More Sins?

That's right.

On Sunday, the Vatican updated its 1,500 year old list of the seven deadly sins, though I do not know how official they are (as far as I know, Pope Benedict has in no way given his sanction to it).

The list differs slightly depending on the source, but here it is:

1. Genetic Modification
   
2. Experiments on Humans
   
3. Drug abuse/Taking Drugs
   
4. Polluting the environment
5. Contributing to widening the divide between rich and poor/Social Injustice
   
6. Excessive/Obscene wealth
7. Creating poverty

Of course, being secular, I disgree with the first two new sins, and I think many will agree that the Church itself is guilty of #6 (why wealth itself should be a sin boggles the mind, unless it is indicative of another sin).

I'm no hippie, but I do my best to protect the environment (I take reusable bags with me when I go grocery shopping, and I use energy efficient light bulbs), so I think #4 is perhaps the best one there.

#3 reads "Drug Abuse," though another list simply said "Taking Drugs." I think it's pretty safe to say that the latter was intended. Otherwise, about 99% of the population of the industrialized world, including most of the Catholic Church, are condemned to hell.

I read one funny comment on a message board somewhere: (paraphrase) "Why didn't God mention any of these the first time around? Oh wait, the list is written by a bunch of celibate weirdos. "

I'm no fan of the Catholic Church, but at the very least, I applaud the impetus behind this new list. This is a step in the right direction, and demonstrates that there are at least some in the outdated Church who wish to address the needs of a changing world.