Contrary to popular belief, the expression “seven deadly sins” does not at all indicate some seven actions that would be the most serious sins. In reality, the list of such actions can be much longer. And the number “seven” here indicates only the conditional grouping of these sins into seven main groups.

For the first time such a classification was proposed by St. Gregory the Great in 590. Although, along with it, another classification has always existed in the Church, numbering not seven, but eight main sinful passions. Passion is a skill of the soul that was formed in it from repeated repetition of the same sins and became, as it were, its natural quality - so that a person cannot get rid of passion even when he understands that it no longer brings him pleasure, but torment. Actually, the word “passion” in the Church Slavonic language just means suffering.

St. Theophan the Recluse writes about the difference between mortal sin and less grave sin: “ Deadly sin there is one who robs a person of his moral and Christian life. If we know what moral life is, then defining mortal sin is not difficult. Christian life is zeal and strength to remain in communion with God by fulfilling His holy law. Therefore, every sin that extinguishes jealousy, takes away strength and relaxes, distances one from God and deprives Him of grace, so that after it a person cannot look at God, but feels himself separated from Him; every such sin is a mortal sin. ...Such a sin deprives a person of the grace received in baptism, takes away the Kingdom of Heaven and delivers it to judgment. And all this is confirmed in the hour of sin, although it is not accomplished visibly. Sins of this kind change the entire direction of a person’s activity and his very state and heart, forming, as it were, a new source in moral life; why do others determine that mortal sin is the one that changes the center of human activity.”

These sins are called mortal because the falling away human soul from God is the death of the soul. Without a grace-filled connection with its Creator, the soul dies and becomes incapable of experiencing spiritual joy either in a person’s earthly life or in its posthumous existence.

And it doesn’t really matter how many categories these sins are divided into - seven or eight. It is much more important to remember the terrible danger that any such sin poses, and to try in every possible way to avoid these deadly traps. And also - to know that even for those who have sinned such a sin there remains the possibility of salvation. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says: “Let him who has fallen into mortal sin not fall into despair! Let him resort to the medicine of repentance, to which he is called until the last minute of his life by the Savior, who proclaimed in the Holy Gospel: He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live(John 11:25). But it’s disastrous to remain in mortal sin, it’s disastrous when mortal sin turns into a habit!”

A Reverend Isaac Sirin said even more definitely: “There is no unforgivable sin except unrepentant sin.”

Seven deadly sins

1. Pride

“The beginning of pride is usually contempt. The one who despises and considers others to be nothing - some are poor, others are people of low birth, others are ignorant, as a result of such contempt he comes to the point that he considers himself alone to be wise, prudent, rich, noble and strong.

How is a proud person recognized and how is he healed? Recognized because it seeks preference. And he will be healed if he believes in the judgment of Him who said: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble(James 4:6). However, you need to know that although he will be afraid of the judgment pronounced for pride, he cannot be healed of this passion unless he abandons all thoughts of his own preference” ( St. Basil the Great)

Pride - self-righteous intoxication own merits, real or imaginary. Having taken possession of a person, she cuts him off first from people he doesn’t know well, then from his family and friends. And finally - from God himself. The proud man does not need anyone, he is not even interested in the admiration of those around him, and only in himself does he see the source of his own happiness. But like any sin, pride does not bring true joy. Internal opposition to everything and everyone dries up the soul of a proud person; complacency, like a scab, covers it with a rough shell, under which it dies and becomes incapable of love, friendship and even simple sincere communication.

2.  Envy

“Envy is sadness due to the well-being of one’s neighbor, which<...>seeks not good for himself, but evil for his neighbor. The envious would like to see the glorious dishonest, the rich poor, the happy unhappy. This is the purpose of envy - to see how the envied person falls from happiness into disaster" ( Saint Elias Minyatiy)

This arrangement of the human heart becomes a launching pad for the most terrible crimes. And also countless large and small dirty tricks that people do just to make another person feel bad or at least stop feeling good.

But even if this beast does not break out in the form of a crime or a specific act, will it really be easier for the envious person? After all, in the end, such a terrible worldview will simply drive him into a premature grave, but even death will not stop his suffering. Because after death, envy will torment his soul for more greater strength, but without the slightest hope of satisfying it.

“Gluttony is divided into three types: one type encourages eating before a certain hour; another loves only to be satiated with any kind of food; the third wants tasty food. Against this, a Christian must have threefold caution: wait for a certain time for eating; don't get fed up; be content with all the humblest food" ( Reverend John Cassian the Roman)

Gluttony is slavery to one's own stomach. It can manifest itself not only in insane gluttony for festive table, but also in culinary discernment, in the subtle discrimination of shades of taste, in the preference for exquisite dishes to simple food. From a cultural point of view, there is a gulf between the crude glutton and the refined gourmet. But both of them are slaves to their eating behavior. For both, food has ceased to be a means of maintaining the life of the body, turning into the desired goal of the life of the soul.

4. Fornication

“... consciousness is more and more filled with pictures of voluptuousness, dirty, burning and seductive. The power and poisonous poison of these images, enchanting and shameful, are such that they crowd out from the soul all the sublime thoughts and desires that captivated ( young man) earlier. It often happens that a person is unable to think about anything else: he is completely possessed by the demon of passion. He cannot look at every woman as anything other than a female. Thoughts, one dirtier than the other, crawl in his foggy brain, and in his heart there is only one desire - to satisfy his lust. This is already the state of an animal, or rather, worse than an animal, because animals do not reach the level of depravity that a person reaches" ( Hieromartyr Vasily of Kineshemsky)

The sin of fornication includes all manifestations of human sexual activity contrary to the natural way of their implementation in marriage. Promiscuous sex life, adultery, all kinds of perversions - all these are different types of manifestations of prodigal passion in a person. But although this is a bodily passion, its origins lie in the realm of the mind and imagination. Therefore, the Church also classifies as fornication obscene dreams, viewing pornographic and erotic materials, telling and listening to obscene anecdotes and jokes - everything that can arouse in a person fantasies on a sexual theme, from which the bodily sins of fornication then grow.

5. Anger

“Look at anger, what signs of its torment it leaves. Look what a man does in anger: how he becomes indignant and makes noise, curses and scolds himself, torments and beats, hits his head and face, and shakes all over, as if in a fever, in a word, he looks like a demoniac. If appearance he is so unpleasant, what is going on in his poor soul? ...You see what a terrible poison is hidden in the soul, and how bitterly it torments a person! His cruel and pernicious manifestations speak of him" ( Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk)

An angry person is scary. Meanwhile, anger is a natural property of the human soul, put into it by God to reject everything sinful and inappropriate. This useful anger was perverted in man by sin and turned into anger at his neighbors, sometimes for the most insignificant reasons. Offenses to other people, swearing, insults, shouting, fights, murders - all these are acts of unrighteous anger.

6. Greed (selfishness)

“Care is an insatiable desire to have, or the search and acquisition of things under the guise of benefit, then only to say about them: mine. There are many objects of this passion: the house with all its parts, fields, servants, and most importantly - money, because you can get everything with it" ( Saint Theophan the Recluse)

It is sometimes believed that only rich people who already have wealth and strive to increase it can suffer from this spiritual illness. However, a person of average income, a poor person, and a completely beggar are all subject to this passion, since it does not consist in the possession of things, material benefits and wealth, but - in a painful, irresistible desire to possess them.

7.  Despondency (laziness)

“Despondency is a continuous and simultaneous movement of the furious and lustful part of the soul. The first is furious over what is at its disposal, the second, on the contrary, yearns for what it lacks" ( Evagrius of Pontus)

Dejection is considered to be a general relaxation of mental and physical strength, combined with extreme pessimism. But it is important to understand that despondency occurs in a person as a result of a deep mismatch between the abilities of his soul, zeal (an emotionally charged desire for action) and will.

In the normal state, will determines for a person the goal of his aspirations, and zeal is the “engine” that allows him to move towards it, overcoming difficulties. When despondent, a person directs zeal at his current state, which is far from his goal, and the will, left without an “engine,” turns into a constant source of melancholy about unfulfilled plans. These two forces of a despondent person, instead of moving towards the goal, seem to “pull” his soul in different directions, bringing it to complete exhaustion.

Such a discrepancy is the result of man’s falling away from God, the tragic consequence of an attempt to direct all the forces of his soul towards earthly things and joys, while they were given to us to strive for heavenly joys.

Fragments of the altar mosaic were used in the design.
Crypts of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere, Lyon, France, 1872–1884.

The distinction between mortal and non-mortal sins is very conditional, for every sin, be it small or great, separates a person from God, the source of life, and the person who sinned inevitably dies, although not immediately after the fall. This is clear from the Bible, from the story of the fall of the ancestors of the human race, Adam and Eve. It was not a great sin (by today’s standards) to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, but through this sin both Eve and Adam died, and to this day everyone dies...

In addition, in the modern understanding, when they talk about “mortal” sin, they mean that a grave mortal sin kills a person’s soul in the sense that it becomes incapable of communion with God until it repents and leaves this sin. Such sins include murder, fornication, all inhuman cruelty, blasphemy, heresy, occultism and magic, etc.

But even insignificant, small “non-mortal” sins can kill the soul of a sinner, deprive it of communication with God, when a person does not repent of them, and they lie a great burden on the soul. For example, one grain of sand is not a burden to us, but if a whole bag of them accumulates, then this load will crush us.

What is a mortal sin?

What is a mortal sin and how does it differ from other “non-mortal” sins? If you are guilty of a mortal sin and sincerely repent of it in confession, will God forgive this sin through the priest or not? And I also want to know: those sins that you repented of with all your soul and heart in confession, and the priest forgave these sins, if you don’t commit them again, God will not judge you for them?

Priest Dionysius Tolstov answers:

When a person utters such a phrase as “mortal sin,” then immediately, according to the logic of thinking, one wants to ask the question: what is an unmortal sin? The division of sins into mortal and non-mortal is only a convention. In fact, any sin is mortal, any sin is the beginning of destruction. The saint lists eight deadly sins (see also below). But these eight sins are only a classification of all possible sins that a person can commit; these are like eight groups into which they are all divided. indicates that the cause of all sins and their source lies in three passions: selfishness, voluptuousness and love of money. But, however, these three vices do not cover the entire abyss of sins - these are only the initial conditions of sinfulness. It’s the same with those eight deadly sins – it’s a classification. Every sin must be healed by repentance. If a person has brought sincere repentance for his sins, then, of course, God will forgive him his confessed sins. This is precisely what confession is for. “Repent and believe the gospel,” says the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. A person will not be condemned for a repentant sin. “There is no unforgivable sin except unrepentant sin,” say the Holy Fathers. God, out of his inexpressible love for the human race, established the sacrament of confession. And when we begin the sacrament of repentance, we must firmly believe that God will forgive all our sins. The saint said: “Repentant fornicators are imputed with virgins.” This is the power of repentance!

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov):
“Just as illnesses can be common and fatal, so sins can be less or more serious, that is, mortal... Mortal sins destroy a person’s love for God and make man dead to perceive Divine grace. Serious sin traumatizes the soul so much that it is then very difficult for it to return to its normal state.
“The expression “mortal sin” has its basis in the words of St. Apostle John the Theologian (). The Greek text says pro fanon- a sin that leads to death. By death we mean spiritual death, which deprives a person of eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

priest Georgy Kochetkov
In the Old Testament, a number of crimes were punishable by death. This is where the concept of mortal sin arose, that is, an act the consequence of which is death. Moreover, no crime worthy of death can be forgiven or replaced by a ransom (), that is, a person cannot change his fate even by repentance. This approach arose from the conviction that a person can perform a number of actions only if he has long been out of touch with the Source of Life or, more precisely, draws inspiration from an alien source. In other words, if a person commits a mortal sin, it means that he has violated the Covenant and supports his life through the destruction of the surrounding world and people. Thus, a mortal sin is not just a crime, which, according to law, is punishable by death, but also a certain statement of the fact that the person who commits such an act is already internally dead and must be put to rest so that living members of the community do not suffer from it . Of course, from the point of view of secular humanism, such an approach is very cruel, but such a view of life and man is alien to biblical consciousness. We must not forget that in Old Testament times there was no other way to stop the spread of grave sin among the people of God than when the bearer of death was subjected to the death penalty.

saint:
“The mortal sins for a Christian are the following: heresy, schism, blasphemy, apostasy, sorcery, despair, suicide, fornication, adultery, unnatural fornication, incest, drunkenness, sacrilege, homicide, robbery, theft and any cruel, inhuman offense.
Only one of these sins cannot be healed, but each of them mortifies the soul and makes it incapable of eternal bliss until it cleanses itself with satisfactory repentance...
Let him who has fallen into mortal sin not fall into despair! Let him resort to the medicine of repentance, to which he is called until the last minute of his life by the Savior, who proclaimed in the Holy Gospel: he who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live (). But it is disastrous to remain in mortal sin, it is disastrous when mortal sin turns into a habit!”

CM. Maslennikov:
In volume 1 of the saint there is a list of passions with examples of their manifestation, and in volume 3 there is a list of mortal sins given by him.
We did this: we compared examples of sins in the passions with examples of mortal sins and it turned out that mortal sins are included in the saint’s list of sins for each passion in accordance with their passion. From this it is easy to conclude: passion is a disease of the soul, like a tree bearing poisonous fruits - sins and some of these sins are the most serious, because even with a one-time manifestation they destroy peace with God, grace recedes - the saint called such sins mortal.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy

Love life - while you're alive

There is one moment between her and death...

And there won't be a nettle there,

No roses, no music, no books...

Which sins are considered terrible and which are less mortal? On the eve of the bright Forgiveness Sunday, when Orthodox Christians ask each other, their loved ones and relatives for forgiveness for the insults caused, the pain caused, cleansing their souls before Great Lent, I would like to figure out what is generally considered an act displeasing to God, a sin?

All of us, regardless of whether a person is a believer, just standing on the path to faith, or a believer in other forces, in difficult moments In our lives we turn our gaze somewhere into the distance and upward in the hope that there they will hear us, understand us and help us. And when we commit some unreliable deeds, we hope that no one will notice this, that this is not such a terrible sin.

The Holy Scripture sets out the main ten commandments given by God to the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai, so that all subsequent generations of people would honor them in their lives.

Ten Basic Commandments

These are the Ten Commandments of God's Law

• 1st commandment. I am the Lord your God; Let you have no other gods besides Me.

• 2nd commandment. You shall not make for yourself an idol (statue) or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the waters under the earth; do not worship or serve them.

• 3rd commandment. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

• 4th commandment. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Work six days and do all your work in them, and the seventh day (the day of rest) is the Sabbath (shall be dedicated) to the Lord your God.

• 5th commandment. Honor your father and your mother, (so that it may go well with you and) that your days on earth may be long.

• 6th commandment. Dont kill.

• 7th commandment. Don't commit adultery.

• 8th commandment. Don't steal.

• 9th commandment. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

• 10th commandment. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, you shall not covet your neighbor's house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

But which sin is minor and which is major? Which sin will be forgiven by God and which will not?

The biggest sin is suicide

The Orthodox religion is very strict for its believers, calling on them to live in obedience, observing not only the ten basic commandments of God, but also not allowing excesses in worldly life.

Anger, irritation, gluttony (immeasurable love for food), coquetry, wastefulness, complacency and arrogance, as well as courage and cowardice - everything is sin. Even curiosity, daydreaming, loud laughter, as well as crying are in some strange way counted as sins. In a word, everything that exceeds normal state Christian - everything is sin.

It means to be sinless is to already be sinful :) I am glad that God will forgive everyone who comes to him with repentance!

What is the worst sin? There is no clear hierarchy of sins in Orthodoxy. According to religious canons the worst sin counts suicide. Why exactly this?

By killing himself, a person firstly violates the biblical commandment: Thou shalt not kill! Secondly, by giving life to man, the Creator, as if in response, demands from man the fulfillment of the “right” to life. And it is this contract that a person cannot terminate. Whoever decides to commit suicide unilaterally violates God's will, that is, exceeds his authority.

God gives us life through his blood. After birth we acquire new nature The Spirit of Christ in which we are to live. Therefore, neglecting these gifts of God, abandoning his life, a person spits in the face of the Almighty.

Higher human life there is nothing in this world. The worst sin is to voluntarily die.

But why can the sin of a person who has committed murder of another be forgiven by God, but suicide cannot? It turns out that the life of one person is more valuable to God than the life of another? A murderer who interrupts the life of another, often innocent person, can be forgiven, but a suicide who takes his own life cannot? Why is that?

The whole point is that a person who has committed any sin, no matter what it is, has the opportunity to repent, there is still the opportunity to change everything. But only suicide doesn't allow me to fix anything. You cannot repent of this sin, you cannot beg for God’s forgiveness and earn the salvation of your soul. After death, a person no longer has the opportunity to do good, bright, trustworthy deeds in this world. It turns out that the whole life of such a person who committed suicide was meaningless.

All sins are forgiven by God through repentance, communion, in the hope of purification and salvation of the soul.

That is why in the old days suicides were not only not buried in church, but were even buried outside the cemetery fence. No rituals or commemorations were carried out and to this day are not carried out in the church for the deceased. This alone and how difficult it will be for loved ones should stop the suicide. But, unfortunately, this is not the case and the number of victims - suicides - is not decreasing.

Russia occupies fourth place in the world In this sad statistics, after India, China and the USA, the number of voluntary deaths per year is more than 25,000 people. Around the world, about 4 million people die this way. Scary!!!
The main causes of suicide: financial insolvency and lack of mutual understanding. Alcohol, drugs, unhappy love, and serious illnesses contribute to suicide.

All other sins our God can forgive us, provided that we not only repent of them ourselves, but also constantly ask for forgiveness from the Lord if, instead of one bad deed, we do dozens of good ones.

And we must always remember that there are no small sins or big ones, even the smallest sin, if it is not noticed by us, is not repented of, is not prayed for, can kill our soul, it is like a tiny cut on the body that can cause gangrene and lead to death.

How not to commit suicide and emerge victorious with yourself?

This point is for people who are at the point of choice: to be or not to be, to live or not to live...

If you are reading this article, perhaps there are reasons that brought you here.

It’s bad if thoughts of your own suicide have entered your head. And it’s good that you thought about it before deciding to take this step.

I’m not a psychologist and I’m unlikely to find words of consolation; I’ll discover something that will prevent the far-fetched thing from coming true. I’ll just say this little thing: Know that similar thoughts come to many people’s minds. We are weak and our life often seems unbearably difficult, often meaningless and worthless.

But think about it, was it given to you by God and your parents for some reason? Or maybe all the best is hidden somewhere around that corner, in tomorrow... Who knows? Check it out tomorrow! Win a victory over yourself today? Don’t be cowardly towards yourself, don’t hurt your loved ones. Do not break the thread that connects entire generations of people, because it is no coincidence that suicide is the most terrible sin. So, it is your life that is very important to SOMEONE? We don’t know who, no one knows THIS, but one thing is for sure: there is nothing meaningless in this world! Remember: the Lord does not give a person a cross heavier than he can bear.

Go to church, open your soul. If you don’t accept faith, go into nature, throw your head back to the sky, look into the eyes of a child and hold his palm in your palms, inhale the smell of the earth, splash yourself with water...

Call your friend, well, there is at least one person who cares about you, open up to him, divide your unbearable burden into two... And remember about your mother, about the heartbreaking grief she will have to endure... Don't do this!!! Tomorrow you will feel better, you'll see...

What to do for those whose loved ones have committed suicide

Yes, the church is unforgiving: in the old days, suicides were buried outside the cemetery behind its fence. They are not buried, they are not mentioned in prayers. Why is it so tough? The Church accuses suicides who committed the most terrible sin in connection with demons. I have already indicated the reasons above. This is exactly how Christianity interprets suicide. The verdict for such people is clear and cannot be revised.

From a letter from Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) to the mother of a man who committed suicide:

“But you really can’t pray for your son in church - this is the definition of the Holy Councils of the Holy Fathers, this is the canon. It is absolutely necessary to pray at home, with all your grieving and wounded soul facing God. But the answer is God’s work; we cannot predict it and cannot decide for God. Having maintained obedience to the Church, leave in your soul the hope of God’s mercy in your maternal prayer. Read the Canon for someone who has arbitrarily interrupted his life (written by Metropolitan Benjamin - MS note), if possible and with desire. For the first time, try to read 40 days daily. And let the prayer that is in the canon console you every day, and it will help your son. It is good to give alms to those in need for your son. hope and faith are lamps in our life. And the Lord is mercy and love. That’s what we hope for.”

Yes, we don’t fully know how this world works. But we know that the world is multifaceted. We don't know. We generally know little about this world. If your loved one committed suicide, what should you do? After all, for you this person was and remains the closest, dearest. This normal people, they were not villains, monsters, merciless enemies. Their only fault is that they were weak and did not respect the commandments of God. Or maybe they were generally far from the church FAITH? Maybe they had their own FAITH? How can I lower my head?

You will forgive them, remember them in your hearts, cherish the memory of them and regardless of the fact that the Church does not always approve of these actions, pray at home, thereby fulfilling the duty of love and the responsibilities of a parent or child and slightly softening the lot of the one who died so sinfully another world.

Prayer for people who voluntarily passed away

Master, Lord, Merciful and Lover of Mankind, we cry to You: we have sinned and committed lawlessness before You, we have transgressed Your saving commandments and the love of the Gospel has not been revealed to our despairing brother (our despairing sister). But do not reprove us with Your wrath, punish us with Your wrath, O Master who loves mankind, weaken, heal our heartfelt sorrow, may the multitude of Your bounties overcome the abyss of our sins, and may Your countless goodness cover the abyss of our bitter tears.

To her, Sweetest Jesus, we still pray, grant to Your servant, your relative who died without permission, consolation in their sorrow and firm hope in Your mercy.

For You are a Merciful and Lover of Mankind, and we send glory to You with Your Beginning Father and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Be sure to read next prayer so as not to bring sin upon yourself by doing an unworthy deed. It was given by the Venerable Leo of Optina.

Mortal sins are actions by which a person moves away from God, harmful habits that a person does not want to admit and correct. The Lord, in His great mercy towards the human race, forgives mortal sins if he sees sincere repentance and a firm intention to change bad habits. You can find spiritual salvation through confession and...

What is sin?

The word “sin” has Greek roots and when translated it sounds like a mistake, a wrong step, an oversight. Committing a sin is a deviation from the true human destiny, entails a painful state of the soul, leading to its destruction and fatal illness. In the modern world, human sins are portrayed as a forbidden but attractive way of expressing personality, which distorts the real essence the term sin" - an act after the commission of which the soul becomes crippled and requires healing - confession.

10 deadly sins in Orthodoxy

The list of deviations - sinful acts - is long. The expression about the 7 deadly sins, on the basis of which serious destructive passions arise, was formulated in 590 by St. Gregory the Great. Passion is the habitual repetition of the same mistakes, forming destructive skills that, after temporary pleasure, cause torment.

In Orthodoxy - actions, after committing which a person does not repent, but voluntarily departs from God and loses contact with him. Without such support, the soul becomes callous, loses the ability to experience the spiritual joy of the earthly path and posthumously cannot exist next to the creator, does not have the opportunity to go to heaven. You can repent and confess, get rid of mortal sins - you can change your priorities and passions while in earthly life.

Original sin - what is it?

Original sin is the tendency to commit sinful acts that has entered the human race, which arose after Adam and Eve, living in paradise, succumbed to temptation and committed a sinful fall. The tendency of the human will to do bad things was transmitted from the first inhabitants of the Earth to all people. When a person is born, he accepts an invisible inheritance - a sinful state of nature.

Sin of Sodom - what is it?

The formulation of the concept of Sodomy sin is related to the name ancient city Sodom. The Sodomites, in search of carnal pleasures, entered into physical relationships with individuals of the same sex, and did not neglect acts of violence and coercion in fornication. Homosexual relations or sodomy, bestiality - grave sins, originating from lustful passion, they are shameful and abominable. The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorah, as well as the surrounding cities, who lived in debauchery, were punished by the Lord - fire and rain of brimstone were sent from heaven to destroy the wicked.

According to God's plan, man and woman were endowed with distinctive mental and physical characteristics in order to complement each other. They became one and extended the human race. Family relationships In marriage, the birth and raising of children is the direct responsibility of every person. Fornication is a carnal sin that involves physical relations between a man and a woman, without coercion, not supported family union. Adultery is the satisfaction of physical lust with damage to the family unit.

Misappropriation - what kind of sin is this?

Orthodox sins give rise to the habit of acquiring various things, sometimes completely unnecessary and unimportant - this is called money-grubbing. The desire to acquire new objects, to accumulate many things in the earthly world enslaves a person. An addiction to collecting, a tendency to acquire expensive luxury items - storage of soulless valuables that will not be useful in the afterlife, but in earthly life they take away a lot of money, nerves, time, and become the object of love that a person could show towards another person.

Covetousness - what kind of sin is this?

Extortion is a way of making money or obtaining Money due to the infringement of a neighbor, his difficult circumstances, the acquisition of property through fraudulent actions and transactions, theft. Human sins are harmful addictions, which, having realized and repented, can be left in the past, but renouncing covetousness requires the return of acquired property or waste of property, which is a difficult step on the path to correction.

Love of money - what kind of sin is this?

Sins in the Bible are described as passions - habits of human nature to occupy life and thoughts with hobbies that interfere with thinking about God. The love of money is the love of money, the desire to possess and preserve earthly riches; it is closely related to greed, stinginess, covetousness, money-grubbing, and covetousness. A money lover collects material assets - wealth. He builds human relationships, career, love and friendship according to the principle of whether it is profitable or not. It is difficult for a money lover to understand that true values ​​are not measured by money, true feelings are not for sale and cannot be bought.

Malachi - what kind of sin is this?

Malakia is a Church Slavonic word meaning the sin of masturbation or masturbation. Masturbation is a sin, the same for women and men. By committing such an act, a person becomes a slave to prodigal passion, which can develop into other serious vices - types of unnatural fornication, and turn into the habit of indulging in unclean thoughts. It is appropriate for those who are single and widowed to maintain bodily purity and not to defile themselves with harmful passions. If there is no desire to abstain, you must get married.

Dejection is a mortal sin

Dejection is a sin that weakens the soul and body; it causes a decline in physical strength, laziness, and a feeling of spiritual despair and hopelessness. The desire to work disappears and a wave of hopelessness and careless attitude overtakes - an unclear emptiness arises. Depression is a state of despondency, when an unreasonable melancholy arises in the human soul, there is no desire to do good deeds - to work to save the soul and help others.

The sin of pride - how is it expressed?

Pride is a sin that causes a desire to rise, to be recognized in society - an arrogant attitude and contempt for others, based on the importance of one’s own personality. The feeling of pride is a loss of simplicity, a cooling of the heart, a lack of compassion for others, and the manifestation of strict, unmerciful reasoning about the actions of another person. The proud do not recognize God's help in life path, does not have feelings of gratitude towards those who do good.

Idleness - what kind of sin is it?

Idleness is a sin, an addiction that causes a person’s reluctance to work, to put it simply - idleness. From such a state of the soul other passions are generated - drunkenness, fornication, condemnation, deception, etc. A person who does not work - an idle person lives at the expense of another, sometimes blaming him for insufficient maintenance, is irritable from unhealthy sleep - without working hard during the day, he does not receive and good rest given by fatigue. Envy seizes the idle man when he looks at the fruits of the toiler. He is overcome by despair and despondency - which is considered a grave sin.

Gluttony - what kind of sin is it?

Addiction to food and drink is a sinful desire called gluttony. It is an attraction that gives the body power over the spiritual mind. Gluttony manifests itself in several forms - overeating, enjoying tastes, gourmetism, drunkenness, secret consumption of food. Satisfying the belly should not be an important goal, but only a reinforcement of bodily needs - a need that does not limit spiritual freedom.

Mortal sins cause spiritual wounds that lead to suffering. The initial illusion of temporary pleasure develops into an addiction that requires everything more victims, takes away part of the earthly time allocated to a person for prayers and good deeds. He becomes a slave to a passionate will, which is unnatural for state of nature and ultimately causes harm to himself. The opportunity to realize and change your bad habits is given to everyone; passions can be overcome by virtues that are opposite to them in action.

Often using the word “sin” in his vocabulary, he does not always fully understand its interpretation. As a result, the term is used for other purposes, gradually losing its true content. Nowadays, sin is perceived as something forbidden, but at the same time attractive. Having committed it, people boast, proud of their act in the “bad boy” style, gaining popularity and a scandalous reputation with its help. Such individuals do not realize: in fact, even the slightest sins in Orthodoxy are something for which each of us will suffer heavy and eternal punishment after death.

What is sin?

Religion interprets it differently. It is usually believed that sins in Orthodoxy are states of the human soul that are diametrically opposed to morality and honor. By committing them, he goes against his true nature. The famous theologian John of Damascus, who lived in Syria in the 7th century, for example, wrote that sin is always a voluntary deviation from spiritual rules. That is, it is almost impossible to force a person to do something immoral. Yes, of course, he can be threatened with weapons or reprisals against his loved ones. But the Bible says that even in the face of real danger, he always has the right to choose. Sin is a wound that a believer inflicts on his own soul.

According to another theologian, Alexei Osipov, any offense is a consequence of the fall of mankind. However, unlike the original wickedness, in the modern world we are held accountable for our mistakes. full responsibility. Each individual is obliged to fight the craving for the forbidden, to overcome it by all means, the best of which, as Orthodoxy claims, is confession. The list of sins, their immoral content and retribution for what they have done - teachers are required to talk about this even in elementary grades during theology lessons, so that children from an early age understand the essence of this evil and know how to fight it. In addition to sincere confession, another way to atone for one’s own immorality is sincere repentance, prayer and a complete change in the way of life. The Church believes that without the help of priests it is not always possible to overcome sinfulness, therefore a person should regularly visit the temple and communicate with his spiritual mentor.

Deadly sins

These are the most serious human vices, which can only be redeemed through repentance. Moreover, this must be done exclusively from the heart: if an individual doubts that he will be able to live in accordance with the new spiritual rules, then it is better to postpone this process until the moment when the soul is completely ready. In another case, confession is considered evil, and lying can be punished even more. The Bible states that for mortal sins the soul is deprived of the opportunity to go to heaven. If they are very heavy and terrible, then the only place that “shines” for a person after death is hell with its pitch darkness, hot frying pans, seething fiery cauldrons and other devilish paraphernalia. If the offenses are isolated and accompanied by repentance, the soul goes to purgatory, where it gets a chance to cleanse itself and reunite with God.

How many especially serious offenses does religion provide for? It is known that when analyzing mortal sins, Orthodoxy always gives a different list. In various versions of the Gospel you can find a list of 7, 8 or 10 points. But traditionally it is believed that there are only seven of them:

1. Pride is contempt for one's neighbor. Leads to darkening of the mind and heart, denial of God and loss of love for him.
2. Greed or love of money. This is the desire to acquire wealth in any way, which gives rise to theft and cruelty.
3. Fornication is adultery itself or thoughts about it.
4. Envy is the desire for luxury. Leads to hypocrisy and humiliation of one's neighbor.
5. Gluttony. Shows excessive self-love.
6. Anger - thoughts of revenge, anger and aggression, which can lead to murder.
7. Laziness, which gives rise to despondency, sadness, sorrow and murmuring.

These are the main mortal sins. Orthodoxy never modifies the list, since it believes that there is no greater evil than the above-described vices. After all, they are the starting point for all other sins, including murder, assault, theft, and so on.

Pride

This is too high a person's self-esteem. He begins to consider himself the best and most worthy. It is clear that to develop individuality in yourself, unusual abilities and genius talents are necessary. But placing one’s “I” on an unjustified pedestal of honor is real pride. Sin leads to an inadequate assessment of oneself and committing crimes on others fatal mistakes in life.

It differs from ordinary pride in that a person begins to boast of his qualities before God himself. He develops the confidence that he himself is capable of achieving heights without the help of the Almighty, and his talents are not a gift from Heaven, but exclusively personal merit. The individual becomes arrogant, ungrateful, arrogant, inattentive to others.

In many religions, sin is considered the mother of all other vices. And indeed it is. A person affected by this spiritual illness begins to adore himself, which leads to laziness and gluttony. In addition, he despises everyone around him, which invariably leads him to anger and greed. Why does pride arise? Sin, Orthodoxy claims, becomes a consequence of improper upbringing and limited development. It is difficult to rid a person of vice. Usually higher power They give him a test in the form of poverty or physical injury, after which he either becomes even more evil and proud, or is completely cleansed of the wicked state of his soul.

Greed

The second most serious sin. Vanity is a product of greed and pride, their common fruit. Therefore, these two vices are the foundation on which a whole bunch of immoral character traits grow. As for greed, it manifests itself in the form of an indomitable desire to receive a lot of money. The people whom she touched with her icy hand stop spending their finances even on what is necessary, they accumulate wealth in spite of common sense. Apart from a way to earn money, such individuals do not think about anything else. It is from the seeds of greed that such vices of the human soul as greed, self-interest and envy sprout. They are the reason that the entire history of mankind is drenched in the blood of innocent victims.

In our time, greed continues to occupy a leading position in the sinful hierarchy. The popularity of loans, financial pyramids and business trainings confirms the sad fact that the meaning of life for many people is enrichment and luxury. Greed is going crazy for money. Like any other insanity, it is destructive to the individual: the individual spends the best years of his life not searching for himself, but on the endless accumulation and increase of capital. Often he decides to commit a crime: theft, fraud, corruption. To overcome greed, a person needs to understand that true happiness is within him, and it does not depend on material wealth. The counterbalance is generosity: give part of what you earn to those in need. This is the only way to cultivate the ability to share benefits with other people.

Envy

Considering the 7 deadly sins, Orthodoxy calls this vice one of the most terrible. Most of the crimes in the world are committed based on envy: people rob neighbors just because they are richer, kill acquaintances who are in power, plot against friends, angry at their popularity with the opposite sex... The list is endless. Even if envy does not become an impetus for misconduct, it will invariably provoke the destruction of a person’s personality. For example, an individual will drive himself into a premature grave, tormenting his soul with a distorted perception of reality and negative emotions.

Many people reassure themselves that their envy is white. Like, they evaluate achievements in a good way loved one, which becomes an incentive for them to personal growth. But if you face the truth, no matter how you paint this vice, it will still be immoral. Black, white or multi-colored envy is a sin, because it involves your desire to conduct a financial inspection in someone else's pocket. And sometimes you take over something that doesn’t belong to you. To get rid of this unpleasant and spiritually devouring feeling, you need to realize: other people's benefits are always superfluous. You are a completely self-sufficient and strong person, so you can find your place in the sun.

Gluttony

The word is old and beautiful. It also directly points to the essence of the problem. Gluttony is serving one’s body, worshiping earthly desires and passions. Just think how disgusting a person looks, in whose life the main place is occupied by a primitive instinct: satiation of the body. The words “belly” and “animal” are related and similar in sound. They came from the Old Slavonic source code alive- "alive". Of course, in order to exist, an individual must eat. But we should remember: we eat to live, and not vice versa.

Gluttony, greed in relation to food, satiety, consumption large quantity products - all this is gluttony. Most people do not take this sin seriously, believing that the love of goodies is their slight weakness. But one has only to look at it on a more global scale, how the vice becomes ominous: millions of people on Earth are dying of hunger, while someone, without shame or conscience, stuffs their belly to the point of nausea. Overcoming gluttony is often difficult. You will need iron willpower to strangle the baser instincts within yourself and limit yourself in food to the necessary minimum. Strict fasting and giving up your favorite delicacies help to cope with gluttony.

Fornication

Sins in Orthodoxy are the base desires of a weak-willed person. The manifestation of sexual activity, which is not carried out in a marriage blessed by the church, is considered fornication. This can also include infidelity, various kinds of intimate perversions and promiscuity. The most important thing is that this is only the physical shell of what is actually gnawing at the brain. After all, it is the gray matter, its imagination and the ability to fantasize that send impulses that push a person to an immoral act. Therefore, in Orthodoxy, fornication is also considered viewing pornographic materials, listening to obscene jokes, obscene remarks and thoughts - in a word, everything from which bodily sin itself is born.

Many people often confuse fornication with lust, considering them to be the same concept. But these are slightly different terms. Lust can also manifest itself in a legal marriage, when the husband rightfully desires his wife. And this is not considered a sin; on the contrary, it is encouraged by the church, which considers such a connection necessary for the continuation of the human race. Fornication is an invariable deviation from the rules preached by religion. When talking about it, they often use the expression “sin of Sodom.” In Orthodoxy, this term refers to an unnatural attraction to persons of the same sex. It is often impossible to get rid of a vice without the help of experienced psychologists, and also due to the lack of a strong inner core within a person.

Anger

It would seem that this is the natural state of man... We get angry or indignant at various reasons, but the church condemns this. If you look at the 10 sins in Orthodoxy, this vice does not look like such a terrible offense. Moreover, the Bible even often uses such a concept as righteous anger - energy given by God aimed at solving problems. An example is the confrontation between Paul and Peter. The latter, by the way, gave the wrong example: the angry complaint of David, who heard from the prophet about injustice, and even the indignation of Jesus, who learned about the desecration of the temple. But please note: none of the mentioned episodes refers to self-defense; on the contrary, they all imply the protection of other people, society, religion, and principles.

Anger becomes a sin only when it has selfish motives. In this case, Divine goals are distorted. It is also condemned when it is prolonged, so-called chronic. Instead of generating indignation into energy, we begin to enjoy it, allowing anger to subjugate us. Of course, in this case the most important thing is forgotten - the goal that needs to be achieved with the help of anger. Instead, we focus on the person and the uncontrollable aggression towards him. To cope with it, you must in any case respond with good to any evil. This is the key to transforming anger into true love.

Laziness

More than one page is devoted to this vice in the Bible. Parables are filled with wisdom and warnings, saying that idleness can destroy any individual. There should be no place for idleness in the life of a believer, because it violates God’s purpose - good deeds. Laziness is a sin, because a non-working person is not able to provide for his family, support the weak, or help the poor. Instead, work is a tool with which you can get closer to God and cleanse your soul. The main thing is to work for the benefit not only of yourself, but of all people, society, the state and the church.

Laziness can turn a full-fledged personality into a limited animal. Lying on the couch and living at the expense of others, a person becomes an ulcer on the body, a creature sucking blood and vitality. To free yourself from laziness, you need to realize: without effort you are a weakling, a universal laughing stock, a creature of low rank, not a person. Of course, we are not talking about those people who, due to certain circumstances cannot work fully. This refers to vigorous, physically healthy individuals who have every opportunity to benefit society, but ignore them due to a morbid tendency to idleness.

Other terrible sins in Orthodoxy

They are divided into two large groups: vices that bring harm to one’s neighbor, and those that are directed against God. The first includes such atrocities as murder, beatings, slander, and humiliation. The Bible teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and also to forgive the guilty, honor our elders, protect our younger ones, and help those in need. Always keep promises on time, appreciate the work of others, raise children according to the canons of the Christian faith, protect plants and animals, do not judge for mistakes, forget about hypocrisy, slander, jealousy and ridicule.

Sins in Orthodoxy against God imply failure to fulfill the will of the Lord, ignoring the commandments, lack of gratitude, superstition, turning to magicians and fortune-tellers for help. Try not to pronounce the name of the Lord unless necessary, do not blaspheme or complain, learn not to sin. Read instead Holy Scripture, visit the temple, pray sincerely, get spiritually enriched and read everything