Back in the 1200s, the Catholic philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas listed "Seven Deadly Sins"—severe, spiritually deadening stains on our character. These were: greed, sloth (or laziness), gluttony, envy, anger, pride and lust.

Today, according to a BBC poll reported in Parade Magazine, March 20, 2005, Brits no longer consider these to be deadly black marks against our character. Oh, greed is still bad, they agree. But the other six "worst sins" have been replaced with cruelty, adultery, selfishness, bigotry, dishonesty and hypocrisy, according to the majority of those polled.

So who's right? What are the worst sins? Have they changed? Who decides? Actually, different societies over the years have viewed different "sins"—well, differently. The question we really ought to ask is, "What does God (not society) say about sin?" God is the one who decides right and wrong, good and evil, sin and righteousness.

To hear what He has to say, we have to read His book, the Bible. And for a discussion of the "Big 10" from God's view, read our booklet The Ten Commandments. It's free, and you can request it at our Web site (www.gnmagazine.org/booklets).