Ironically enough, a lot of the super religious people I know are definitions of the sins they so fear. Now this will be controversial, but here it goes. I am not against religion, but I am against corruption and hypocrisy that has become institutionalized religion.
Lust- Sexuality does not become a danger until it is repressed too much (i.e. by religion/society, which makes you feel guilty about a perfectly natural thing), which will only exacerbates desire, and may lead to inappropriate behaviors in people who cannot channel desire appropriately (exposing yourself in public, church pedophilia scandals, etc.). Think of all the lives that could be saved by distributing condoms to people in Africa and Asia, but the fear of sexuality and subsequent unsuccessful abstinence-only campaigns has deterred missionaries from doing so.
Gluttony- Now this applies to many people in the world- not just religious people- but everyone is incredibly wasteful, especially in America. I'm not a hippie or anything (in fact, I'm a **** Republican), but I am fairly environmentally conscious. I'm not talking about restricting yourself from things, but the food, water, and resource waste is appalling. Overproduction and then tossing things out has been the mantra in our culture. Just think of traditional weddings, where so much food, so many flowers, and so many decorations are just tossed out the next day. One thing I admire about religion, however, is their effort to feed the hungry. Yet compared with the expenditures, they could do a lot better. I find it incredibly sad that the same people who go to church to hear parables about Jesus' miracles in the desert can turn a blind eye and waste the blessings that they have.
Greed- funny thing is, the few major world religions own more UNTAXED real estate and other assets than most legitimate enterprises combined. If you look at the simplicity of the founders of religion and compare it to the glitzfest it is now, you have to wonder what other messages got left behind. The saddest part is that people who struggle to make ends meet all over the world will starve to contribute something, while religious leaders live in palaces, throw lavish parties, and prance around preaching humility in their Prada loafers. Those gilded collection plates are filled with the blood, sweat, and tears of these people.
Sloth- I am not opposed to the concept of God, but I definitely oppose those who wait for God to help them. After all, most religions believe that God or gods gave humanity free will. There are too many people who sit idly waiting for judgment day or a sign from God. They think that by attending an hour service each week, their do-good quota for the week has been fulfilled. I can be a lazy ******* myself, but I know when to get up and work to my full potential. TV and sports have become the new opiate of the masses. God would want us to help ourselves and each other, not sit on our asses and pass judgment.
Wrath- now in my experience, religious people have far more hatred for others than any Satanist/atheist/existentialist. I don't tell a lot of people that I'm an atheist because of the shock and outrage people express because of it. I believe in the MORAL aspects of religion, just not the supernatural. I can't count the number of people who have condemned me to hell because I don't participate in organized religion. Look at the collective wars in world history, and the majority of them have a religious component. Look at Islamic militants who murder people in the name of their God, or deface ancient art. There is so much hate. Hate gays, hate nonreligious literature, etc. Basically, hate things that are different. I'm pretty sure that's not what a benevolent creator nor his prophets had in mind.
Envy- Envy is human nature, but I think it is exacerbated by our holier-than-thou and "keeping-up-with-the-Joneses" culture. And religion always influences culture. From birth, it is a constant rat race to be better than anyone else. But we never consider the consequences of "becoming more Godly." Or faster, better, etc. Look at where we are today- I mean, people will shoot each other over a couple of bucks, rob old people, kill children. Heck, even popes in the past murdered each other for power. Talk about irony. People are no as concerned with living moral lives as they are with being better than anyone else. It's like we're undoing the dream of equality that our forefathers laid out for us. Of course, envy is tied to greed, which explains a lot. Materialism is the cult that has the most followers.
Pride- Back to that holier-than-thou attitude....Pride is not necessarily a bad thing. You can have pride in your work, in your family, in yourself, in your culture, etc. But this is the difference between pride and arrogance. This may piss people off, but I think people in America have way too much arrogance. People seem to be raising their kids without much discipline or respect for others and telling them that they are special and all that crap. There's a difference between self-esteem and self-worship, and the latter tends to occur a lot. Many people who participate in organized religion consider themselves "the chosen ones" and act like they are better than anyone else who doesn't. You can take pride in your faith without degrading other people. I guess all that preaching about tolerance and acceptance falls on dead ears.
In summary, I think making mistakes are a part of life. We shouldn't fear messing up or committing sin, because we are mortal after all. The thing we need to focus on is minimizing our weaknesses and learning from negative experiences, instead of being wrapped up in the guilt of the past. People have become more enmeshed in the ritual and have completely forgotten the meaning of religion. I think the 7 deadly sins (fyi, that sounds way too scary) were established by the institution to evoke fear and guilt in worshippers. The overall ideas are good, but I would assume that any God would consider them more of guidelines than absolutes. That's just my take on it. Sorry if I offended anybody- I just wanted to give another persective. As for religion, I've been exposed to them all, and I respect them all. I was born a Jain (look it up), my grandmother on my mom's side was Muslim, went to Hindu Sunday School, went to Synagogue a lot (I had a lot of Jewish friends), went to an Episcopalian middle and high school, attended Catholic masses with my friends, and traveled to Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. I just don't believe in them.
