Friday, April 4, 2008

New sins for Roman Catholics challenge social issues

The entire world was rocked off its axis three weeks ago when the Catholic Church announced a list of seven new sins.

OK, so maybe the world wasn't actually moved from the invisible line that keeps it upright, and maybe most University students didn't even blink at the announcement.

But the sins themselves have some rather interesting social repercussions and could signal a change in the direction of the Catholic Church and religion in the United States in general.

The new sins officially rolled out March 10 in the Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, by Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti, who is the head of the bureau in charge of sin and penance.

In the article, Girotti stated what he thought were the new sins for modern Catholics. Girotti started by expanding the definition of what Catholics considered sin and added in several new ones.

"You offend God not only by stealing, taking the Lord's name in vain or coveting your neighbor's wife but also by wrecking the environment, carrying out morally debatable experiments that manipulate DNA or harm embryos," Girotti said.

The sins, meant to accompany the original seven deadly sins issued in the 6th Century by Pope Gregory the Great, include bioethical violations, morally dubious experiments, drug abuse, pollution and social issues such as the expansion of the wealth gap and the creation of poverty.

Catholics stratify their sins between mortal and venial sins. Venial sins are minor sins, which on their own, do not condemn one's soul to eternal damnation. Mortal sins, including the seven newly-minted sins, are serious business and can keep one from entering heaven without proper repentance.

The first few sins are just official codification of previously held beliefs.

For example, abortion and the use of birth control - forbidden in the Humanae Vitae but never officially made a sin - can be easily filed under "Bioethical Violations" and stem cell research or human cloning would undoubtedly be a case of morally dubious experiments.

These sins are not surprising.

Other sins, such as drug abuse and pollution, are sins that bring the Church up to date on hot button issues. These two issues have only been big issues for the past 30 years, so these sins aren't that surprising either.

The sins that are surprising are the ones concerning issues that are social in nature - namely the Church's crusade against poverty.

The fight against poverty is not a strange concept to Catholics. Mission work into impoverished areas of the world has been a mainstay of the church for several years now.

Furthermore, the Catholic Church has always taken a stance against excessive wealth. Most clergy are required to take a vow of poverty upon entering religious life and are restricted from holding certain earthly possessions. While the clergy may not hold steadfast to this vow, they are still required to make it.

Outside of the clergy, however, no formal law regarding poverty or excessive wealth had been put into place by the Catholic Church, which raises the question: Why these laws, and why now?

These sins, mostly social in nature, may represent an attempt by the Catholic Church to regain some its flock.

A 2008 Pew National study indicates the percentage of Americans self-identifying as Catholic is down drastically. While one of three Americans surveyed was born into the Catholic faith, only one of four Americans currently self-identifies as Catholic.

The Catholic Church isn't losing ground to any faith in particular, either. The same Pew National study also found the group with the largest increase in population were those Americans self-identifying as unaffiliated. The religious landscape in the U.S. is more dynamic than ever, and with numbers decreasing rapidly, the Church may see these new sins as a way to attract some of those undecided congregants into their flock.

By preaching against excessive wealth and income disparity, the Church also takes a shot at the growing evangelical Christian population. The Evangelical doctrine of prosperity theology that preaches wealth as a reward for doing God's work stands in stark contrast to the Catholic Church's new social sins.

That's not to say that evangelical Protestants are against mission work. It's quite the contrary; evangelical churches spend a great deal of time and effort ministering in foreign nations.

But the doctrine of wealth through the work of God sends a message that is antithetical to the recent expansion of Catholic dogma.

Protestants aren't without their own new sins, however. Shortly after the Catholic Church's announcement of new sins, the Southern Baptists Convention issued their own statement on the perils of environmental destruction.

It seems everyone is taking a stand on social issues these days, and while the message they deliver can be debated, the fact that organized religion is paying attention to social issues will certainly bring them more coverage - and hopefully some progress, too.


Originally published in The Daily Reveille...

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