The Seven Deadly Sins

Another post written to "the list" (Emerging Universalist) on 3/22/07

This "theory" explains so much for me...Why Jesus said if you have hated your brother you are as guilty as if you committed murder....and if you lust after a woman you are guilty of adultery. He knew it was all birthed in a heart of envy and covetousness. So many thoughts and questions were flying though my mind today. Like....what about Paul, where he talks about the Law...and coveting....
What, then, shall we say? Is the law sin? Far be it! On the contrary, I had not discovered, sin, save through law, for even, of coveting, I had not been aware if, the law, had not kept on saying - Thou shall not covet Emphasized Bible

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have known sin. I should not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." NRSV
Which fits well with Girard's belief that the scriptures are a progressive revelation of mimesis and it's resulting rivalry and discord and eventual scapegoating and sacrifice. In this article he mentions how some cultures intuitively make laws/taboos etc to limit mimetic violence. They do not necessarily do this knowingly....just as the scapegoat thing is not a conscious thing. Once it becomes a conscious thing, then it no longer works to siphon off some of the misplaced, repressed anger brought on by all the discord which seems to begin with the desire to possess what our neighbor has (be it his oxen or his wife or his big new surround sound home theater). He mentions how in some cultures they have killed off twins...or one twin (which might have its origins in the fact that the closer we are in status and similarity to another, the greater chance of violent mimesis. How much closer can you get than a twin?

I ran across the Seven Deadly Sins today. Perhaps almost an intuitive attempt by some early church fathers to limit the effects of violence. They all have their basis in envy, desiring what our neighbor has and coveting. Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth (which can encompass not just laziness but also apathy....which could be the defeated response of someone who realized they will never possess what they are coveting), Wrath, Envy and Pride. I see ALL of these in the mimetic cycle that Girard is known for "discovering". There was commentary in this article about the seven sins and a few quotes from Dante (I know what a source....but I thought they hit the nail on the head)

About envy he said it was "love of one's own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs"

And about Pride: Dante's definition was "love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor.

As a side note his comments about wrath which I thought were kind of interesting because it is Dante that is the source for many people's opinions about hell and what it is like....isn't he?? His comment concerning wrath "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite".

cindi