7 “Deadly” Sins

Photo Source: https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/westboro-baptist-church

The Hebrew word most commonly translated as “sin”—cheit—literally means “to go astray.” An alternative meaning of “cheit” is an archery target. So sinning is like an arrow missing the target. Sinning, in short, is missing the mark.

Some religions have twisted the word "sin" into something evil. Some religions have convinced their followers that sin means "to do something wrong, in which you'll be punished by God". Sin in its simplest form means that you're missing out on your best life, so when you commit a sin, it means you could be happier if you wouldn't commit that sin. Let's break down the 7 deadly sins together and make sense of them. A lot of people view the bible as a very strict rule book written by God. The Bible is actually just a "guide to living your best life", in fact most all major religious texts are just guides. Why would God create us just to be a dungeon master over us, wouldn't it make more sense if God was trying to give us guides to be happy and enjoy life?

1. Pride is defined as an excessive love of one’s own excellence. That means having a huge "ego", thinking you're better than everyone else. When you're an egotistical asshole, the only other people who like you are usually other egotistical assholes. You miss out on having more people in your life and being more content with life when you have Pride. Be less prideful and you'll be happier. The punishment of pride isn't doled out by God, the punishment for pride is not having very many people like you.

2. Greed is defined as the immoderate love or desire for riches and earthly possessions. A person can also be greedy for fame, attention, power, or anything else that feeds one’s selfishness. We can see right there that greed is extreme selfishness. I don't really need to say why no one likes selfish people very much. When your greedy and selfish, you're not liked very well. Greed also leads to never having enough and always wanting more therefore causing suffering. That is the punishment.

3. Lust is defined as a strong desire for something. Buddha was one of the first to discover that life is suffering, and it is desire that leads to suffering. Intense desires lead to intense suffering, that is the punishment.

4. The theological definition of envy is resentment or sadness at another’s good fortune or excellence, with an often insatiable desire to have it for oneself. This goes along with being selfish and greedy but it also adds in seeing someone as "other" than yourself and wanting "them" to have less than you. It is impossible for "others" to have less, since there are no "others". This sin plunges you deeper into the collective dream of humanity, that is the punishment.

5. Gluttony is defined as the act or habit of eating or drinking too much. This one is easy. Have you ever overeaten at a family gathering, or a buffet, or at thanksgiving? What happens when we overeat? We feel like shit. When we are excessively gluttonous regularly, it leads to obesity which leads to a slew of health problems. That is the punishment. 

6. Wrath is defined as a strong feeling of hatred or resentment with a desire for vengeance. How many times have we been told that vengeance and revenge never solve anything but only lead to more suffering. Someone kills your daughter, so you kill them, then their sister kills you, then your wife kills their sister, and so on. Vengeance and revenge always leads to more, it's an endless loop of suffering. Not to mention vengeance and revenge don't help you in anyway because it doesn't get rid of the pain that is causing the desire to seek retribution. The pain that you still carry is the punishment. Heal the pain and you have no need for vengeance or revenge.

7. Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work. In modern terms, it means lazy. If you're lazy, you don't really accomplish anything, you don't live life, you don't get to enjoy anything, you just kind of exist. It's an existence, it's just not a very fun existence. We can't really call this a punishment. If you want to be lazy, have at it, just know you're going to miss out on your life.

As we can see every sin has its own form of punishment that is the result of said sin. Sin is the cause, and punishment (suffering) is the effect. People like to sing "Awesome God"
by Michael W. Smith. They worship an "Awesome God" who will punish them for their sins by sending them to eternal hell in the future on top of their current punishment. Their "Awesome God" gives out double punishment if they don't repent. The truth is they are experiencing hell right now through their own actions, through their own sins. If they would stop sinning, they would ascend from the illusion of hell that they are currently living in, into the heaven which is the real reality. 

When people scream at you to stop sinning or you're going to go to hell, such as the Westboro Baptist Church, remind yourself that they already live in hell. When you hate them back and yell at them or react to them, you are just confirming their beliefs, instead Love them and forgive them out of compassion, because you know they are in the deepest depths of hell. Why would you be angry with someone who is already living in hell? There is absolutely nothing you can do to someone who is living in hell that will make it any worse, I know from firsthand experience. I Love You and Peace Be With You!

“Well, I looked my demons in the eyes Lay bare my chest, said, Do your best to destroy me. See, I've been to hell and back so many times I must admit you kinda bore me” - "Empty" by Ray Lamontagne