I see that the subject of the Seven Deadly Sins has been well and thoroughly thrashed again in the Saturday Herald; no less than in the editorial and by two columnists (one of whom seems to be a fan of Christopher Hitchens' atheist rantings, and who suggests we read Hitchens' God is Not Good).
Anyway, this got me thinking again..
What the Bishop said, as far as reinterpreting the Seven Deadly Sins for the modern age, was by-and-large for Catholics; to make them more aware of their faults and failings and try to get up attendance in Confession.
Why has the secular media jumped all over this with such intensity?
I have a theory here, and it's the old "shoot the messenger" theory. Basically, people don't like to be reminded of their failings or "sins" and they don't like being told they are wrong or to have to look inside and self-evaluate; there are things there that they'd rather not care to see. The problem with that is, we all have a God-given conscience, whether we use it or not. I think deep-down (maybe in the cockles of the heart, or maybe the sub-cockle area) most people know what is right and what is wrong.
In this day an age, though, there is this overriding thought that we should all be allowed to do whatever we want as long as it doesn't really "hurt anyone". If you're stealing from work the thinking is you can keep doing it as long as you don't get caught. If you're into lusting after the opposite sex and having one-night stands, well who is it hurting? We are all attached to our sins.
It's easier to point the finger at the Church and say, "yeh but the church did this", or "the church did that" instead of looking to our own failings. The members of the Church will be judged at the end of time just like everyone else; that doesn't make what the Church has to say any less valid as far as doing what is right by our fellow man.