"The 'seven deadly sins' are pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth."

--Medieval Theologians

Is this generation guilty of the seven deadly sins, as catalogued by medieval theologians?

YES, WE ARE GUILTY! And this consensus of opinion comes from groups as diverse as ecologists, historians and theologians!

According to Richard Pollay, historian at University of British Columbia, the values behind modern advertising look much like the seven deadly sins.

States Pollay, "But the other side of the coin is almost absent. Ads don't encourage compassion, selflessness and the values that build a strong community"!

The business community has for many years succumbed to the "dog eat dog" value system, in aggressive and often unethical competition among its members. And we've known for a long time, that advertising agencies exploit everything available, in their quest for business.

ADVERTISING AGENCIES EXPLOIT EVERYTHING!

Like sex, for example. Scantily dressed, sensual females, selling anything from holiday packages to automobiles, to a night out at the cabaret!

And a ruggedly handsome cowboy promoting "cancer-causing" cigarettes, or an elegantly dressed, jet-setting young couple, standing beside a deluxe car in the driveway of a super expensive home...promoting vodka!

Recently (Dec. 1998), Alberta’s Telus (phone company) came out with a Christmas television commercial with 3 wise men bringing gifts, supposedly to the Christ-Child (He was not shown). Their gifts consisted of gold, frankincense & a mobile telephone from Telus. After a lot of callers objected, the ad was pulled!

When contacted by the TV media, I voiced my opposition declaring, “Nothing is sacred or holy anymore! Nothing is off limits to the materialistic, secular humanistic MINDSET! It shows a terrible lack of sensitivity and reverence for God & the Bible!

“This is but another calculated move by an unthinking, secular & materialistic advertising agency to utilize a part of the Christmas Story to further the economic goals of the TELUS Corporation. We do not agree with that concept. They have crossed over the line of decency and good taste! This practice must stop! We won’t put up with it!”

Now, an advertising historian is saying the same thing. Our advertising value-system is seriously flawed! And that's upsetting, when you consider the thousands of ads we are all subjected to through radio, television, billboards and printed materials!

IT'S NO WONDER THAT A LOT OF CHILDREN ARE GREEDY, SELFISH, ENVIOUS! They want everything they see, and have a problem sharing what they have with others!

The same could be said about many adults who have become narcissistic and hedonistic in their approach to life. This corrupted value system helped spawn the Me Generation, 'if it feels good, do it' attitude and the present YUPPIE and DINKS mentality!

BUT THAT'S ALL CHANGING NOW!

The Asian economic recession has taken a big bite out of the economic pie and a lot of people are frustrated and let down!

And the news about the depletion of the ozone layer causing enormous increases in skin cancer, possible global warming, a deteriorating eco-system and the stampeding HIV and AIDS endemic, is causing a lot of people to rethink their philosophy of life.

Unfortunately, large numbers are rudderless without any proper spiritual and moral grounding in God's Word, the Bible...so become fair game for the deceptive occultic and pagan teachings of the New Age Movement and other cults!

Several years ago Newsweek named the guilty nations which are adding to the destruction of our planet. They presented their own list of the "seven deadly sins" in an attack on polluters!

Newsweek's special report titled, Earth at the Summit details the three important items on the table at Earth Summit '92, in Rio de Janeiro:

1) Global Warming: A treaty intended to curb emissions of "greenhouse gases" - principally carbon dioxide - but without specific target or timetables.

2) Agenda 21: A plan for the industrial nations to help poor countries develop their economies without ruining their environments - or the planet's. Estimated cost: US $125 billion per year.

3) Biodiversity: A treaty to slow the loss of endangered species. One approach, give countries royalties for products (such as drugs) that are developed from indigenous plants and animals.

ECOLOGIST'S SEVEN DEADLY SINS LIST!

The Newsweek report stated, "Adam was supposed to be the first environmentalist - the caretaker in Paradise, even a vegetarian. His fall doomed us to repeat his sins, time and again despoiling the garden, and casting ourselves into a more imperfect world".

Here are their SEVEN DEADLY SINS: despair, gluttony, temptation, hubris, neglect, envy and hatred.

1) Despair: For the poor in the large city ghettoes of Third World nations like Brazil, the only real concern is getting enough to eat, staying alive and using whatever means to do it!

With open sewers and inadequate clean water supply, speaking to them about pollution control and global warming, is totally irrelevant. They are filled with worry and despair!

2) Gluttony: Americans have an insatiable desire for raw materials. They can consume anything. The European immigrants cut down all but 5% of their forests, since arriving in the New World. Ecologists are blaming the rich Americans for consuming more than necessary, further polluting the planet!

3) Temptation: Polluters cannot resist the temptation to dump raw sewage in the rivers, lakes and streams of the world. The greatest offenders are nations like Mexico and US companies which have moved their operations there, to take advantage of lax pollution laws.

4) Hubris: (insolence or arrogance caused by inordinate pride; exaggerated self-confidence)

For years the Soviet Union tried to play God with nature. In 1960, it diverted two rivers that fed the Aral Sea in order to irrigate the arid lands of Central Asia. The chickens have come home to roost and the water level in the Aral is down two-thirds, leaving boats and towns stranded and drifting salt storms.

5) Neglect: The pollution caused by decades of communistic rule in the East-Bloc nations - with their disregard for human life - has severely retarded these nations, affecting the health of millions. Unsafe nuclear plants - like Chernobyl - and the virtually unchecked dumping of raw, hazardous wastes into waterways like the Elbe River has turned them into "sewers of death"!

6) Envy: In her rush to catch up to the west economically, China has thrown caution to the wind and also endangered the population with deadly gases from hundreds of factories. In Benxi - the world's most polluted city - 200 factories spew out more than 87 million cubic meters of gases each year. And Beijing is so smoggy that at times it vanishes from satellite photos!

7) Hatred: When Saddam Hussein - Iraq's cruel despot - retreated from Kuwait - he deliberately ordered the destruction of 700 oil wells. Black smoke hung over that nation for nearly one year, polluting the entire region, until the fires were put out!

He also released millions of gallons of oil into the gulf waters, polluting, killing and destroying marine life, birds and insects, endangering the underground water supply and causing respiratory diseases in humans!

The damage of his terrorism will last for years to come and the cost of the clean-up could total $20 billion, says Ibrahim Hadi, president of Kuwait's Environmental Protection Agency!

GOD HAS THE FINAL WORD!

The Bible has a lot to say about sin. Jesus was outspoken on the subject. He used the word "leaven" as an analogy of sin, which rises and expands like leaven. He also paralleled it with tares or weeds in a field, that seek to choke out the good grain.

PRIDE, which makes one feel superior to others is totally wrong. This sin was Lucifer’s downfall! The Bible says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”. (Prov. 15:8)

GREED has caused more wars and created more gangsters and promoted more theft than any other sin.

The Bible says, “Thou shalt not COVET...” (Ex. 20:17) “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” (1 Tim. 6:10-11)

LUST is the desire for something not lawfully yours. A sensual desire for the forbidden fruit! It includes an inordinate desire for power, control, sex, substance abuse or wealth. Lust always brings spiritual death, in the end!

The Bible says, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15)

ANGER or HATRED causes high blood pressure, ulcers, violent confrontation and even murder!

Jesus said, “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” (1 John 2:11; 3:15; 4:20-21)

GLUTTONY is an over indulgence in eating. A phobia or inordinate desire to eat food, even when one is not hungry. A good rule is: Eat to live, not live to eat! A day of fasting & prayer each week does wonders for us - spiritually & physically!

Let’s use the extra money we save through fasting to give to the poor & needy and to support the poor and the orphaned!

ENVY will also cause the blood pressure to rise and the demons of jealousy and pride to fabricate lies and even fantasies in a person, given over to this wicked sin!

The Bible says, “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Rom. 13:13-14)

SLOTH goes hand in hand with laziness and poverty. St. Paul stated, "Be not slothful in business". (Rom. 12:11) “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb. 6:10-12)

LET’S REMEMBER THAT GOD KEEPS THE BOOKS AND HAS
THE FINAL SAY IN EVERYTHING!

There is only one way to be freed from these ‘seven deadly sins’ and that is through the process of the New Birth. Only faith in Jesus Christ's death for us on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead, brings us into a vital contact with His saving blood!