Isn't this a bit redundant? The drugs one for example would be covered by greed and in any case kind of conflicts with the church's habbit of giving alcohol to kids. It takes it away from the fundamental motivators of sin to specific 'crimes', which is always dangerous for a conservative religious group.

http://news.smh.com.au/vatican-overhauls-list-of-mortal-sins/20080310-1yfi.html

There used to be just seven, but the list of sins that could threaten your mortal soul just got a whole lot longer.

The Vatican has overhauled its list of mortal sins, adding several more to cope with the age of globalisation.

The new sins take aim at those who undermine society in far reaching ways, including by taking or dealing in drugs, polluting the environment, and engaging in "manipulative" genetic science, The Times of London reports.

Also new to the list are paedophilia, abortion, and social injustices that cause poverty or "the excessive accumulation of wealth by a few".

They join the long-standing evils of lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, anger, envy and pride as mortal sins - the gravest kind, which threaten the soul with eternal damnation unless absolved before death through confession or penitence.

The church's revised position came as the Pope lamented the "decreasing sense of sin" in today's "secularised world," and falling rates of Roman Catholics going to confession, The Times reported.

Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican body which oversees confessions and plenary indulgences, said after a week-long Lenten seminar for priests that surveys showed 60 per cent of Catholics in Italy no longer went to confession.

He said priests must take account of "new sins which had appeared on the horizon of humanity as a corollary of the unstoppable process of globalisation".

"Whereas sin in the past was thought of as being an individual matter, it now had social resonance," he was quoted by The Times as saying.

"You offend God not only by stealing, blaspheming or coveting your neighbour's wife, but also by ruining the environment, carrying out morally debatable scientific experiments, or allowing genetic manipulations which alter DNA or compromise embryos," he said.

Wonder if they could just make it one positive ideal ?

"Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself."  Or words to that effect

Sprintcyclist wrote on Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:43pm:

Wonder if they could just make it one positive ideal ? "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself."  Or words to that effect

they do....

"Love the lord your god with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neigbour as yourself."

the new sins are a just public relations stunt to get the message out to the world on 7 things people should be concerned with.

I think it's good that they are attempting to modify their religion to suit the concerns of the times rather than keep it static.

It would be good to see a major rewrite of the Bible, and to drop the current position on condoms, which is potentially harmful (eg AIDS prevention in Africa) and totally out of step with the world.  The current Pope has already demolished "Limbo", which I think was a good move too.

To be quite honest, I liked the last Pope better than the current one. His meeting with leaders of other world religions was an excellent move.

Compared to Southern Baptists, I find that Roman Catholics still have their feet planted solidly on Terra Firma and are starting to focus more on life issues like these. I think the Born Again 'death cults' focus on the afterlife is unhealthy and anal retentive in comparison. I have a lot of time for Catholics. After all I married one  ;D

Musician - hahaha, yes, I quite like catholics too.

Cant really agree on changing the Bible to suit modern circumstances. Bibles are written from the original manuscripts.
Jesus seems to cover everything.

I see catholics as being a subset of christianity. Not their own belief system.
never heard of the "born again" death cult !!
Any cult is weird.

Take care

I personally have a problem with the Catholic Church now, moreso than before, even though I am Catholic.

How can people, who are not divine, tell us what is required to get in to Heaven? I think stick to what Jesus said and what seems right from the heart.

I hate the way they change the rules.

midnightcowboy - in the words of someone else
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:34


Thanks, you have reminded me of something from long ago.
Will post it when I have finished it.

easel wrote on Mar 13^th, 2008 at 9:06pm:

I personally have a problem with the Catholic Church now, moreso than before, even though I am Catholic. How can people, who are not divine, tell us what is required to get in to Heaven? I think stick to what Jesus said and what seems right from the heart. I hate the way they change the rules.

the reason the pope brings these sins out is not to tell people what is "required" to get into heaven. its just the interpretation of the scriptures for modern things that werent around during jesus' time by a few hundred of the most learned scholars of the bible. what they are essentially doing is applying jesus laws to specifics in modern day circumstances.

why do they do this? well to put it simply, the vatican and the cardinals are far more equipped to understand every detail of the bible than the average person out there. They devote their entire life to something most people only devote an hour a week to, if that, so naturally they will have a greater understanding.

Any person who studies jesus' words will not have any disagreement with these new "deadly sins" as they fit perfectly. these sisn are not for those who read the bible regularly and understand it so much as they are for others.

easel wrote on Mar 13^th, 2008 at 9:06pm:

I personally have a problem with the Catholic Church now, moreso than before, even though I am Catholic. How can people, who are not divine, tell us what is required to get in to Heaven? I think stick to what Jesus said and what seems right from the heart. I hate the way they change the rules.

I know I'll regret saying this, but after all, it's just a religion (and I'm just a heathen)
I think of it as 'Jesus and the Popeteer'

Did you ever see one of these glove puppet acts where the puppet 'whispers' in the puppeteer's ear and the puppeteer repeats it for the entire audience to hear?

"Ooooh! mein gott! ist das richtig, Jesu? ....Jesus just told me you are a very naughty boy!"  

You can flay me for heresy now.

musician - hahahhaha.
Nah, no flaying here.

wrote on Mar 14^th, 2008 at 1:31pm:

easel wrote on Mar 13th, 2008 at 9:06pm: I personally have a problem with the Catholic Church now, moreso than before, even though I am Catholic. How can people, who are not divine, tell us what is required to get in to Heaven? I think stick to what Jesus said and what seems right from the heart. I hate the way they change the rules. I know I'll regret saying this, but after all, it's just a religion (and I'm just a heathen) I think of it as 'Jesus and the Popeteer' Did you ever see one of these glove puppet acts where the puppet 'whispers' in the puppeteer's ear and the puppeteer repeats it for the entire audience to hear? "Ooooh! mein gott! ist das richtig, Jesu? ....Jesus just told me you are a very naughty boy!"   You can flay me for heresy now.

::)

most christians dont get all up in arms with people like you, its just you only hear the ones who do.

Pender,

That was meant as a gentle joke. Most of my friends are Christian, and they wouldn't take offense at that. In fact they expect it from me.

Christians are generally a very tolerant lot - that's what I like about them,  but I usually know where to stop. I would never try the same thing with a Muslim or a Jew unless I knew them very well.

wrote on Mar 16^th, 2008 at 8:46pm:

Pender, That was meant as a gentle joke. Most of my friends are Christian, and they wouldn't take offense at that. In fact they expect it from me. Christians are generally a very tolerant lot - that's what I like about them,  but I usually know where to stop. I would never try the same thing with a Muslim or a Jew unless I knew them very well.

cool, hard to know what people mean on here unless you know their post history. i have no problem with taking the piss of christians etc, long as you dont dis my god himself :P.

musician - why would you not question/joke a jew/muslim about their belief?

Sprintcyclist - good question. These are topics that politicians tend to drop like a lead balloon, so it's good to air them here.  

With both of these religions, there is also a racial connotation of sorts applied by society at large.  The term 'anti-semitic' tends to be reserved for Jews, although it really applies to Arabs too. Strictly speaking, not all Muslims are Arabs and not all Jews are racially akin, and Semitic is a language group rather than a racial group. Regardless of all that, discrimination is in the eyes of the person being discriminated against. Generally I think I'd prefer to avoid being branded a racist and just drop the subject of Islamic and Judaic humour altogether, although I have had some good banter with some Muslim friends in the past.

I don't think it comes as a big surprise that some Jews and Muslims are very touchy about humour directed at them.

Christianity on the other hand has no such racial connotations, but again, some are more thick skinned than others. I have a lot of time for Catholics in particular. Father Bob Maguire in particular is a glowing example of a Christian who 'walks the talk'. Catholics should be proud to have him.

musician - fathe Bob macguire ?? Is he the one who takes in boys who have had a hard life ?
At one stage he slept in his chicken house so one could have a bed ?
yep, good bloke.

Yeah that's him. He was the one in "Speaking in Tongues" with John Safran a couple of years back. I used to enjoy that show.  Anyone who can take on John Safran and come out with an unblemished reputation is a good bloke.  

father bob and safran do a show every sunday night on tripple J, they are quite good friends now by the way.

my favourite show on radio btw