.

St. Basil the Great

Having mastered a person, she cuts him off first from unfamiliar people, then from relatives and friends. And finally, from God himself. The proud man does not need anyone, he is not even interested in the delight of those around him, and he sees the source of his own happiness only in himself. But like any sin, pride does not bring true joy. Internal opposition to everything and everything dries up the soul of a proud person, complacency, like a scab, covers it with a rough shell, under which it becomes dead and becomes incapable of love, friendship, and even simple sincere communication.

2  Envy

“Envy is sorrow because of the well-being of a neighbor, which<…>seeks not good for himself, but evil for his neighbor. The envious would like to see the glorious dishonest, the rich - poor, the happy - unhappy. This is the purpose of envy - to see how the envied falls into misfortune out of happiness.

Saint Ilya Minyatiy

Such an arrangement of the human heart becomes a launching pad for the most terrible crimes. As well as countless big and small dirty tricks that people do just to make another person feel bad or at least stop feeling good.

But even if this beast does not break out in the form of a crime or a specific act, will it really be easier for the envious person? After all, in the end, with such a terrible attitude, he will simply drive him into his grave prematurely, but even death will not stop his suffering. Because after death, envy will torment his soul with even greater force, but already without the slightest hope of satisfying it.

3 Gluttony

“Gluttony is divided into three types: one type encourages eating before a certain hour; the other loves only to be satiated, whatever food it may be; the third wants tasty food. Against this, the Christian must be careful in three ways: to wait for a certain time for eating; do not get fed up; be content with the humblest food."

Rev. John Cassian the Roman

Gluttony is slavery to one's own stomach. It can manifest itself not only in insane gluttony for festive table, but also in culinary intelligibility, in the subtle distinction of shades of taste, in the preference for gourmet dishes to simple food. From the point of view of culture, there is an abyss between a rude glutton and a refined gourmet. But both of them are slaves of their eating behavior. For both, food ceased to be a means of maintaining the life of the body, turning into the longed-for goal of the life of the soul.

4 Fornication

“... consciousness is more and more filled with pictures of voluptuousness, dirty, burning and seductive.

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From his diary, we see not a benevolent textbook image of a saint of God, but a living person who knows in his own skin what sin is, what passion is, who is irritated, angry, offended, tempted - but also finds the strength in himself for genuine repentance, overcomes it's all in yourself. This is very useful to read for those who have not yet made their religious choice: look, this is how the road to holiness lies.

The strength and the poisonous fumes of these images, bewitching and shameful, are such that they force out of the soul all the lofty thoughts and desires that fascinated (the young man) before. It often happens that a person is not able to think about anything else: he is completely dominated by the demon of passion. He cannot look at every woman otherwise than as a female. Thoughts creep one another dirtier in his foggy brain, and in his heart there is only one desire - to satisfy his lust. This is already the state of an animal, or rather, worse than an animal, because animals do not reach the depravity that a person reaches.

Hieromartyr Vasily Kineshma

The sin of fornication includes all manifestations of human sexual activity in spite of natural way their implementation in marriage. Promiscuous sex life, adultery, all kinds of perversions - all this different kinds manifestations of fornication in man. But although it is a bodily passion, its origins lie in the realm of the mind and imagination. Therefore, the Church refers to fornication obscene dreams, viewing pornographic and erotic materials, telling and listening to obscene anecdotes and jokes - everything that can arouse sexual fantasies in a person, from which bodily sins of fornication later grow.

5 Anger

“Look at anger, what signs of its torment it leaves. Look what a person does in anger: how he becomes indignant and makes noise, curses and scolds himself, torments and beats, hits his head and face, and trembles all over, as if in a fever, in a word, he looks like a possessed one. If appearance he is so unpleasant, what is going on in his poor soul? ... You see what a terrible poison is hidden in the soul, and how bitterly it torments a person! His cruel and pernicious manifestations speak of him."

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

An angry person is scary. And meanwhile, invested in it by God to reject everything sinful and inappropriate. This useful anger was perverted in man by sin and turned into anger against people close to him, sometimes for the most insignificant reasons. Offenses to other people, swearing, insults, screams, fights, murders - all these are the works of unrighteous anger.

6 Greed (greed)

“Self-interest is an insatiable desire to have, or the search for and acquisition of things under the guise of utility, then only to say about them: mine. There are many objects of this passion: a house with all its parts, fields, servants, and most importantly - money, because they can get everything.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

It is sometimes believed that only rich people who already possess wealth and seek to increase it can suffer from this spiritual disease. However, a person of average income, and a poor person, and a completely beggar - everyone is subject to this passion, since it does not consist in the possession of things, material goods and wealth, but in a painful, irresistible desire to possess them.

7 Despondency (laziness)

“Despondency is a continuous and simultaneous movement of the furious and lustful part of the soul. The former rages for what is at her disposal, the latter, on the contrary, yearns for what she lacks.

Evagrius of Pontus

But it is important to understand that despondency occurs in a person due to a deep mismatch between the abilities of his soul, zeal (an emotionally colored desire for action) and will.

In the normal state, the will determines for a person the goal of his aspirations, and zeal is the “motor” that allows you to move towards it, overcoming difficulties. When despondent, a person directs zeal to his current state, far from the goal, and the will, left without an "engine", turns into a constant source of longing for unfulfilled plans. These two forces of a discouraged person, instead of moving towards the goal, seem to “pull” his soul in different directions, bringing it to complete exhaustion.

Such a mismatch is the result of a person falling away from God, a tragic consequence of an attempt to direct all the forces of his soul to earthly things and joys, while they were given to us for aspiration to heavenly joys.