Idle threat of the week

It probably says something about me that when I think of the seven deadly sins I don't for a moment envision the eternal damnation that each is said to result in. Instead I conjure up memories of a psychological cat-and-mouse game between Kevin Spacey and Brad Pitt that ends up with Gwenyth Paltrow's head in a box.

As much as they have been secularized by art, literature and cinema, the seven deadly sins -- lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride -- do very much originate from early Christian teachings.

Yet despite having an otherwise terrific run over the last couple millenniums, the Church of Rome has done very little to eliminate these mortal sins from humanity. If you disagree with the latter part of that statement please visit your local mall, observe the masses, and reconsider.

Why then is the Catholic Church diluting an already unrealized portion of its dogma by adding seven more deadly sins this week? They are:

* Pedophilia
* Abortion
* Ruining the environment
* Carrying out morally debatable scientific experiments
* Allowing genetic manipulations which alter DNA or compromise embryos
* Dealing or taking drugs
* Social injustice that causes poverty or the excessive accumulation of wealth by a few

One of the first things I noticed about these new sins -- other than that they provide ammunition for zealots all over the political spectrum -- is that none of them has the succinct verbal gravity of a classic sin like lust or wrath. In fact, a good rule about sins is that if you have to explain the sin with a sentence it can't really be that mortal.

By doubling up on the road to damnation the Catholic Church wins Idle Threat of the Week for March 3rd through 9th. Although the movie Four14een would be quite interesting indeed.