Seven new sins??

The Pope has apparently identified 7 "new" sins according to reports from the Vatican. They are;

1.) genetic modifications
2.) human experimentation
3.) polluting the environment
4.) social injustice.
5.) causing poverty
6.) financial gluttony
7.) taking drugs.

So, I guess this means Pope Benedict knows better than God what is and isn't a sin? Maybe I'm wrong or I missed something here, but I thought God did a pretty good job of spelling out what is and isn't a sin in the Bible. I guess I'm wondering who died and made the pope God??

Let's look at these seven "new" sins one by one. Let's also keep in mind that none of these things are new. Genetic modifications. This has always been a sin because God knew how we are supposed to function and designed us accordingly. To tamper with or otherwise alter God's design is to assert that we know better than He does. This explanation also covers new sin number 2, human experimentation.

Number three is polluting the environment. God has always told us we are supposed to be good stewards of everything He has given us and that includes our planet and environment. To knowingly and purposely harm it is wrong. It is not a new sin though. If you ask Pope Benedict though, he will say that all of us Americans driving around in our evil, gas guzzling SUV's are sinning against the environment. All of our factories that produce the goods that drive our economy are committing sin because they allegedly produce pollutants. If he means that prosperity and progress and freedom are sins against political correctness, then he is right. Otherwise he's so far off base there's no finding his way back.

Now we come to social injustice. It's wrong for some people to prosper and have nicer things while others have next to nothing. So I guess the Pilgrims who came here seeking freedom and prosperity were the original sinners in this regard? This is what drives the American dream, working hard and being prosperous. Not government, or the church, deciding its not fair for some to have more than others. Proclaiming this a sin is a sin against common sense.

If causing poverty is a sin then Liberal Democrat politicians are the biggest sinners ever. Liberalism causes people to suffer because of higher taxes. It punishes those who succeed by taking their hard earned money and redistributing it those who didn't lift a finger to earn it. Liberalism chokes the life out of the economy. It creates a dependency class and causes it to thrive by telling its members that they cant succeed without the "help" of a government that purposely keeps them down trodden in order to retain its power.

I guess Bill Gates and Warren Buffet will rot in Hell if financial gluttony is a sin. I guess this means there are no rich Catholics. The Bible does not say that money is the root of all evil. It doesn't even say that having a lot of money is wrong. "I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly." John 10:10. Those are the words of Jesus. He was not talking exclusively about money in this passage, but it certainly applies. If being prosperous, dare I say even blessed by God is a sin, then God must be the chief of sinners in the warped mind of the Pope.

It is true that taking drugs is wrong, but it certainly is not a new sin. The Bible tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are supposed to respect it as such. To knowingly take illegal drugs has always been a sin. There is however, nothing at all wrong with taking drugs prescribed by a doctor. Perhaps the Pope needs to clarify his stance on this a bit.

The Pope's new decree seriously calls his credibility into question. The decree itself is an egregious sin against common sense, logic, and even scripture itself. Not only that, but the Pope is taking some things right out of the left-wing environmental wacko liberal Democrat talking points and trying to put the force religious law behind them. That is the biggest sin that has been committed here. Somehow I don't think we'll be seeing him in confession anytime soon though. If Catholicism wasn't already already discredited, this should just about do it.

Jim Chitty