 Spiritual: June 08, 2016 Issue [#7676] |
  Spiritual
This week: Seven Deadly Sins Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Spiritual Newsletter. My name is Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
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“Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'”
~ Matthew 18:21-22, New American Standard Bible
There's something about the number seven. It's repeated often in the Bible--735 times, to be exact:
"Used 735 times (54 times in the book of Revelation alone), the number 7 is the foundation of God's word. If we include with this count how many times 'sevenfold' (6) and 'seventh' (119) is used, our total jumps to 860 references." 1
There are seven deadly sins (contrary to popular belief, these do not actually appear in the Bible), seven heavenly virtues, seven contrary virtues, seven corporal works of mercy, seven abominations (Proverbs 6:16-19), seven dwarfs ... wait, that's another newsletter.
Over a decade ago I watched a movie starring Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey titled Se7en. The film was about two detectives (Pitt and Freeman) and their "hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins." 2 It's an exceptional film, and I was riveted to the screen.
Since the dawn of humanity the world has been plagued by sin, and we're a society obsessed with who is doing what to whom. We write about it, gossip about it, make films about it, and dream about it.
The modern-day list of Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride) is attributed to fourth-century monk Evagrius Ponticus and was made famous in classic as well as contemporary literature such as Dante Alighieri's 14th-century masterpiece The Divine Comedy and The Seven Deadly Sins: Their origin in the spiritual teaching of Evagrius the Hermit by Angela Tilby published in 2009.
Centuries pass and civilizations crumble, yet our infatuation with sin never dies. Why? What is it about sin that so intrigues, tempts, and frightens us?
For the believer, it's fear of retribution, punishment, and an eternity in hell (or as they would say, an eternal separation from God). After all, one would not exist without the other; there would be no need for a place like hell if there was no such thing as sin, and there would be no measure of sin if people weren't afraid of the consequence of hell. For the nonbeliever, it is fear of consequences here on earth: If I am consumed by lust and cheat on my spouse, it will end my marriage. If I kill someone in anger, I will spend the rest of my life in prison, etc.
That being said, we are all sinners (if, for the sake of argument, we agree there is such a thing as sin), but are there degrees of sin? Is one sin worse than another? Well ... that depends on who you ask.
Some people say that all sin sends you to hell unless you ask forgiveness, so in that sense all sins are equal, or at least have the same potential end result. Others say there absolutely is degree of sin, and they quote the Bible itself to support their claim:
“Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”
~ Mark 3:28-29, New American Standard Bible
So what is blaspheming the Holy Spirit? Again, that depends on who you ask.
I was raised Southern Baptist, my husband was raised Pentecostal, and while both faiths call themselves Christian, and both religions read from the same Bible, their Biblical interpretations vary greatly. I was taught "Once saved, always saved," meaning once you ask Christ into your heart as your Lord and personal Savior, and once you've asked Him to forgive your sins, you are saved from eternal damnation forever. The devil's advocate might argue, "Isn't that a free pass? Doesn't that give you a green light to do whatever you want?" to which the Southern Baptist response would be, "Anyone attempting to use salvation as a free pass wasn't really saved in the first place." My husband, on the other hand, was taught that one will "lose" his salvation if he continues to sin, therefore the sinner is in a constant state of repentance lest he die unexpectedly burdened with unforgiven sin, thus being cast into hell for all eternity.
Since the inception of organized religion, every faith trusts theirs is the one true doctrine, and each Christian denomination believes their interpretation of the Bible to be the correct one. Regardless of what you believe, sin is compelling. It motivates and repels us, and some of us allow it, or the avoidance of it, to dominate our lives.
What are your views about sin? Do you think it exists, or is the idea of sin simply a man-made invention intended to control the population? Are there degrees of sin? Are some sins unforgivable? Send me your thoughts and I will include your comments in next month's newsletter.
In the meantime, watch The History Channel's incredible documentary series Seven Deadly Sins. I've included the "Gluttony" video below (film starts at 0:19 seconds), and you can watch "Anger" here. or purchase the entire seven-part series Seven Deadly Sins [DVD]: ($23.85 from Amazon.Com). I watched it when it first aired on The History Channel back in 2008/2009, and it's worth every penny.
Thank you for reading.
Notes:
1. http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/7.html
2. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/ |
I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. Please do the authors the courtesy of reviewing the ones you read. Thank you, and have a great week!
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The following is in response to "An Introduction to Mudras" :
Vaughan Jones - ONE Scribe  writes, "Shannon, thank you for this inspiring write. It immediately invokes the Hindu saying, 'Namaste', which has the following basic description: The Divine light in me acknowledges the Divine light in you.
The God in me greets and meets the God in you. I honor the spirit in you that is also in me. The Divine wisdom in me recognizes and acknowledges the Divine wisdom in you. Equivalent in a way to 'Shalom', meaning peace be with you." Aw, thank you for your beautiful words, ONE Scribe, and thank you for taking the time to read and comment. 
Mia - craving colour  writes, "Hi, Shannon. I enjoyed your editorial and can relate to both your interest and the disapproval from others. What I find most fascinating about various spiritual practices is that pealed back far enough, they share similar core values. This is an area I have not explored yet. Thank you for the introduction and the resources." You are so right, Mia! Many of the world religions are quite similar if you delve deep enough. Thank you for reading!  |
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