In the old days in Rus', the favorite reading was always “The Philokalia”, “The Ladder” of St. John Climacus and other soul-helping books. Modern Orthodox Christians, unfortunately, rarely pick up these great books. It's a pity! After all, they contain answers to questions that are often asked in confession today: “Father, how not to get irritated?”, “Father, how to deal with despondency and laziness?”, “How to live in peace with loved ones?”, “Why?” Do we keep returning to the same sins? Every priest has to hear these and other questions. These questions are answered by theological science, which is called asceticism. She talks about what passions and sins are, how to fight them, how to find peace of mind, how to acquire love for God and neighbors.

The word “asceticism” immediately evokes associations with ancient ascetics, Egyptian hermits, and monasteries. And in general, ascetic experiences and the struggle with passions are considered by many to be a purely monastic matter: we, they say, are weak people, we live in the world, that’s just how we are... This, of course, is a deep misconception. Every Orthodox Christian, without exception, is called to daily struggle, war against passions and sinful habits. The Apostle Paul tells us about this: “Those who are Christ’s (that is, all Christians. – Auth.) crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). Just as soldiers take an oath and make a solemn promise - an oath - to defend the Fatherland and crush its enemies, so a Christian, as a warrior of Christ, in the sacrament of baptism swears allegiance to Christ and “renounces the devil and all his works,” that is, sin. This means there will be a battle with these fierce enemies of our salvation - fallen angels, passions and sins. A life-or-death battle, a difficult and daily, if not hourly, battle. Therefore, “we only dream of peace.”

I will take the liberty to say that asceticism can be called, in some way, Christian psychology. After all, the word “psychology” translated from Greek means “the science of the soul.” This is a science that studies the mechanisms of human behavior and thinking. Practical psychology helps a person cope with his bad tendencies, overcome depression, and learn to get along with himself and people. As we see, the objects of attention of asceticism and psychology are the same.

Saint Theophan the Recluse said that it was necessary to compile a textbook on Christian psychology, and he himself used psychological analogies in his instructions to questioners. The trouble is that psychology is not a single scientific discipline, such as physics, mathematics, chemistry or biology. There are many schools and areas that call themselves psychology. Psychology includes psychoanalysis by Freud and Jung, and newfangled movements like neurolinguistic programming (NLP). Some trends in psychology are completely unacceptable for Orthodox Christians. Therefore, we have to collect some knowledge bit by bit, separating the wheat from the chaff.

I will try, using some knowledge from practical, applied psychology, to rethink them in accordance with the teaching of the Holy Fathers on the fight against passions.

Before we start talking about the main passions and methods of dealing with them, let's ask ourselves the question: “Why do we fight our sins and passions?” Recently I heard one famous Orthodox theologian, a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy (I will not name him, because I respect him very much; he was my teacher, but in this case I fundamentally disagree with him) said: “Divine services, prayer, fasting is all, so to speak, scaffolding, supports for the construction of the building of salvation, but not the goal of salvation, not the meaning of Christian life. And the goal is to get rid of passions.” I cannot agree with this, since deliverance from passions is also not an end in itself, but the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov speaks about the true goal: “Acquire a peaceful spirit - and thousands around you will be saved.” That is, the goal of a Christian’s life is to acquire love for God and neighbors. The Lord Himself speaks of only two commandments, on which the entire law and prophets are based. This “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" And “love your neighbor as yourself”(Matt. 22:37, 39). Christ did not say that these were just two of the ten, twenty other commandments, but said that “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”(Matthew 22:40). These are the most important commandments, the fulfillment of which is the meaning and purpose of Christian life. And getting rid of passions is also only a means, like prayer, worship and fasting. If getting rid of passions were the goal of a Christian, then we would not be far from Buddhists, who also seek dispassion - nirvana.

It is impossible for a person to fulfill the two main commandments while passions dominate over him. A person subject to passions and sins loves himself and his passion. How can a vain, proud person love God and his neighbors? And the one who is in despondency, anger, serving the love of money? The questions are rhetorical.

Serving passions and sin does not allow a Christian to fulfill the most important, key commandment of the New Testament - the commandment of love.

Passions and suffering

From the Church Slavonic language the word “passion” is translated as “suffering.” Hence, for example, the word “passion-bearer,” that is, one who endures suffering and torment. And indeed, nothing torments people more: neither illnesses nor anything else, than their own passions, deep-rooted sins.

First, passions serve to satisfy the sinful needs of people, and then people themselves begin to serve them: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).

Of course, in every passion there is an element of sinful pleasure for a person, but, nevertheless, passions torment, torment and enslave the sinner.

The most striking examples of passionate addiction are alcoholism and drug addiction. The need for alcohol or drugs not only enslaves a person’s soul, but alcohol and drugs become a necessary component of his metabolism, part of the biochemical processes in his body. Addiction to alcohol or drugs is a spiritual-physical addiction. And it needs to be treated in two ways, that is, by treating both the soul and the body. But at the core is sin, passion. An alcoholic or drug addict's family falls apart, he is kicked out of work, he loses friends, but he sacrifices all this to passion. A person addicted to alcohol or drugs is ready to commit any crime to satisfy his passion. No wonder 90% of crimes are committed under the influence of alcohol and drugs. That's how strong the demon of drunkenness is!

Other passions can enslave the soul no less. But with alcoholism and drug addiction, the enslavement of the soul is further intensified by bodily dependence.

People who are far from the Church and from spiritual life often see only prohibitions in Christianity. They say they came up with some taboos and restrictions to make life more difficult for people. But in Orthodoxy there is nothing accidental or superfluous; everything is very harmonious and natural. The spiritual world, as well as the physical world, has its own laws, which, like the laws of nature, cannot be violated, otherwise it will lead to damage and even disaster. Some of these laws are expressed in commandments that protect us from harm. Commandments and moral instructions can be compared to signs warning of danger: “Caution, high voltage!”, “Don’t get involved, it will kill you!”, “Stop! Radiation contamination zone" and the like, or with inscriptions on containers with toxic liquids: "Poisonous", "Toxic" and so on. We, of course, are given freedom of choice, but if we do not pay attention to the alarming signs, then we will only have to take offense at ourselves. Sin is a violation of very subtle and strict laws of spiritual nature, and it causes harm, first of all, to the sinner himself. And in the case of passions, the harm from sin increases many times over, because sin becomes permanent and takes on the character of a chronic disease.

The word "passion" has two meanings.

Firstly, as the Monk John of the Climacus says, “passion is the name given to the very vice that has been embedded in the soul for a long time and through habit has become, as it were, a natural property of it, so that the soul already voluntarily and by itself strives towards it” (Ladder. 15: 75). That is, passion is already something more than sin, it is sinful dependence, slavery to a certain type of vice.

Secondly, the word “passion” is a name that unites a whole group of sins. For example, in the book “The Eight Main Passions with Their Divisions and Branches,” compiled by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), eight passions are listed, and after each there is a whole list of sins united by this passion. For example, anger: hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts, dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of his mind, incessant shouting, arguing, swear words, stress, pushing, murder, memory malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and resentment of one's neighbor .

Most holy fathers speak of eight passions:

1. gluttony,
2. fornication,
3. love of money,
4. anger,
5. sadness,
6. despondency,
7. vanity,
8. pride.

Some, speaking about passions, combine sadness and despondency. Actually, these are somewhat different passions, but we will talk about this below.

Sometimes the eight passions are called mortal sins . Passions have this name because they can (if they completely take over a person) disrupt spiritual life, deprive them of salvation and lead to eternal death. According to the holy fathers, behind every passion there is a certain demon, dependence on which makes a person captive to a certain vice. This teaching is rooted in the Gospel: “When the unclean spirit leaves a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and not finding it, he says: I will return to my house from whence I came, and when he comes, he finds it swept and tidied up; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and live there, and the last thing for that person is worse than the first” (Luke 11: 24-26).

Western theologians, for example Thomas Aquinas, usually write about the seven passions. In the West, in general, the number “seven” is given special significance.

Passions are a perversion of natural human properties and needs. In human nature there is a need for food and drink, a desire for procreation. Anger can be righteous (for example, towards enemies of faith and the Fatherland), or it can lead to murder. Thrift can degenerate into love of money. We mourn the loss of loved ones, but this should not develop into despair. Purposefulness and perseverance should not lead to pride.

One Western theologian gives a very successful example. He compares passion to a dog. It’s very good when a dog sits on a chain and guards our house, but it’s a disaster when he climbs his paws onto the table and devours our lunch.

Saint John Cassian the Roman says that the passions are divided into sincere, that is, coming from mental inclinations, for example: anger, despondency, pride, etc. They feed the soul. AND bodily: they originate in the body and nourish the body. But since a person is spiritual and physical, passions destroy both soul and body.

The same saint writes that the first six passions seem to arise from one another, and “the excess of the previous one gives rise to the next one.” For example, from excessive gluttony comes prodigal passion. From fornication - love of money, from love of money - anger, from anger - sadness, from sadness - despondency. And each of them is treated by expelling the previous one. For example, to overcome fornication, you need to bind gluttony. To overcome sadness, you need to suppress anger, etc.

Vanity and pride are especially important. But they are also interconnected. Vanity gives rise to pride, and you need to fight pride by defeating vanity. The Holy Fathers say that some passions are committed by the body, but they all originate in the soul, come out of the heart of a person, as the Gospel tells us: “From the heart of a person come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy - this defiles a person "(Matthew 15: 18–20). The worst thing is that passions do not disappear with the death of the body. And the body, as the instrument with which a person most often commits sin, dies and disappears. And the inability to satisfy one’s passions is what will torment and burn a person after death.

And the holy fathers say that there passions will torment a person much more than on earth - without sleep and rest they will burn like fire. And not only bodily passions will torment people, not finding satisfaction, like fornication or drunkenness, but also spiritual ones: pride, vanity, anger; after all, there will also be no opportunity to satisfy them. And the main thing is that a person will also not be able to fight passions; this is possible only on earth, because earthly life is given for repentance and correction.

Truly, whatever and whom a person served in earthly life, he will be with in eternity. If he serves his passions and the devil, he will remain with them. For example, for a drug addict, hell will be an endless, never-ending “withdrawal”; for an alcoholic, it will be an eternal hangover, etc. But if a person served God and was with Him on earth, he can hope that he will be with Him there too.

Earthly life is given to us as preparation for eternity, and here on earth we decide what O What’s more important for us is that O constitutes the meaning and joy of our life - the satisfaction of passions or life with God. Paradise is a place of God’s special presence, an eternal sense of God, and God does not force anyone there.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin gives one example - an analogy that allows us to understand this: “On the second day of Easter 1990, Bishop Alexander of Kostroma served the first service since the persecution in the Ipatiev Monastery. Until the last moment, it was unclear whether the service would take place - such was the resistance of the museum workers... When the Bishop entered the temple, the museum workers, led by the headmistress, stood in the vestibule with angry faces, some with tears in their eyes: “The priests are desecrating the temple of art...” During the cross As I walked, I held a cup of holy water. And suddenly the bishop says to me: “Let’s go to the museum, let’s go into their offices!” Let's go. The Bishop says loudly: “Christ is risen!” – and sprinkles the museum workers with holy water. In response - faces distorted with anger. Probably, in the same way, those who fight against God, having crossed the line of eternity, will themselves refuse to enter heaven - it will be unbearably bad for them there.”

Often using the word “sin” in his vocabulary, he does not always fully understand its interpretation. As a result, the term is used for other purposes, gradually losing its true content. Nowadays, sin is perceived as something forbidden, but at the same time attractive. Having committed it, people boast, proud of their act in the “bad boy” style, gaining popularity and a scandalous reputation with its help. Such individuals do not realize: in fact, even the slightest sins in Orthodoxy are something for which each of us will suffer heavy and eternal punishment after death.

What is sin?

Religion interprets it differently. It is usually believed that sins in Orthodoxy are states of the human soul that are diametrically opposed to morality and honor. By committing them, he goes against his true nature. The famous theologian John of Damascus, who lived in Syria in the 7th century, for example, wrote that sin is always a voluntary deviation from spiritual rules. That is, it is almost impossible to force a person to do something immoral. Yes, of course, he can be threatened with weapons or reprisals against his loved ones. But the Bible says that even in the face of real danger, he always has the right to choose. Sin is a wound that a believer inflicts on his own soul.

According to another theologian, Alexei Osipov, any offense is a consequence of the fall of mankind. However, unlike original wickedness, in the modern world we take full responsibility for our mistakes. Each individual is obliged to fight the craving for the forbidden, to overcome it by all means, the best of which, as Orthodoxy claims, is confession. The list of sins, their immoral content and retribution for what they have done - teachers are required to talk about this even in elementary grades during theology lessons, so that children from an early age understand the essence of this evil and know how to fight it. In addition to sincere confession, another way to atone for one’s own immorality is sincere repentance, prayer and a complete change in the way of life. The Church believes that without the help of priests it is not always possible to overcome sinfulness, therefore a person should regularly visit the temple and communicate with his spiritual mentor.

Deadly sins

These are the most serious human vices, which can only be redeemed through repentance. Moreover, this must be done exclusively from the heart: if an individual doubts that he will be able to live in accordance with the new spiritual rules, then it is better to postpone this process until the moment when the soul is completely ready. In another case, confession is considered evil, and lying can be punished even more. The Bible states that for mortal sins the soul is deprived of the opportunity to go to heaven. If they are very heavy and terrible, then the only place that “shines” for a person after death is hell with its pitch darkness, hot frying pans, seething fiery cauldrons and other devilish paraphernalia. If the offenses are isolated and accompanied by repentance, the soul goes to purgatory, where it gets a chance to cleanse itself and reunite with God.

How many especially serious offenses does religion provide for? It is known that when analyzing mortal sins, Orthodoxy always gives a different list. In various versions of the Gospel you can find a list of 7, 8 or 10 points. But traditionally it is believed that there are only seven of them:

1. Pride is contempt for one's neighbor. Leads to darkening of the mind and heart, denial of God and loss of love for him.
2. Greed or love of money. This is the desire to acquire wealth in any way, which gives rise to theft and cruelty.
3. Fornication is adultery itself or thoughts about it.
4. Envy is the desire for luxury. Leads to hypocrisy and humiliation of one's neighbor.
5. Gluttony. Shows excessive self-love.
6. Anger - thoughts of revenge, anger and aggression, which can lead to murder.
7. Laziness, which gives rise to despondency, sadness, sorrow and murmuring.

These are the main mortal sins. Orthodoxy never modifies the list, since it believes that there is no greater evil than the above-described vices. After all, they are the starting point for all other sins, including murder, assault, theft, and so on.

Pride

This is too high a person's self-esteem. He begins to consider himself the best and most worthy. It is clear that it is necessary to develop individuality, unusual abilities and genius talents. But placing one’s “I” on an unjustified pedestal of honor is real pride. Sin leads to an inadequate assessment of oneself and making other fatal mistakes in life.

It differs from ordinary pride in that a person begins to boast of his qualities before God himself. He develops the confidence that he himself is capable of achieving heights without the help of the Almighty, and his talents are not a gift from Heaven, but exclusively personal merit. The individual becomes arrogant, ungrateful, arrogant, inattentive to others.

In many religions, sin is considered the mother of all other vices. And indeed it is. A person affected by this spiritual illness begins to adore himself, which leads to laziness and gluttony. In addition, he despises everyone around him, which invariably leads him to anger and greed. Why does pride arise? Sin, Orthodoxy claims, becomes a consequence of improper upbringing and limited development. It is difficult to rid a person of vice. Usually higher powers give him a test in the form of poverty or physical injury, after which he either becomes even more evil and proud, or is completely cleansed of the wicked state of the soul.

Greed

The second most serious sin. Vanity is a product of greed and pride, their common fruit. Therefore, these two vices are the foundation on which a whole bunch of immoral character traits grow. As for greed, it manifests itself in the form of an indomitable desire to receive a lot of money. The people whom she touched with her icy hand stop spending their finances even on what is necessary, they accumulate wealth contrary to common sense. Apart from a way to earn money, such individuals do not think about anything else. It is from the seeds of greed that such vices of the human soul as greed, self-interest and envy sprout. They are the reason that the entire history of mankind is drenched in the blood of innocent victims.

In our time, greed continues to occupy a leading position in the sinful hierarchy. The popularity of loans, financial pyramids and business trainings confirms the sad fact that the meaning of life for many people is enrichment and luxury. Greed is going crazy for money. Like any other insanity, it is destructive to the individual: the individual spends the best years of his life not searching for himself, but on the endless accumulation and increase of capital. Often he decides to commit a crime: theft, fraud, corruption. To overcome greed, a person needs to understand that true happiness is within him, and it does not depend on material wealth. The counterbalance is generosity: give part of what you earn to those in need. This is the only way to cultivate the ability to share benefits with other people.

Envy

Considering the 7 deadly sins, Orthodoxy calls this vice one of the most terrible. Most of the crimes in the world are committed based on envy: people rob neighbors just because they are richer, kill acquaintances who are in power, plot against friends, angry at their popularity with the opposite sex... The list is endless. Even if envy does not become an impetus for misconduct, it will invariably provoke the destruction of a person’s personality. For example, an individual will drive himself into a premature grave, tormenting his soul with a distorted perception of reality and negative emotions.

Many people reassure themselves that their envy is white. They say that they appreciate the achievements of a loved one, which becomes an incentive for personal growth for them. But if you face the truth, no matter how you paint this vice, it will still be immoral. Black, white or multi-colored envy is a sin, because it involves your desire to conduct a financial inspection in someone else's pocket. And sometimes you take over something that doesn’t belong to you. To get rid of this unpleasant and spiritually devouring feeling, you need to realize: other people's benefits are always superfluous. You are a completely self-sufficient and strong person, so you can find your place in the sun.

Gluttony

The word is old and beautiful. It also directly points to the essence of the problem. Gluttony is serving one's body, worshiping earthly desires and passions. Just think how disgusting a person looks, in whose life the main place is occupied by the primitive instinct: satiation of the body. The words “belly” and “animal” are related and similar in sound. They originated from the Old Slavonic source code alive- "alive". Of course, in order to exist, an individual must eat. But we should remember: we eat to live, and not vice versa.

Gluttony, greed for food, satiety, eating large quantities of food - all this is gluttony. Most people do not take this sin seriously, believing that the love of goodies is their slight weakness. But one has only to look at it on a more global scale, how the vice becomes ominous: millions of people on Earth are dying of hunger, while someone, without shame or conscience, stuffs their belly to the point of nausea. Overcoming gluttony is often difficult. You will need iron willpower to strangle the baser instincts within yourself and limit yourself in food to the necessary minimum. Strict fasting and giving up your favorite delicacies help to cope with gluttony.

Fornication

Sins in Orthodoxy are the base desires of a weak-willed person. The manifestation of sexual activity, which is not carried out in a marriage blessed by the church, is considered fornication. This can also include infidelity, various kinds of intimate perversions and promiscuity. The most important thing is that this is only the physical shell of what is actually gnawing at the brain. After all, it is the gray matter, its imagination and the ability to fantasize that sends impulses that push a person to an immoral act. Therefore, in Orthodoxy, fornication is also considered viewing pornographic materials, listening to obscene jokes, obscene remarks and thoughts - in a word, everything from which bodily sin itself is born.

Many people often confuse fornication with lust, considering them to be the same concept. But these are slightly different terms. Lust can also manifest itself in a legal marriage, when the husband rightfully desires his wife. And this is not considered a sin; on the contrary, it is encouraged by the church, which considers such a connection necessary for the continuation of the human race. Fornication is an invariable deviation from the rules preached by religion. When talking about it, they often use the expression “sin of Sodom.” In Orthodoxy, this term refers to an unnatural attraction to persons of the same sex. It is often impossible to get rid of a vice without the help of experienced psychologists, and also due to the lack of a strong inner core within a person.

Anger

It would seem that this is the natural state of a person... We get angry or indignant for various reasons, but the church condemns this. If you look at the 10 sins in Orthodoxy, this vice does not look like such a terrible offense. Moreover, the Bible even often uses such a concept as righteous anger - energy given by God aimed at solving problems. An example is the confrontation between Paul and Peter. The latter, by the way, gave the wrong example: the angry complaint of David, who heard from the prophet about injustice, and even the indignation of Jesus, who learned about the desecration of the temple. But please note: none of the mentioned episodes refers to self-defense; on the contrary, they all imply the protection of other people, society, religion, and principles.

Anger becomes a sin only when it has selfish motives. In this case, Divine goals are distorted. It is also condemned when it is prolonged, so-called chronic. Instead of generating indignation into energy, we begin to enjoy it, allowing anger to subjugate us. Of course, in this case the most important thing is forgotten - the goal that needs to be achieved with the help of anger. Instead, we focus on the person and the uncontrollable aggression towards him. To cope with it, you must in any case respond with good to any evil. This is the key to transforming anger into true love.

Laziness

More than one page is devoted to this vice in the Bible. Parables are filled with wisdom and warnings, saying that idleness can destroy any individual. There should be no place for idleness in the life of a believer, because it violates God’s purpose - good deeds. Laziness is a sin, because a non-working person is not able to provide for his family, support the weak, or help the poor. Instead, work is a tool with which you can get closer to God and cleanse your soul. The main thing is to work for the benefit not only of yourself, but of all people, society, the state and the church.

Laziness can turn a full-fledged personality into a limited animal. Lying on the couch and living at the expense of others, a person becomes an ulcer on the body, a creature sucking blood and vitality. To free yourself from laziness, you need to realize: without effort you are a weakling, a universal laughing stock, a creature of low rank, not a person. Of course, we are not talking about those people who, due to certain circumstances, cannot work fully. This refers to vigorous, physically healthy individuals who have every opportunity to benefit society, but ignore them due to a morbid tendency to idleness.

Other terrible sins in Orthodoxy

They are divided into two large groups: vices that bring harm to one’s neighbor, and those that are directed against God. The first includes such atrocities as murder, beatings, slander, and humiliation. The Bible teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and also to forgive the guilty, honor our elders, protect our younger ones, and help those in need. Always keep promises on time, appreciate the work of others, raise children according to the canons of the Christian faith, protect plants and animals, do not judge for mistakes, forget about hypocrisy, slander, jealousy and ridicule.

Sins in Orthodoxy against God imply failure to fulfill the will of the Lord, ignoring the commandments, lack of gratitude, superstition, turning to magicians and fortune-tellers for help. Try not to pronounce the name of the Lord unless necessary, do not blaspheme or complain, learn not to sin. Instead, read the Holy Scriptures, go to temple, pray sincerely, get spiritually enriched and read everything

• priest P. Gumerov
• I. Ya. Grits

How is mortal sin different from ordinary sin?

The distinction between mortal and non-mortal sins is very conditional, for every sin, be it small or great, separates a person from God, the source of life, and the person who sinned inevitably dies, although not immediately after the fall. This is clear from the Bible, from the story of the fall of the ancestors of the human race, Adam and Eve. It was not a great sin (by today’s standards) to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, but through this sin both Eve and Adam died, and to this day everyone dies...

In addition, in the modern understanding, when they talk about “mortal” sin, they mean that a grave mortal sin kills a person’s soul in the sense that it becomes incapable of communion with God until it repents and leaves this sin. Such sins include murder, fornication, all inhuman cruelty, blasphemy, heresy, occultism and magic, etc.

But even insignificant, small “non-mortal” sins can kill the soul of a sinner, deprive it of communication with God, when a person does not repent of them, and they lie a great burden on the soul. For example, one grain of sand is not a burden to us, but if a whole bag of them accumulates, then this load will crush us.

What is a mortal sin?

What is a mortal sin and how does it differ from other “non-mortal” sins? If you are guilty of a mortal sin and sincerely repent of it in confession, will God forgive this sin through the priest or not? And I also want to know: those sins that you repented of with all your soul and heart in confession, and the priest forgave these sins, if you don’t commit them again, God will not judge you for them?

Priest Dionysius Tolstov answers:

When a person utters such a phrase as “mortal sin,” then immediately, according to the logic of thinking, one wants to ask the question: what is an unmortal sin? The division of sins into mortal and non-mortal is only a convention. In fact, any sin is mortal, any sin is the beginning of destruction. The saint lists eight deadly sins (see also below). But these eight sins are only a classification of all possible sins that a person can commit; these are like eight groups into which they are all divided. indicates that the cause of all sins and their source lies in three passions: selfishness, voluptuousness and love of money. But, however, these three vices do not cover the entire abyss of sins - these are only the initial conditions of sinfulness. It’s the same with those eight deadly sins – it’s a classification. Every sin must be healed by repentance. If a person has brought sincere repentance for his sins, then, of course, God will forgive him his confessed sins. This is precisely what confession is for. “Repent and believe the gospel,” says the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. A person will not be condemned for a repentant sin. “There is no unforgivable sin except unrepentant sin,” say the Holy Fathers. God, out of his inexpressible love for the human race, established the sacrament of confession. And when we begin the sacrament of repentance, we must firmly believe that God will forgive all our sins. The saint said: “Repentant fornicators are imputed with virgins.” This is the power of repentance!

Hieromonk Job (Gumerov):
“Just as illnesses can be ordinary and fatal, so sins can be less or more serious, that is, mortal... Mortal sins destroy a person’s love for God and make a person dead to perceive Divine grace. A serious sin traumatizes the soul so much that it is then very difficult for it to return to its normal state.
“The expression “mortal sin” has its basis in the words of St. Apostle John the Theologian (). The Greek text says pro fanon- a sin that leads to death. By death we mean spiritual death, which deprives a person of eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

priest Georgy Kochetkov
In the Old Testament, a number of crimes were punishable by death. This is where the concept of mortal sin arose, that is, an act the consequence of which is death. Moreover, no crime worthy of death can be forgiven or replaced by a ransom (), that is, a person cannot change his fate even by repentance. This approach arose from the conviction that a person can perform a number of actions only if he has long been out of touch with the Source of Life or, more precisely, draws inspiration from an alien source. In other words, if a person commits a mortal sin, it means that he has violated the Covenant and supports his life through the destruction of the surrounding world and people. Thus, a mortal sin is not just a crime, which, according to law, is punishable by death, but also a certain statement of the fact that the person who commits such an act is already internally dead and must be put to rest so that living members of the community do not suffer from it . Of course, from the point of view of secular humanism, such an approach is very cruel, but such a view of life and man is alien to biblical consciousness. We must not forget that in Old Testament times there was no other way to stop the spread of grave sin among the people of God than when the bearer of death was subjected to the death penalty.

saint:
“The mortal sins for a Christian are the following: heresy, schism, blasphemy, apostasy, sorcery, despair, suicide, fornication, adultery, unnatural fornication, incest, drunkenness, sacrilege, homicide, robbery, theft and any cruel, inhuman offense.
Only one of these sins cannot be healed, but each of them mortifies the soul and makes it incapable of eternal bliss until it cleanses itself with satisfactory repentance...
Let him who has fallen into mortal sin not fall into despair! Let him resort to the medicine of repentance, to which he is called until the last minute of his life by the Savior, who proclaimed in the Holy Gospel: he who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live (

In Christianity, many concepts that violate the great law of divine love are called sins. From them come other, less important passions that destroy the course of a person’s life. Deadly sins in Orthodoxy, the list of which is given below are considered the founders of suffering. They differ from those indicated in Catholicism in number - in fact, there are 8 of them, not 7, as is commonly believed. There are 7 mortal sins in Catholicism. Various Christian denominations in the West also adhere to this system. Modern Orthodoxy lists 8 deadly sins that harm the human soul the most. So what is mortal sin, and how can it harm a person’s soul? Here's what the modern church writes about it.

Why is sin considered mortal?

In fact, in the church there are only 2 sins that are fatal to the soul, which can be considered the most serious: suicide and a crime against church teaching, distortion of the truth and the word of God, heresy. If a person lays hands on himself, then, according to the canons, it is forbidden to pray for him in church, since he has directly challenged God, and he cannot have repentance. This sin is considered the most serious, if, of course, the fact of suicide is proven, and not its imitation. In some cases, the church forgives this sin if the person was under the influence of narcotic or psychotropic substances, or if someone committed a murder that simulates the fact that the person committed suicide. But this requires strong evidence.

The second sin that the church rarely forgives is the perversion of the teachings of Christ and the attempt to organize one’s own church in which a person publicly opposes the holy teaching. This sin can be corrected by repentance, if only you sincerely realize your guilt.

The remaining 8 deadly sins are considered serious, but not fatal for spiritual salvation, if you sincerely realize them and repent in confession. Here is what mortal sins are for the soul in Orthodoxy, a list.

What are these sins?

1. Gluttony, gluttony. If a person leads an earthly lifestyle, paying attention only to his own nature without caring for the soul, thinks about how to eat more, arrange an abundant material existence, and does not share with his neighbors the excess of what he does not need, this is gluttony.
2. Depraved acts. In the church, this is the name for any sexual relations outside of legal marriage between husband and wife.
3. Greed, self-interest.
4. Idleness, boredom and sadness. This is when a person is constantly bored.
5. Anger, anger, aggressive behavior.
6. Despondency when a person begins to give up.
7. Vanity, satiety with one's successes.
8. Arrogance.

The list of mortal sins in Orthodoxy can give rise to other passions, which ultimately inhibit the development of the soul and can significantly disrupt a person’s spiritual well-being. Therefore, you must definitely say them during confession in church and try not to repeat your sins again, so as not to suffer mentally and spiritually.

It is difficult to find a person who has not thought about such a concept as “sin” at least once in his life.. And, despite the fact that this term is on everyone’s lips, not everyone understands what it actually means. After all, very often the interpretation of this word is misinterpreted and used for other purposes than its intended purpose. Moreover, some individuals, having committed one or another offense that contradicts the scriptures of the Bible, are proud of it, since a bad action, and in our case it is a sin, allows one to gain “significance” among friends or create scandalous popularity around oneself.

But this is a temporary phenomenon, since even the most minor sin committed by a person requires atonement. And if it does not follow, the sinner, who did not realize his guilt and did not repent of his actions in time, will certainly suffer the appropriate punishment both during life and after death.

So what is sin

If you delve a little deeper into history, you can see that the term “sin” originates from ancient Greece and literally means “wrong action, some mistake or oversight”.

The Bible interprets the commission of sin as a departure from the true nature of man, completely contrary to his conscience and morals. By committing one or another bad offense, a person goes against not only his nature, but also the commandments of God, thereby causing irreparable damage to his soul.

What is a mortal sin

In Orthodoxy The most terrible atrocities, according to the writings of theologians, are mortal sins. Moreover, many people misunderstand this phrase, since “mortal” does not mean the physical death of a person. Mortal sin means the death of a person’s soul, which can only be healed after complete repentance and confession in church. Otherwise, the soul of a sinner after physical death goes not to Heaven, but to Hell.

Despite the fact that in Orthodox teaching there are only seven major mortal sins, they cannot be read about in the Bible or in direct revelations from God, since the list of terrible sins appeared in theology much later.

Mortal sins are called not because imminent death awaits a person after committing them, but because when systematically engaged in them, a person goes deeper and deeper and commits increasingly serious and irreversible actions that clearly lead to the destruction of spirituality, the destruction of the soul and alienation from God.

The worst sins according to the Bible

So, according to church teaching, the most terrible sins are the mortal sins, of which there are traditionally only seven. It is important to note that the Bible does not describe them, since the list of these acts was compiled a little later, and initially it included not seven, but many more mortal sins. Subsequently, in 590, the list was reduced by St. Gregory the Great to only seven main positions.

In Orthodoxy, the most terrible sins are human misdeeds, as a result of which a person consciously departs from God, while he does not experience remorse and repentance, and also loses his connection with the Almighty. As a result of this, the sinner embarks on the path of earthly joy, and his spiritual needs fade into the background - the soul gradually becomes callous and loses the ability, after the death of a person, to get to Paradise and be closer to God.

The only thing What can return such a person to the true path is sincere repentance and confession in church. This is the only way to atone for your wrongdoings.

The seven most terrible sins according to Orthodox teachings

So, in Orthodoxy there is a list of seven sins that are considered mortal for the soul of a sinner and entail its death and removal from God:

1. Perhaps the most terrible sin can be considered such as pride - excessively inflated self-esteem, vanity and arrogance, as well as an unshakable belief in one’s strength and superiority over God and other people. Of course, you need to develop your talents, and without self-confidence this cannot be done. However, extolling his own “I” to unprecedented heights, a person simply begins to unjustifiably overestimate himself, which subsequently leads him to the path of making numerous mistakes in life. All the talents that a person has, he received from God, and the manifestation of such a sin as pride makes the sinner forget about it and distance himself from the Almighty. As a result, the sinner begins to constantly think only about his beloved self and his imaginary or true achievements;
2. Such a mortal sin as greed is also terrible for any person. It manifests itself in an excessive desire to have a lot of material wealth: money, social status, expensive things, prestigious work, and the more, the better. A person who is consumed by greed eventually stops thinking about the spiritual; his only concern is the accumulation and increase of capital, even if he does not need it at all. In addition, greed can also manifest itself in such weaknesses as selfishness, greed and the constant need to acquire new material wealth. By multiplying what already exists and chasing profit, the sinner turns into a greedy, self-obsessed person with accumulated internal anger and discontent. The worst thing for a greedy person is the loss of finances and the loss of acquired wealth;
3. No less terrible human vice is envy. If a sinner is constantly upset about the well-being and achievements of other people, if he is nervous and depressed by other people's merits and successes, then he is simply envious of them. This state is manifested in the sinner’s clear awareness of injustice towards him and towards the one whom he greatly envies. And this only indicates that the sinner is dissatisfied with the order established by the Almighty. Angry at the successes of others, the envious person often begins to plot various intrigues against them, not disdaining methods - just to annoy them. This leads to inevitable destruction of the soul and negative emotions. It should be remembered that other people’s successes and well-being are from God, and by envying other people, the sinner exposes himself to inevitable punishment, and if he does not realize in time the wrongness of his behavior and attitude to the situation and does not repent before God, his soul will harden and move away from the Almighty. The worst thing this vice can lead to is the murder by a sinner of someone towards whom he has a feeling of envy;
4. Along with other mortal vices, such a sin as gluttony (gluttony) can be considered terrible - this is greed and excessive consumption of tasty food. Serving your body and saturating your body at the slightest desire is not at all perceived by many people as some kind of terrible vice. That is why millions of people around the world suffer from this vice. What it looks like: a sinner without a twinge of conscience constantly fills his belly to capacity with various dishes and spends a lot of money on them just to satisfy his needs, while a large percentage of the Earth's population is dying of hunger. You should always remember that food is a means to support life, and not a means to satisfy your base needs and fill your belly. Simply put, gluttony is slavery to your own stomach. And if a person is a slave to his body, it means that he is in opposition to God;
5. adultery or fornication is another mortal vice, which represents a dissolute and lustful life contrary to real feelings, devotion and fidelity. It can manifest itself in different ways: adultery, sexual activity before consolidation of the relationship by marriage, incest, frequent and chaotic change of sexual partners, voluptuous thoughts or indecent conversations. All these and many other similar human actions lead to adultery and push to immoral actions, even if they occur only in thoughts;
6. such a vice as anger is no less dangerous for the human soul, since hot temper, aggression, constant irritability, indignation, desire for revenge and rage can darken the mind of any person. This also includes the desire to shame, slander, offend, condemn and much more. All these negative feelings and emotions are caused by anger and can force a person to do drastic and rash actions that can lead to irreversible consequences. This vice is also terrible because anger causes the sinner to lose self-control, and this can result in the murder or beating of the person on whom the anger was directed. This vice must be fought with all our might, and the only key to this is a good response even to injustice and evil, as well as restraint and humility;
7. despondency or laziness is the last sin from the list of seven terrible mortal vices of a person. Reluctance to engage in good deeds, apathy, depression, lack of fear of the Almighty, carelessness, physical and mental weakening, despair and pessimism only contribute to the fact that a person simply does not want to overcome difficulties and move forward. Laziness and despondency pull a person to the bottom, turning him into a source of unfulfilled goals and desires, and thereby transform him from a personality into an amoeba. The soul, like the body, is constantly obliged to work.

All these terrible vices to which people are susceptible can be eradicated, and this requires constant work on oneself and one’s spiritual qualities. If a person is faced with a difficult life situation and for some reason has sinned, there is no need to panic and commit even more rash acts. You should understand yourself and the reasons that led to sin, and try on your own to take the path of correction.

If you can’t cope on your own, the best way to combat vices is through confession and repentance.

Classification of other terrible sins often committed by man

In addition to the fact that there are seven most terrible mortal vices, sins in Orthodoxy are also divided into two main groups:

1. which are aimed at harming themselves or others;
2. which are directed directly against God.

In the first case, mortal atrocities are considered such terrible acts as murder, humiliation of honor and dignity, assault, beatings, refusal to help those in need, failure to keep promises, hypocrisy, slander, ridicule, infidelity, etc. After all, God teaches that people should treat their neighbors the same way they treat themselves. God teaches forgiveness and humility. Therefore, you should never condemn other people, you should always forgive, not harbor evil and not engage in slander.

In the second case This refers to such vices as refusal to observe the commandments of God, deliberate distancing from the Almighty, belief in omens and superstition, turning to fortune-tellers and mediums, pronouncing the name of God in vanity and without urgent need, idolatry, disbelief in the existence of the Almighty and other similar sins . In order not to stray from the true path, you need to read the Bible, constantly pray and try to enrich yourself in the spiritual direction.

How to atone for your sins

Here we immediately need to make a reservation: a person cannot atone for committed sins on his own, since they are forgiven not by us, but by the redeemer, whose role can only be a priest. Only a redeemer is able to help completely rid a sinner of the burden of vice, and to do this, he must, of his own free will, agree to listen, confess and take upon himself the vices of others.

Thus, you can atone for your sinful actions through repentance and kind-hearted actions towards others. A person who does not experience pangs of conscience and repentance from a crime committed will never be able to get rid of past sins, and his soul will never go to Heaven. It should be remembered that the absence of a connection between the soul and the Almighty contributes to the death of the soul, its hardening. A person in such a state will never be able to experience earthly joys for a long time, and over time, mental anguish and torment will begin to oppress him.

For any person who has sinned, there is always a way to get out of the trap - you just have to give up such a terrible feeling as despair. Humility, repentance and confession with a clergyman is the path to complete spiritual healing and rapprochement with the Almighty.