It is called a sin to eat too much. What are the seven deadly sins

One of the lists of sins in the works 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's Encyclopedia

Seven deadly sins. Wed. Sins lead to death that will not be forgiven to a person. Wed. 1 John 5, 16 17. Mortal sins named in scholastic dogma (from the 12th century) and especially in the Catholic Catechism for the people: Arrogance, Stinginess, ... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

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

Seven deadly sins- these are those sins that are not forgiven to a person even after his death. These include: vanity, arrogance, envy, anger, despondency, stinginess, gluttony, laziness (wastefulness). These sins give rise to others - disobedience, arrogance, arrogance, greed, etc... Fundamentals of spiritual culture (teacher's encyclopedic dictionary)

Seven deadly sins- stable combination For believers: seven especially serious sins, which are a violation of divine instructions. 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Seven deadly sins- Outdated. Very big vices, unforgivable offenses. He himself said, his wife irreconcilably bent, that the matter was unclean, as if Ivan had already been caught red-handed, caught, and only out of incomprehensible stubbornness refused to admit to being seven mortals... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language

Wed. Sins unto death that cannot be forgiven to a person. Wed. 1 John 5, 16 17. Mortal sins named in scholastic dogma (from the 12th century) and especially in the Catholic catechism for the people: Arrogance, Stinginess, Lechery, Anger, Gluttony, ... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

Book A very big flaw. BMS 1998, 137 ... Large 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. Composed of several short stories, Milorad Pavic (1929-2009) considered the book “The Seven Deadly Sins” to be an indivisible novel. As if in a magic mirror with a hole, Dante’s “Inferno” is reflected here...
• The Seven Deadly Sins, Pavic Milorad. Composed of several short stories, Milorad Pavic (1929-2009) considered the book The Seven Deadly Sins to be an indivisible novel. As if in a magic mirror with a hole, here is reflected...

Contrary to popular belief, the expression “seven deadly sins” does not at all indicate certain seven actions that would be the most serious sins. In reality, the list of such actions can be much longer. And the number “seven” here indicates only the conditional grouping of these sins into seven main groups.

I am sure that every more or less attentive person in his life has more than once drawn attention to the fact that the number seven is ubiquitous. The number 7 is one of the most symbolic numbers on earth. Not only the 7 main mortal sins of man are associated with it, but also almost everything that surrounds us.

Sacred number 7

The number "7" is considered sacred, and divine, and magical, and lucky. The Seven was revered many centuries before our era, in the Middle Ages, and is still revered today.

In Babylon, a seven-tiered temple was built in honor of the main gods. The priests of this city claimed that after death, people, passing through seven gates, enter the underground kingdom, surrounded by seven walls.

Babylonian Temple

In ancient Greece, the number seven was called the number of Apollo, one of the most important gods of the Olympian religion. It is known from mythology that the inhabitants of Athens annually sent seven young men and seven young women as tribute to the man-bull Minotaur, who lived in the labyrinth on the island of Crete; Tantalus' daughter Niobe had seven sons and seven daughters; The nymph of the island Ogygia Calypso held Odysseus captive for seven years; the whole world is familiar with the “seven wonders of the world”, etc.

Ancient Rome also idolized the number seven. The city itself is built on seven hills; The river Styx, which surrounds the underworld, flows seven times around hell, which Virgil divides into seven regions.

Islam, Christianity and Judaism recognize a seven-stage act of creation of the universe. However, in Islam the number “7” has a special meaning. According to Islam there are seven heavens; those who enter the seventh heaven experience the highest bliss. Therefore, the number "7" is the sacred number of Islam.

In Christian holy books, the number seven is mentioned 700 (!) times: “Whoever kills Cain will have sevenfold vengeance,” “...and seven years of plenty passed... and seven years of famine came,” “and count yourself seven Sabbath years, seven times seven years, so that in seven Sabbath years you may have forty-nine years,” etc. Lent for Christians lasts seven weeks. There are seven ranks of angels, seven deadly sins. In many countries, there is a custom to place seven dishes on the Christmas table, the names of which begin with the same letter.

In Brahminical and Buddhist beliefs and worship, the number seven is also sacred. The Hindus began the custom of giving seven elephants - figurines made of bone, wood or other material - for good luck.

The seven was very often used by healers, fortune tellers and sorcerers: “Take seven bags with seven different herbs, infusion of seven waters and drink seven days in seven spoons...”.

The number seven is associated with many riddles, signs, proverbs, sayings: “Seven spans in the forehead”, “Seven nannies have a child without an eye”, “Measure seven times, cut one”, “One with a fry, seven with a spoon”, “For for a beloved friend, seven miles is no outskirts”, “For seven miles to sip jelly”, “Seven troubles - one answer”, “Beyond seven seas”, etc.

Why 7

So what is the sacred meaning of this particular number? Where did the 7 sacraments, 7 deadly sins, 7 days in the week, 7 Ecumenical Councils, etc. come from? It is impossible not to mention what surrounds us in everyday life: 7 notes, 7 colors of the rainbow, 7 wonders of the world, etc. Why is the number 7 the most sacred number on the planet?

If we talk about origins, the best example is the Bible. We find the number “7” in the Bible, which states that God created everything on Earth in seven days. And further - seven sacraments, seven gifts of the holy spirit, seven ecumenical councils, seven stars in the crown, seven wise men in the world, seven candles in the altar lamp and seven in the altar lamp, seven mortal sins, seven circles of hell.

Why did God create the world in seven days? — The question is complex. I am only sure that everything has a beginning and an end. There is Monday as the beginning of a week consisting of seven days, and Sunday as the end of the week. And then everything repeats itself. This is how we live - from Monday to Monday.

By the way, the custom of measuring time by a seven-day week came to us from Ancient Babylon and is associated with changes in the phases of the Moon. People saw the Moon in the sky for about 28 days: seven days - an increase until the first quarter, about the same amount - until the full moon.

Perhaps a week consisting of seven days is the optimal combination of work and rest, stress and idleness. Be that as it may, we still have to live according to one schedule or another. Again - consistency. We are all in it, no matter what religion we belong to, no matter what we believe in - we all live according to the principles and rules of one common absolute system.

How many times have I admired the mystery of the universe - thought itself. How interesting, confusing, and shrouded in secrets everything is. Symbolism in everything that surrounds us. Despite some freedom of action and thought, each of us is subordinate to the system. We are all links in one chain called “life” and the number seven - believe me, it is the most mysterious, beautiful and inexplicable. No, of course you can turn to the Holy Scriptures and many questions will be answered. BUT the Holy Scripture is a “figment of the imagination”, a scientific treatise, canons - all this was also invented by someone, someone wrote it all, and they wrote and rewrote it over thousands of years.

Interestingly, the Bible consists of 77 books: 50 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. Again the number 7. Despite the fact that it was written down over several millennia by dozens of holy people in different languages, it has complete compositional completeness and internal logical unity.

What is mortal sin

Mortal sin- a sin that leads to the destruction of the soul, distorting God’s plan for man. Mortal sin, i.e. having no forgiveness.

The God-man Jesus Christ indicated the “mortal” (unforgivable) sin of “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” “I tell you: “All sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people; but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven to people” (Matthew 12:31-32). This sin is understood as a person’s completely conscious and fierce resistance to the truth - as a consequence of the emergence of a living feeling of enmity and hatred of God.

We must understand that in Orthodoxy mortal sin is considered as a conditional concept and has no legislative force. The list of human sins is huge; I will not list them. Let us dwell on the most important ones, which are included in the list of “7 Deadly Sins”.

For the first time such a classification was proposed by St. Gregory the Great in 590. Although, along with it, there has always been another classification in the Church, numbering not seven, but eight basic sinful passions. Passion is a skill of the soul that 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 understands that it no longer brings him pleasure, but torment.

Actually, the word "passion" in Church Slavonic this is what it means - suffering.

In fact, it is not so important whether these sins are divided into seven or eight categories. It is much more important to remember the terrible danger that any such sin poses, and to try in every possible way to avoid these deadly traps. And also - to know that even for those who have sinned such a sin there remains the possibility of salvation.

The Holy Fathers say: there is no unforgivable sin, there is unrepentant sin. Any unrepentant sin is, in a sense, mortal.

7 DEADLY SINS

1. Pride

“The beginning of pride is usually contempt. He who despises and considers others to be nothing - some as poor, others as people of low birth, others as ignorant - as a result of such contempt, comes to the point where he considers himself alone to be wise, prudent, rich, noble and strong.”

St. Basil the Great

Pride is a self-satisfied intoxication with one’s own merits, real or imaginary. Having taken possession of a person, she cuts him off first from people he doesn’t know well, then from his family and friends. And finally - from God himself. The proud man does not need anyone, he is not even interested in the admiration of those around him, and only in himself does he see the source of his own happiness. But like any sin, pride does not bring true joy. Internal opposition to everything and everyone dries up the soul of a proud person; complacency, like a scab, covers it with a rough shell, under which it dies and becomes incapable of love, friendship and even simple sincere communication.

2 . Envy

“Envy is sadness because of the well-being of one’s neighbor, which... seeks not good for oneself, but evil for one’s 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 person falls from happiness into disaster.”

Saint Elias Minyatiy

This location of the human heart becomes a launching pad for the most terrible crimes. And also countless large 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, such a terrible worldview will simply drive him into a premature grave, but even death will not stop his suffering. Because after death, envy will torment his soul with even greater force, but without the slightest hope of quenching it.

3. Gluttony

“Gluttony is divided into three types: one type encourages eating before a certain hour; another loves only to be satiated with any kind of food; the third wants tasty food. Against this, a Christian must have threefold caution: wait for a certain time for eating; don't get fed up; be content with all the most modest food."

Venerable John Cassian the Roman

Gluttony is slavery to one's own stomach. It can manifest itself not only in insane gluttony at the festive table, but also in culinary discernment, in a subtle discrimination of shades of taste, in the preference for gourmet dishes over simple food. From a cultural point of view, there is a gulf between the crude glutton and the refined gourmet. But both of them are slaves to their eating behavior. For both, food has ceased to be a means of maintaining the life of the body, turning into the desired goal of the life of the soul.

4. Fornication

“... consciousness is more and more filled with pictures of voluptuousness, dirty, burning and seductive. The power and poisonous fumes of these images, enchanting and shameful, are such that they crowd out from the soul all the sublime thoughts and desires that captivated (the young man) before. It often happens that a person is unable to think about anything else: he is completely possessed by the demon of passion. He cannot look at every woman as anything other than a female. Thoughts, one dirtier than the other, crawl 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 level of depravity that humans reach.”

Hieromartyr Vasily of Kineshemsky

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

5. Anger

“Look at anger, what signs of its torment it leaves. Look what a man does in anger: how he becomes indignant and makes noise, curses and scolds himself, torments and beats, hits his head and face, and shakes all over, as if in a fever, in a word, he looks like a demoniac. If his appearance 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. Meanwhile, anger is a natural property of the human soul, put into it by God to reject everything sinful and inappropriate. This useful anger was perverted in man by sin and turned into anger at his neighbors, sometimes for the most insignificant reasons. Offenses to other people, swearing, insults, shouting, fights, murders - all these are acts of unrighteous anger.

6. Greed (selfishness)

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

Saint Theophan the Recluse

It is sometimes believed that only rich people who already have wealth and strive to increase it can suffer from this spiritual illness. However, a person of average income, a low-income person, and a completely beggar are all 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 first is furious over what is at its disposal, the second, on the contrary, yearns for what it lacks.”

Evagrius of Pontus

Dejection is considered to be a general relaxation of mental and physical strength, combined with extreme pessimism. But it is important to understand that despondency occurs in a person as a result of a deep mismatch between the abilities of his soul, zeal (an emotionally charged desire for action) and will.

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

Such a discrepancy is the result of man’s falling away from God, the tragic consequence of an attempt to direct all the forces of his soul towards earthly things and joys, while they were given to us to strive for heavenly joys.

The distinction between mortal and non-mortal sins is very conditional, for every sin, be it small or great, separates a person from God, the source of life. Any “sinful act” deprives the very possibility of communication with God and kills the soul.

We strive to ensure that harmony, peace, and comfort in relationships with neighbors reign on Earth. Every Orthodox person should try not to fall into the trap of evil spirits. To achieve this, we must not forget the danger that any offense carries. Especially scary.

A person who is far from the church, as a rule, does not understand what actions and thoughts have a vicious essence; he does not realize what is considered a sin. But any evil first arises in thoughts controlled by the Devil. A bad thought leads to bad deeds.

Man forgets that God is looking at him, because He is omnipresent. But a person easily sins, condemns others, can wish them harm, insult them, offend them.

The Almighty wants people not to commit wicked acts. He wants everyone to love Him and live in love, happiness, without harming anyone, therefore he left ten covenants with humanity.

They are spiritual rules that guide each of us on the true path of goodness and help build good relationships with the Lord and with people. Just as parents teach their child, so the Creator gives instructions.

On a note! The Almighty gave the 10 commandments to Moses so that humanity would adhere to these laws. The 10 Commandments clearly state what people can and cannot do.

Thus, Orthodox Christians must keep the following covenants:

1. Love the Lord your God.
2. Do not make an idol for yourself and do not serve him.
3. Do not remember the name of the Lord God in vain.
4. Work for 6 days, and dedicate the seventh to the Lord.
5. Honor your parents.
6. Don't kill.
7. Don't commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Don't bear false witness.
10. Don't covet someone else's.

By keeping the covenants of God, we are under the protection of the Almighty, who blesses all our paths and does not leave us alone with Satan. Failure to keep covenants is considered a great vice in Orthodoxy.

Deadly sins

What are mortal sins? In Greek texts they represent spiritual death, depriving one of eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven.

By devoting their lives to satisfying passions, people prepare themselves for tartar. Vices have this name because their constant repetition destroys the immortal soul of a person, which after an unholy earthly life will go to hell.

St. Apostle Paul lists those who will not achieve the Kingdom of God: “...neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God.” (Cor. 6:9-10).

According to Wikipedia

What does it say about mortal sin? Wikipedia? That this is a serious offense in Christianity, which entails the loss of the salvation of the soul if there is no repentance. Christianity distinguishes between serious and ordinary sins. However, unlike Catholic doctrine, the definition of mortals in Orthodoxy is slightly different.

According to the Bible

According to biblical teaching, the story of the “seven sins” begins with a listing of eight terrible human vices. The list was created in the 5th century AD. Christian theologian Eugraphius of Pontus.

His works inspired the monk John Cassian, who wrote about the Eight Deadly Acts.

The Holy Fathers also name what is considered sin: 8 passions that are destructive to the soul (gluttony, adultery, money-grubbing, anger, sadness, despondency, vanity, pride).

At the end of the 6th century, Pope Gregory the Great replaced list John, combining sadness with despondency:

1. Pride. Too much conceit is considered a lack of faith in God.
2. Greed. This refers to the pursuit of material wealth at the expense of spiritual wealth.
3. Envy. Belief in the injustice of the world order, desire for other people's property, status, etc.
4. Anger. For lack of love, spiritual life is destroyed.
5. Lust. The desire to satisfy excessive sexual desire.
6. Gluttony. Consuming more than what is needed.
7. Dejection. Ignoring spiritual and physical labor.

Why are they called mortals? If they completely take possession of someone, they will disrupt spiritual life, deprive them of salvation, leading to eternal mortal torment. The creed warns humanity against the fall and danger.

Interesting! How and when can you get to the Church of Saints?

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy

In the Orthodox tradition:

1. Anger, malice.
2. Debauchery, fornication.
3. Idleness.
4. Pride, arrogance.
5. Envy.
6. Gluttony, gluttony.
7. Greed, stinginess.

Other evil deeds and thoughts:

• lie;
• slander;
• stinginess, bribery;
• craftiness;
• slander;
• selfishness;
• God-hatred;
• occupation with the occult;
• discontent;
• resentment;
• jealousy;
• self-confidence;
• self-justification;
• recklessness;
• intransigence;
• quarreling;
• violence;
• unkindness;
• deception;
• perfidy;
• disrespect for parents.

Pride is one of the terrible passions, because it drives kindness out of a person.

The most terrible

The worst sin In Orthodoxy, unbelief is considered. It can give rise to all other vices. Being in unbelief, a person does not feel the presence of God in his life; he, as it were, denies the existence of God.

Often a person believes that his degree of faith is quite sufficient.

It is precisely this lack of faith that becomes the source of all troubles. Jesus Christ also calls the unforgivable offense in Christianity, which consists in a feeling of enmity towards the Almighty: “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”

Important! It is believed that suicide is the most serious act, since, having lost his life, a person is deprived of the opportunity to beg forgiveness from the Lord.

Also, thoughts, actions or aspirations based on sexual attraction are vicious. They leave dirt on the soul.

Peter Mogila shared mortal sins in Orthodoxy into three types:

Note! Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov says that the holy fathers compare the most terrible offenses with a heavy stone, which after earthly life will drag them into the abyss of the underworld.

How can you atone for your sins?

According to the Bible, in order to atone for your sins, you need to ask for forgiveness for them. Repentance promotes reconciliation between a person and God. The soul begins to recover, it gains strength to fight passions. The main component of repentance is confession. It gives a person spiritual powers that will help him resist evil.

Advice! It is advisable to go to confession to the same priest.

At confession you need to repent of your wrongdoings and receive forgiveness. In order not to forget what you wanted to talk about, make your list.

This post can be used as an outline or read in full. It is important that confession comes from a pure heart and is truthful.

Before confession, you need to make peace with everyone you offended. Add to the nightly prayers the Canon of Repentance, the canons to the Mother of God, and also to the Guardian Angel.

The book “Full Confession,” which is sold in all church shops, describes the details of the sacrament, provides list of sins for confession. The sacrament of confession is performed free of charge.

List of sins for confession in Orthodoxy:

• rare prayer;
• failure to attend temple;
• thoughts about worldly life during prayer;
• sexual intercourse before marriage;
• abortion;
• dirty thoughts or desires;
• reading pornographic books, watching porn films;
• gossip;
• slander;
• envy;
• laziness;
• touchiness;
• exposing the body to attract attention;
• fear of wrinkles and old age;
• thoughts of suicide;
• addiction to sweets, alcoholic drinks, drugs;
• reluctance to help other people;
• visiting fortune tellers, psychics;
• superstition.

The main thing in confession is to see your sins, realize them and tell the priest. The priest sees how truthful the person is in his repentance.

If he experiences pangs of conscience, worries, then this will contribute to spiritual cleansing and will mean that the path to a new spiritual level begins.

When talking about mortal sins, we need to distinguish between: the remission of sins and the healing of souls. By repenting, the sinner receives forgiveness, but his soul is not immediately healed.

According to the Monk Isaac the Syrian, in order to defeat passion, a feat is necessary. You can atone for a serious sin only by sincere faith in the Almighty. It is necessary to include prayers of repentance in your reading, as well as fasting.

How can people who have been in mortal sins for a long time receive redemption? Father, who has extensive experience in shepherding, knows well that such people cannot build a full spiritual life. But there is no need to give in to despondency.

The only way to liberation from all sins is sincere repentance and a determined desire to improve and become better. The sooner a person decides on this, the better for him.

Useful video: Deadly sins

Conclusion

Thus, we do not have the opportunity to atone for sins on our own. In order to ease mental burdens and take the path of a true Christian, one must renounce a sinful life and follow the path of goodness. Turn to the Almighty with sincere prayers and your sins will be forgiven.

Contrary to popular belief, the expression “seven deadly sins” does not at all indicate some seven actions that would be the most serious sins. In reality, the list of such actions can be much longer. And the number “seven” here indicates only the conditional grouping 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, another classification has always existed in the Church, numbering not seven, but eight main sinful passions. Passion is a skill of the soul that 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 understands that it no longer brings him pleasure, but torment. Actually, the word “passion” in the Church Slavonic language just means suffering.

St. Theophan the Recluse writes about the difference between mortal sin and less grave sin: “ Deadly sin there is one who robs a person of his moral and Christian life. If we know what moral life is, then defining mortal sin is not difficult. Christian life is zeal and strength to remain in communion with God by fulfilling His holy law. Therefore, every sin that extinguishes jealousy, takes away strength and relaxes, distances one from God and deprives Him of grace, so that after it a person 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 delivers it to judgment. And all this is confirmed in the hour of sin, although it is not accomplished visibly. Sins of this kind change the entire direction of a person’s activity and his very state and heart, forming, as it were, a new source in moral life; why do 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 grace-filled connection with its Creator, the soul dies and becomes incapable of experiencing spiritual joy either in a person’s earthly life or in its posthumous existence.

And it doesn’t really matter how many categories these sins are divided into - seven or eight. It is much more important to remember the terrible danger that any such sin poses, and to try in every possible way to avoid these deadly traps. And also - to know that even for those who have sinned such a sin there remains the possibility of salvation. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says: “Let him who has fallen into mortal sin not fall into despair! Let him 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: He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live(John 11:25). But it’s disastrous to remain in mortal sin, it’s disastrous when mortal sin turns into a habit!”

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

Seven deadly sins

1. Pride

“The beginning of pride is usually contempt. The one who despises and considers others to be nothing - some are poor, others are people of low birth, others are ignorant, as a result of such contempt he comes to the point that he considers himself alone to be wise, prudent, rich, noble and strong.

How is a proud person recognized and how is he healed? Recognized because it seeks preference. And he will be healed if he believes in the judgment of Him who said: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble(James 4:6). However, you need to know that although he will be afraid of the judgment pronounced for pride, he cannot be healed of this passion unless he abandons all thoughts of his own preference” ( St. Basil the Great)

Pride is a self-satisfied intoxication with one’s own merits, real or imaginary. Having taken possession of a person, she cuts him off first from people he doesn’t know well, then from his family and friends. And finally - from God himself. The proud man does not need anyone, he is not even interested in the admiration of those around him, and only in himself does he see the source of his own happiness. But like any sin, pride does not bring true joy. Internal opposition to everything and everyone dries up the soul of a proud person; complacency, like a scab, covers it with a rough shell, under which it dies and becomes incapable of love, friendship and even simple sincere communication.

2.  Envy

“Envy is sadness due to the well-being of one’s 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 person falls from happiness into disaster" ( Saint Elias Minyatiy)

This location of the human heart becomes a launching pad for the most terrible crimes. And also countless large 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, such a terrible worldview will simply drive him into a premature grave, but even death will not stop his suffering. Because after death, envy will torment his soul with even greater force, but without the slightest hope of quenching it.

“Gluttony is divided into three types: one type encourages eating before a certain hour; another loves only to be satiated with any kind of food; the third wants tasty food. Against this, a Christian must have threefold caution: wait for a certain time for eating; don't get fed up; be content with all the humblest food" ( Venerable John Cassian the Roman)

Gluttony is slavery to one's own stomach. It can manifest itself not only in insane gluttony at the festive table, but also in culinary discernment, in a subtle discrimination of shades of taste, in the preference for gourmet dishes over simple food. From a cultural point of view, there is a gulf between the crude glutton and the refined gourmet. But both of them are slaves to their eating behavior. For both, food has ceased to be a means of maintaining the life of the body, turning into the desired goal of the life of the soul.

4. Fornication

“... consciousness is more and more filled with pictures of voluptuousness, dirty, burning and seductive. The power and poisonous fumes of these images, enchanting and shameful, are such that they crowd out from the soul all the sublime thoughts and desires that captivated (the young man) before. It often happens that a person is unable to think about anything else: he is completely possessed by the demon of passion. He cannot look at every woman as anything other than a female. Thoughts, one dirtier than the other, crawl 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 level of depravity that a person reaches" ( Hieromartyr Vasily of Kineshemsky)

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

5. Anger

“Look at anger, what signs of its torment it leaves. Look what a man does in anger: how he becomes indignant and makes noise, curses and scolds himself, torments and beats, hits his head and face, and shakes all over, as if in a fever, in a word, he looks like a demoniac. If his appearance 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. Meanwhile, anger is a natural property of the human soul, put into it by God to reject everything sinful and inappropriate. This useful anger was perverted in man by sin and turned into anger at his neighbors, sometimes for the most insignificant reasons. Offenses to other people, swearing, insults, shouting, fights, murders - all these are acts of unrighteous anger.

6. Greed (selfishness)

“Care is an insatiable desire to have, or the search and acquisition of things under the guise of benefit, then only to say about them: mine. There are many objects of this passion: the house with all its parts, fields, servants, and most importantly - money, because you can get everything with it" ( Saint Theophan the Recluse)

It is sometimes believed that only rich people who already have wealth and strive to increase it can suffer from this spiritual illness. However, a person of average income, a low-income person, and a completely beggar are all 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 first is furious over what is at its disposal, the second, on the contrary, yearns for what it lacks" ( Evagrius of Pontus)

Dejection is considered to be a general relaxation of mental and physical strength, combined with extreme pessimism. But it is important to understand that despondency occurs in a person as a result of a deep mismatch between the abilities of his soul, zeal (an emotionally charged desire for action) and will.

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

Such a discrepancy is the result of man’s falling away from God, the tragic consequence of an attempt to direct all the forces of his soul towards earthly things and joys, while they were given to us to strive for heavenly joys.

Fragments of the altar mosaic were used in the design.
Crypts of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere, Lyon, France, 1872–1884.

When reading the holy scriptures, many believers very often come across such an expression as “the seven deadly sins.” This phraseology does not in any way relate to any specific sins. The list of such acts is much longer. Back in 590, Gregory the Great proposed conditionally grouping actions into 7 main groups. There is also division in the church.

Pride or intoxication with one's dignity

Today you can also see books, films and cartoons that tell about terrible human vices. The word passion translated from Church Slavonic means suffering. Peccata capitalia means “chief sins” in Latin. Christianity describes pride as a mortal sin, which has the classification:

Unhealthy attention to one's own person is the result of all these diseases. When this spiritual deviation develops, a person first develops vanity. Not everyone can get sick with pride. Since everyone, without exception, strives for good. In a person, any manifestation of love and virtue always generates only approval. A child always tries to do things better and more correctly if he receives praise for his success and diligence. Encouragement is considered one of the most important aspects in raising children.

However, the thirst for praise can cause a person to deviate from the right path. If a person will seek praise great deeds that he will do for the sake of impressing others - this can lead to hypocrisy. Excessive self-confidence breeds pride. The development of this sin prepares excellent ground for lies and hypocrisy. Subsequently, feelings such as irritation, hostility, anger and cruelty may develop. Pride is the rejection of God's help. It is the proud person who really needs the help of the Savior. Since, except for the Almighty himself, no one can heal his spiritual illness.

The vain person's mood begins to deteriorate over time. As a rule, he cares about everything except his own correction. He never observes any shortcomings in himself or always tries to find reasons that would justify his behavior. He very much craves recognition of his superiority , so he always tries to exaggerate your abilities and life experience.

Criticism and disagreement with his opinion very painfully affects his mood. He perceives someone else's independent opinion in any dispute as a challenge to himself. This increases arrogance. Its manifestation most often meets with resistance from others. Subsequently, irritability and stubbornness greatly increase. A vain person begins to believe that all the people around him are very envious of him.

With the development of the last stage of this disease, the human soul becomes cold and dark. Contempt and anger arise in her. His mind becomes very darkened and he is no longer able to distinguish evil from good. It becomes increasingly difficult for him to recognize other people’s priorities, as he begins to be burdened by the “stupidity” of his bosses. Proving his superiority comes first for him. As a rule, he lacks this like air. He takes situations very painfully when he turns out to be wrong. Another person's success are perceived as a personal insult.

Insatiable desire to have everything

Greed is one of the most common sins in the modern world. The Lord helped people acquire knowledge that through charity they can overcome the love of money. Otherwise, a person tries to show throughout his life that earthly wealth is valued much more highly. He is ready to exchange eternal life for momentary gain. To prevent evil, it is worth taking care of systematic donations. God saw that greed takes true piety out of the heart.

An immeasurable love of money tends to cool and harden hearts and discourages generosity. It also makes a person blind and deaf to the needs of those who suffer. Greed has a paralyzing effect on the soul of people. Their thoughts are increasingly filled with the desire to get rich. Ambition is often ingrained in a person's character. He becomes indifferent to the interests and needs of other people, since the passion for accumulating funds pacifies all noble motives in him. Over time, he becomes insensitive.

In modern society, the world has dulled the moral senses of people. Even those people who were raised in the Orthodox faith often allow premarital affairs and divorces. A fornicator is considered much worse than a harlot. Since it is easier for him to part with his sin. As a rule, he expects impunity. But a harlot woman always risks her reputation. Today, many people have lost this sense of sin. This has never happened in the history of mankind.

Great people all over the world have always tried to erase this sin from people's consciousness. The Evil One has always been outraged by God's Commandments. Therefore, it is no coincidence that one can find an increase in crime in various countries. In some of them, at the moment, even the sin of Sodomy - sodomy - is not considered something reprehensible. Today, even same-sex relationships receive official status.

The poison of the human heart is envy

Envy means resistance to the creator, enmity against everything that God has given. There is no more destructive passion in the soul than envy. Damage to life and desecration of nature itself greatly eats away at the soul in much the same way as rust eats away at iron. Envy is one of the most insurmountable types of enmity. As a rule, an envious person is greatly annoyed by a good deed done to him.

The devil is the first destroyer of life and, which gives envy as a weapon from the beginning of the world. From this arises the death of the soul. Such a person is characterized by alienation from God and deprivation of all the blessings of life, to the delight of the evil one, although he himself is struck by the same passion. It is necessary to beware of the envious person with special zeal. Envy that has taken possession of the soul can leave a person only after it has driven him to complete recklessness. Despite the fact that a spiritually ill person can lead a sober life, give alms and fast regularly, this will not protect him from crime; he will still be envious despite all his actions.

An envious person will consider everyone around him to be his enemies, even those who have never offended him in any way. Envy originates from pride. A proud person always wants to rise above everyone else. It is very difficult for him to be around people who are equal to him, especially those who are better than him.

Gluttony - slavery to one's own stomach

Gluttony is a great sin that forces one to eat food for pleasure. Such passion can lead to the fact that a person ceases to be a rational being and turns into a kind of cattle. He will cease to have the gift of speech and understanding. A person is capable of harming not only his health, but also all his virtues if he gives full rein to his belly. And also the owner of this sin will kindle lust in himself, since excess food greatly contributes to this. It is necessary to be well armed against this passion, since lust leads to downfall.

Under no circumstances should you give the womb as much as it wants. Eating food is necessary only to maintain vitality. Oddly enough, gluttony is considered one of the seven deadly sins, since through it various passions arise. To remain human, you must contain your womb. It is worth taking special care to guard yourself so as not to accidentally be overcome by gluttony. First of all, you need to think about how gluttony depresses the human body.

Gluttony and drunkenness bring a lot of hardship to the stomach. What could be so special about gluttony? The pleasant taste of treats lasts only when they are in the mouth. After swallowing occurs, not only the taste remains, but even the memories of tasting them do not remain.

Anger as a property of the human soul

Sin which removes the soul most from God, is anger. An angry person will spend his life:

• Worried.
• Confused.
• Losing peace and health.
• The soul begins to grieve.
• The mind is gradually weakening.
• The flesh begins to wither and the face turns pale.

Anger is the most dangerous advisor. He often forces people to resort to revenge. Since all actions done under his influence cannot be called prudent. There is no greater evil than anything a person does in the power of anger. Strong anger especially darkens clarity of thought and purity of soul. Such a person is unable to think sensibly, he begins to lie and dodge. Most often he is likened to those people who have lost the ability to reason. Anger, like an all-consuming fire, scorches the soul and harms the body. It covers the entire human being, burning it. Moreover, even the very appearance of the person is quite unpleasant.

Dejection and endless worry

Under the seventh number is a grave sin, despondency is an endless worry that can crush the strength of the soul. It brings the soul to exhaustion. It gives rise to inconstancy of body and mind, drowsiness, laziness, idleness, wandering, talkativeness and curiosity. Dejection is the helper of all evil. You shouldn’t make room in your heart for this bad feeling.

Only demons can bring despondency to the soul. They suggest that patience wears out in the long wait for God's mercy. However, love, abstinence and patience can resist demons. Only despondency for a Christian is a striking passion. Of all the seven passions, despondency cannot be abolished by any of the Christian virtues.

Some preachers and believers believe that there are 10 sins in Orthodoxy. In the East, the eightfold scheme of serious sins is studied. The Bible does not list sins as an exact list, but tries to warn against committing them in the Ten Commandments. To figure out how many deadly sins there really are, there is a whole list in the form of a table that clearly describes the meaning of each sin and its explanation.

The most serious possible sin is called a mortal sin. It can only be redeemed by repentance. Committing such a sin prevents the soul from going to heaven. Basically in Orthodoxy there are seven deadly sins. And they are called mortals because their constant repetition leads to going to hell. Such actions are based on biblical texts. Their appearance in the texts of theologians dates back to a later time.

In order to prepare for confession, it is necessary to repent and gain faith. Reading prayers of repentance and fasting are best suited for this. A repentant person needs to confess his sins, thereby showing recognition of his sinfulness. It is necessary to highlight those passions that are especially characteristic of him. It is best to name specific sins that burden the soul. Today you can find a huge number of descriptions of all vices and it will be quite difficult to describe the entire list. The first who began to describe sins were:

• Gregory the Great listed the hierarchy of sins in a work entitled “Commentary on the Book of Job or Moral Interpretations.”
• The poet Dante Alighieri in his poem “The Divine Comedy” described seven circles of purgatory.
• Saint John Climacus told us how to deal with the eight main passions.

To sin or not to sin is everyone’s personal choice. But, knowing the list of sins, you can still abstain from some of them, thereby ensuring your place in heaven.