Mortal sins in Orthodoxy are serious crimes in the face of the Lord. Redemption is achieved only through sincere repentance. A person who commits unpalatable deeds blocks the path to heavenly abode for his own soul.
Constantly repeating mortal sins lead a person to death and casting into the chambers of hell. Criminal acts find their first echoes in the ancient texts of theologians.
Characteristics of mortal sins
In the spiritual, as well as in the material world, there are laws, the violation of which leads to minor destruction or colossal catastrophes. Most of moral principles contained in the main commandments Christian religion. They have the power to protect the believer from harm.
If a person pays attention to the warning signs in the material world, he acts intelligently, ensuring a safe path to his true home. The criminal, reveling in mortal passions, dooms himself to long illness with dire consequences.
According to the holy fathers of the Church, behind each special passion there is a certain fiend of the underworld (demon). This unclean makes the soul dependent on a certain type of sin, making it a captive.
Passions are a perversion of the pure nature of human qualities. Sin is a distortion of all that is best in the original state. It can grow one from the other: from gluttony comes lust, and from it the thirst for money and anger.
Victory over them lies in binding each passion separately.
Orthodoxy claims that unconquered sins do not disappear anywhere after death. They continue to torment the soul after it has naturally left the body. In the Underworld, according to the clergy, sins torment much more severely, not allowing rest and time to sleep. There they will constantly torment thin body, and will not be able to be satisfied.
However, Paradise is considered a special place of the presence of Holy Knowledge, and God does not seek to forcibly rid a person of passions. He is always waiting for someone who has managed to overcome the attraction to crimes against body and spirit.
Important! The only one Orthodox sin, which is not forgiven by the Creator, is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. No one will provide support to the apostate, because he personally refuses it.
List of sins for confession
The theological science that answers questions about sins is called asceticism. She gives a definition of criminal passions and ways to get rid of them, and also tells how to find love for God and neighbor.
Asceticism is similar to social psychology, since the first teaches how to overcome mortal sins, and the second helps to cope with bad tendencies in society and overcome apathy. The goals of the sciences are actually no different. The main task of the entire Christian religion is the ability to love God and one’s neighbor, and renunciation of passions is a means of achieving the truth.
The believer will not achieve it if he is subject to sin. The person who commits a crime sees only his own self and his own passion.
The Orthodox Church defines eight main types of passions, below is a list of them:
- Gluttony, or gluttony, is excessive consumption of food, degrading human dignity. IN Catholic tradition This also includes debauchery.
- Fornication, which brings into the soul lustful sensations, unclean thoughts and satisfaction from them.
- The love of money, or self-interest, is a passion for profit that leads a person to dulling of mind and faith.
- Anger is a passion that is directed against perceived injustice. In Christianity, this sin is a strong impulse against one's neighbor.
- Sadness (longing) is a passion that cuts off all hopes of finding God, as well as ingratitude for previous and present gifts.
- Dejection is a psychological state in which a person relaxes and begins to feel sorry for himself. Melancholy is a mortal sin in Orthodoxy because it depressive state accompanied by laziness.
- Vanity is a passionate desire to gain fame among people.
- Pride is a sin, the function of which is to belittle one’s neighbor and impudently put oneself at the center of the whole world.
How to deal with sins
The phrase “seven deadly sins” in Orthodoxy does not demonstrate a certain number of crimes, but only numerically indicates their conditional division into seven fundamental groups.
However, the church sometimes talks about eight sins. If we consider this issue in more detail, the list can be increased to ten to twenty.
Important! The daily struggle with sins is the most important task of every Orthodox person, and not just a monk. Soldiers take an oath to defend the fatherland, while Christians promise to renounce diabolical deeds (crimes).
After committing original sin, that is, disobedience to the Will of the Lord, humanity doomed itself to a long stay in the bonds of intractable passions. Let's look at them in order.
Confession of sins
Pride
This is the first sin and the most terrible sin in Orthodoxy, which was known even before the creation of mankind. He despises his neighbor, darkens the mind and makes his own “I” the most important. Pride inflates self-esteem and distorts the rational vision of the environment. To defeat the sin of Satan, you must learn to love the Creator and every creature. This will require great effort at first, but gradual purification of the heart will soften the mind towards the entire environment.
Gluttony
The need for drink and food is natural; any food is a gift from Heaven. By taking it, we gain strength and enjoy it. The line separating measure from excess is located within the soul of the believer. Everyone needs to be able to live both in poverty and in abundance, without taking more than they should.
Important! The sin is not in the food itself, but in the unfair and greedy attitude towards it.
Gluttony is divided into two types. The first includes the desire to fill the stomach with a colossal amount of food, the second is the desire to delight the language receptors delicious dishes without knowing the measure. Sated bellies do not allow their owners to think about the sublime and spiritual.
Gluttony reduces the quality of prayer and leads to desecration of body and spirit.
The demon of gluttony can only be overcome by prayer and fasting, which serves as a colossal educational tool. The one who is able to develop the skill of spiritual and physical abstinence, as well as strict adherence to church precepts, becomes blessed.
About spiritual life:
Fornication
The Holy Scriptures call sexual relations outside of marriage a grave sin. The Lord blessed only marital intimacy, where husband and wife become one flesh. An action blessed in marriage will be a crime if it goes beyond moral boundaries.
Fornication allows bodies to unite, but in lawlessness and injustice. Each such carnal relationship leaves deep wounds on the heart of the believer.
Important! Only divine marriage creates correct spiritual intimacy, spiritual unity, true love and a trusting attitude.
Disorderly fornication does not achieve this and destroys the moral foundation. Adulterous people steal from themselves in an attempt to gain joy through dishonest means.
To get rid of passion, it is necessary to reduce sources of temptation to a minimum and not become attached to objects that irritate your attention.
Love of money
This is an indescribable love for finance and material acquisitions. Society today has created a cult of consumption. This way of thinking takes a person away from spiritual self-improvement.
Wealth is not a vice, but a greedy attitude towards property gives rise to the passion of love of money.
To get rid of sinfulness, a person needs to soften his own heart and remember that things are harder for those around you. The Lord, the Ruler of the Universe, will never leave a merciful and generous believer in trouble.
Happiness does not depend on financial wealth, but is achieved through softening your own heart.
Anger
This passion is the cause of most conflicts, killing love, friendship and human sympathy. In anger, a distorted image of the person with whom we are angry appears before the person.
The manifestation of passion, which often arises from pride and envy, traumatizes the soul and entails huge troubles.
You can get rid of it by reading scriptures. Work and humor also distract from the effects of an angry mindset.
Sadness
It has many synonyms: melancholy, depression, melancholy, grief. It can lead to suicide if emotions take precedence over common sense.
Prolonged sadness begins to take over the soul and lead to destruction. This sin deepens the understanding of the present, making it harder than it actually is.
To overcome unpleasant depression, a person must turn to the Almighty for help and gain a taste for life.
Dejection
This passion is associated with bodily relaxation and laziness. She distracts from day job and prayers. In despondency, everything seems uninteresting and there is a desire to quit it. Everyone should understand: you cannot succeed in business if you are bored.
For the struggle, the cultivation of one’s own will is suitable, which will overcome all laziness. Every important matter, especially in honor of the environment, requires detailed coercion from the individual.
Vanity
Passion is the desire for vain glory, which does not provide any advantages or riches. Any honor is short-lived in the material world, so the desire for it distracts from truly correct thinking.
Vanity happens:
- hidden, dwells in the hearts of ordinary people;
- exposed, stimulates the acquisition of the highest positions.
To share the desire for empty glory, one should learn the opposite - humility. It is necessary to calmly listen to the criticism of others and agree with obvious thoughts.
Deliverance through repentance
Sins greatly interfere with the conduct quiet life, however, a person is in no hurry to get rid of them, as he is constrained by the force of habit.
The believer understands the inconvenience of his situation, but does not generate a desire to correct the current circumstances.
- To begin the process of cleansing from sinfulness, it is necessary to rebel against the passion itself, to hate and expel it by willpower. Man is obligated to take up the fight and place his own soul at the disposal of Almighty God.
- Those who begin to resist find salvation in repentance - the only way to overcome any passion. Without this, there is no way to prevail over sinful aspirations.
- The priest has the legal authority to relieve psychological criminal addictions if the person has sincerely confessed to him.
- A Christian who has followed the path of purification is obliged to destroy his sinful past and never return to it.
- The Lord knows about our passions and gives us freedom to enjoy them and drink the bitter cup. God expects from a person a sincere confession of his misdeeds, then the soul becomes closer to the heavenly abode.
- The path of deliverance is often accompanied by shame and difficulty. A believer is obligated to pull out sinful tendencies like weeds.
- Spiritually sick people do not see their deadly passions, so they remain ignorant. You can only examine your own moral weaknesses by approaching the source of true light, that is, God. The struggle with sinful thoughts is difficult and lengthy, but he who finds peace in serving the Lord ceases to be a slave to passions. Spiritual work forces the believer to overcome and cleanse himself from vanity, which only destroys and does not give anything in return.
Watch a video about the eight deadly sins
Sin translated from Greek means “missing, missing the target.” But a person has one goal - the path to spiritual growth and insight, to higher spiritual values, the desire for God's perfection. What is sin in Orthodoxy? We are all sinners, we already appear like that to the world, only because our forefathers were sinners, accepting the sin of our relatives, we add our own and pass them on to our descendants. It is difficult to live a day without sin; we are all weak creatures, with our thoughts, words, and actions we move away from God’s essence.
What is sin in general, which of them are stronger, which are forgiven and which are considered mortal sins?
« Sin is a voluntary deviation from what is in accordance with nature into what is unnatural (against nature)"(John of Damascus).
Everything that is a deviation from is a sin.
Seven deadly sins in Orthodoxy
In general, there is no strict hierarchy of sins in Orthodoxy; it is impossible to say which sin is worse, which is simpler, which is at the beginning of the list, which is at the end. Only the most basic ones, often inherent in all of us, are highlighted.
- Anger, anger, revenge. This group includes actions that, as opposed to love, bring destruction.
- Lust b, debauchery, fornication. This category includes actions that lead to an excessive desire for pleasure.
- Laziness, idleness, despondency. This includes a reluctance to do both spiritual and physical work.
- Pride, vanity, arrogance. Unbelief in the divine is considered arrogance, boasting, excessive self-confidence, which turns into boasting.
- Envy, jealousy. This group includes dissatisfaction with what they have, confidence in the injustice of the world, desire for someone else's status, property, and qualities.
- Gluttony, gluttony. The need to consume more than necessary is also considered a passion. We are all mired in this sin. Fasting is a great salvation!
- Love of money, greed, greed, stinginess. Doesn't mean it's bad to strive for material benefits, it is important that the material does not overshadow the spiritual...
As we see from the diagram, (click on the picture to enlarge) all feelings that we show in excess are sin. And there is never too much love for your neighbor and your enemy, and only kindness, light and warmth. It is difficult to say which of all sins is the most terrible; it all depends on the circumstances.
The worst sin in Orthodoxy is suicide
Orthodoxy is strict for its pastors, calling them to strict obedience, observing not only the ten basic commandments of God, not allowing excess in worldly life. All sins can be forgiven if a person realizes them and begs for forgiveness through communion, confession and prayer.
It is not a sin to be a sinner, but a sin not to repent - this is how the people interpret their entire earthly life. God will forgive everyone who comes to him with repentance!
What sin is considered the most terrible? There is only one sin that is not forgiven to a person - this is sin suicide. Why exactly this?
- By killing himself, a person violates the biblical commandment: Thou shalt not kill!
- A person cannot atone for his sins by voluntarily leaving life.
It is known that each of us has our own purpose on earth. With this we come into this world. After birth we acquire the nature of the Spirit of Christ in which we are to live. The one who voluntarily breaks this thread spits in the face of the Almighty. Most terrible sin- voluntarily die.
Jesus gave his life for our salvation, which is why the whole life of any person is priceless gift. We must appreciate it, take care of it, and no matter how difficult it is, bear our cross until the end of our days.
Why can the sin of murder be forgiven by God, but suicide cannot? Is it really true that one person’s life is for God? more valuable than life another? No, this needs to be understood a little differently. A murderer who interrupts the life of another, often innocent person, can repent and do good, but a suicide who takes his own life cannot.
After death, a person no longer has the opportunity to do good, bright, trustworthy deeds in this world. It turns out that the whole life of such a person who committed suicide was meaningless, just as God’s great plan was meaningless.
All sins are forgiven by God through repentance, communion, in the hope of purification and salvation of the soul.
That is why in the old days suicides were not only not buried in church, but were even buried outside the cemetery fence. No rituals or commemorations were carried out and to this day are not carried out in the church for the deceased. This alone and how difficult it will be for loved ones should stop the suicide. But, unfortunately, this is not the case and the number of victims—suicides—is not decreasing.
Russia occupies fourth place in the world In this sad statistics, after India, China and the USA, the number of voluntary deaths per year is more than 25,000 people. Millions of people around the world voluntarily take their own lives. Scary!!!
Our God will forgive us all other sins, provided that we not only repented of them, but also corrected them with our good deeds.
And remember that there are no small or large sins, even the smallest sin can kill our soul, it is like a tiny cut on the body that can cause gangrene and lead to death.
If a believer has repented of sin, realized it, and gone through confession, one can hope that the sin is forgiven. So he sees Orthodox Church, so the Bible teaches. But it is important to understand that our every action, our words, thoughts, everything has its own weight and is deposited in our karma. So let’s live now, every day, so that we don’t have to beg for them when the time of reckoning comes...
Prayers for those who committed suicide
Is it possible to pray for people who have committed suicide? Yes, there are prayers that allow you to do this.
Master, Lord, Merciful and Lover of Mankind, we cry to You: we have sinned and committed lawlessness before You, we have transgressed Your saving commandments and the love of the Gospel has not been revealed to our despairing brother (our despairing sister). But do not reprove us with Your wrath, punish us with Your wrath, O Lord of humanity, weaken, heal our heartfelt sorrow, may the multitude of Your bounties overcome the abyss of our sins, and may Your countless goodness cover the abyss of our bitter tears.
To her, Sweetest Jesus, we still pray, grant to Your servant, your relative who died without permission, consolation in their sorrow and firm hope in Your mercy.
For You are a Merciful and Lover of Mankind, and we send glory to You with Your Beginningless Father and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen
Prayer for those who have committed the most terrible sin (suicides)
Granted by the Optina Elder Leo Optina
“Seek, Lord, the lost soul (name); If possible, have mercy! Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin for me. But Thy holy will be done!”
Take care of yourself and your loved ones!
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. Everyone is called to daily struggle, war against passions and sinful habits. Orthodox Christian without exception. 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 language means "science of the soul." It is a science that studies mechanisms 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, post - all this, 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 can’t agree with this, since getting rid of passions is also not an end in itself, but speaks of the true goal Venerable Seraphim Sarovsky: “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
WITH 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 vivid examples passionate addiction - 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! Zone radiation contamination“and the like, or with inscriptions on containers with toxic liquids: “Poisonous”, “Toxic”, etc. 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 chronic illness.
The word "passion" has two meanings.
Firstly, as he says Rev. John Ladder, “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 for it” (Lestvitsa. 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 whole list 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 entering, they 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 betrayed special meaning.
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 good 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 director, stood in the vestibule with angry faces, some with tears in their eyes: “The priests are desecrating the temple of art...” During procession I was holding a bowl 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.”
Sins in Christianity
(According to Christian doctrine)
There are a number of acts that are called - sin and unworthy of a true Christian. The classification of acts on this basis is based on biblical texts, especially on the Ten Commandments of the Law of God and the Gospel commandments.
Below we provide a list of acts that are considered sins regardless of religion.
According to the Christian understanding of the Bible, a person who commits a voluntary sin (that is, realizing that it is a sin and resistance to God) can become possessed.
There are seven deadly sins in total:
(this term does not mean physical death, but spiritual death)
1. Pride(immense pride, considering oneself perfect and sinless, pride to the point of self-adoration, that is, ready to ascend to heaven and become like the Almighty.
2. Envy(vanity, jealousy), leading to every possible crime against one’s neighbor.
3. Anger(revenge) unapologetic and determined to commit terrible destruction, following the example of Herod, who in his anger beat the infants of Bethlehem. Hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts: dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of the mind by it: obscene shouting, argument, abusive, cruel and caustic words. Malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and insult to one’s neighbor.
4. Dejection(laziness in action, idleness, despair, carelessness). Laziness towards everyone good deed, especially to prayer. Excessive restfulness with sleep. Depression, despair (which often leads a person to suicide), lack of fear of God, complete carelessness about the soul, carelessness about repentance until last days life.
5. Greed(greed, stinginess, love of money). The love of money, combined for the most part with unrighteous acquisitions, does not allow a person to think even a minute about spiritual things.
6. Gluttony(gluttony, gluttony) not knowing any fasting, combined with a passionate attachment to various amusements, following the example of the evangelical rich man who had fun "it's light all day long"(Luke 16:19).
Drunkenness, drug use.
7. Voluptuousness(fornication - sex life before marriage, adultery - adultery. Dissolute life. Failure to preserve the senses, especially the sense of touch, is the insolence that destroys all virtues. Foul language and reading voluptuous books.)
Voluptuous thoughts, indecent conversations, even a single glance directed with lust at a woman are considered fornication. The Savior says this about it: “You have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not commit adultery,” but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”(Matt. 5:27–28).
If he who looks lustfully at a woman sins, then the woman is not innocent of the same sin if she dresses up and adorns herself with the desire for people to look at her and be seduced by her, “for woe to the man through whom temptation comes.”
Sins against the Lord God
1. Pride
2. Failure to fulfill the holy will of God;
3. Violation of the commandments: the ten commandments of the Law of God, gospel commandments, church commandments;
4. Unbelief and lack of faith;
5. Lack of hope for the mercy of the Lord, despair;
6. Excessive reliance on the mercy of God;
7. Hypocritical worship of God, without the love and fear of God;
8. Lack of gratitude to the Lord for all His blessings - and even for the sorrows and illnesses sent down;
9. Appeal to psychics, astrologers, fortune tellers, fortune tellers;
10. Practicing “black” and “white” magic, witchcraft, fortune telling, spiritualism; superstition, belief in dreams, omens, wearing talismans, reading horoscopes even out of curiosity;
11. Blasphemy and grumbling against the Lord in the soul and in words;
12. Failure to fulfill vows made to God;
13. Calling on the name of God in vain, without necessity, swearing in the name of the Lord;
14. Blasphemous attitude towards the Holy Scriptures;
15. Shame and fear to profess faith;
16. Not reading the Holy Scriptures;
17. Going to church without diligence, laziness in prayer, absent-minded and cold prayer, absent-minded listening to readings and chants; being late for service and leaving the service early;
18. Disrespect for the feasts of God;
19. Thoughts about suicide, attempts to commit suicide;
20. Sexual immorality such as adultery, fornication, sodomy, sadomasochism, etc.
Sins against one's neighbor
1. Lack of love for others;
2. Lack of love for enemies, hatred of them, wishing them harm;
3. Inability to forgive, repaying evil for evil;
4. Lack of respect for elders and superiors, for parents, grief and offense to parents;
5. Failure to fulfill what was promised, non-payment of debts, open or secret appropriation of someone else’s property;
6. Beating, attempt on someone else's life;
7. Killing babies in the womb (abortion), advice to have abortions for neighbors;
8. Robbery, extortion;
9. Bribery;
10. Refusal to stand up for the weak and innocent, refusal to help someone in trouble;
11. Laziness and carelessness at work, disrespect for the work of others, irresponsibility;
12. Poor parenting is outside the Christian faith;
13. Cursing children;
14. Lack of mercy, stinginess;
15. Reluctance to visit the sick;
16. Not praying for mentors, relatives, enemies;
17. Cruelty, cruelty to animals, birds;
18. Unnecessarily destroying trees;
19. Dispute, non-yielding to neighbors, disputes;
20. Slander, condemnation, slander;
21 Gossip, retelling the sins of others, eavesdropping on other people's conversations;
22. Insult, enmity with neighbors, scandals, hysteria, curses, insolence, arrogant and free behavior towards neighbors, ridicule;
23. Hypocrisy;
24. Anger;
25. Suspicion of neighbors in unseemly actions;
26. Deception;
27. Perjury;
28. Seductive behavior, desire to seduce;
29. Jealousy;
30. Telling indecent jokes, corrupting your neighbors (adults and minors) with your actions;
31. Friendship for self-interest and betrayal.
Sins against yourself
1. Vanity, considering oneself better than everyone else, pride, lack of humility and obedience, arrogance, arrogance, spiritual egoism, suspicion;
2. Lies, envy;
3. Idle talk, laughter;
4. Foul language;
5. Irritation, indignation, rancor, resentment, grief;
6. Dejection, melancholy, sadness;
7. Doing good deeds for show;
8. Laziness, spending time in idleness, sleeping too much;
9. Gluttony, gluttony;
10. Love for earthly and material things more than for heavenly and spiritual things;
11. Addiction to money, things, luxury, pleasures;
12. Excessive attention to the flesh;
13. Desire for earthly honors and glory;
14. Excessive attachment to everything earthly, various kinds of things and worldly goods;
15. Drug use, drunkenness;
16. Playing cards, gambling;
17. Engagement in pimping, prostitution;
18. Performing obscene songs and dances;
19. Watching pornographic films, reading pornographic books, magazines;
20. Acceptance of lustful thoughts, pleasure and slowness in unclean thoughts;
21. Defilement in a dream, fornication (sex outside marriage);
22. Adultery (infidelity during marriage);
23. Allowing liberties to the crown and perversion in married life;
24. Fornication (defilement of oneself with prodigal touches), immodest viewing of wives and young men;
25. Sodomy;
26. Bestiality;
27. Minimizing one’s sins, blaming one’s neighbors rather than condemning oneself.
Sins crying to heaven:
1. In general, intentional homicide (this includes abortions), and especially parricide (fratricide and regicide).
2. Sin of Sodom.
3. Unnecessary oppression of a poor, defenseless person, a defenseless widow and young orphans.
4. Withholding from a wretched worker the wages he deserves.
5. Taking from a person in his extreme situation the last piece of bread or the last mite, which was obtained by him with sweat and blood, as well as the violent or secret appropriation of alms, food, warmth or clothing from prisoners in prison, which are determined by him, and in general their oppression .
6. Sorrows and insults to parents to the point of impudent beatings.
Sins of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit:
1. Excessive trust in God or continuation of a hard sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy.
2. Despair or a feeling opposite to excessive trust in God in relation to God’s mercy, denying the fatherly goodness in God and leading to thoughts of suicide.
3. Stubborn unbelief, not convinced by any evidence of truth, even obvious miracles, rejecting the most established truth.
The concept of sin in Orthodoxy is one of the fundamental ones.
After all, if a person does not know what sin is, how can he avoid it and live a righteous life?
Every sin is a lack of love
According to the teachings of Jesus Christ, which He taught in Sermon on the Mount, it is very easy to become a righteous person. To do this you need:
- love God with all your heart;
- love your neighbor no less than yourself.
If a person does not love God, he begins to act contrary to His commandments. If he does not love his neighbors (that is, people in general and those around him in particular), then he acts cruelly to them and thereby violates the commandments. Any sin is a direct consequence of the absence or lack of love.
Christ showed us an example of perfect love, and in order not to commit sins, you just need to strive to love your neighbors no less, but just as you love yourself or even more.
The Ten Commandments and Associated Sins
1. I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before Me. Violation of this commandment leads to the sins of atheism (atheism), paganism, adherence to various false teachings, or witchcraft, astrology and other types of fortune-telling, visits to grandmothers. Participation in various sectarian gatherings is also a violation of the first commandment.
2. Do not make idols for yourself, do not worship or serve them. Violation leads to the sins of idolatry, man-pleasing, and invoking various spirits. For modern people very often, excessive love for money and things, the desire for material wealth to the detriment of the spiritual side of life, pride, when a person puts himself above others, becomes an idol. 
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Violation of the commandment is associated with the following sins: blasphemy (desecration of shrines), atheism (swearing in the name of God and pronouncing His name as interjections), violation of vows given to God.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; You shall work six days, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. Refusal to observe this commandment is the sins of parasitism, breaking fasts and non-observance of holidays, and not attending Sunday services in church.
5. Honor your father and your mother. Dislike for parents and disrespect for them are grave sins in themselves, which can lead to insult to parents, disrespect for teachers and priests, disrespect for authorities, even to the point of rebellion.
6. Dont kill. Any killing, including abortion, causing any bodily harm to people, anger, swearing, threats, hatred and inciting it in other people are a sin.
7. Don't commit adultery. Violations of this commandment include sins adultery, premarital and extramarital sexual activity, masturbation, homosexuality, production and use of pornography in any form.
8. Don't steal. Those who violate this commandment commit the sins of theft, robbery, fraud, and usury. Any misappropriation of someone else's property and unearned money is a sin, including failure to pay the employee's wages or part thereof.
9. Don't bear false witness. Violating this commandment is one of the most common sins that most people commit every day. These are gossip, slander, deception, untruthful words that we say to others. 
10. Don't covet someone else's. Sin is envy, the desire to rise above other people, dissatisfaction with one’s position, which leads to anger towards others and to the commission of other sins.
Seven deadly sins
In Orthodoxy, as in others Christian denominations, the seven deadly sins are highlighted, i.e. such, the payment for which can only be spiritual death, depriving the sinner of hopes for resurrection in Christ.
1. Pride. This is a state when a person considers himself devoid of shortcomings and superior to others, self-adoration, unwillingness to admit his sins or mistakes and repent of them.
2. Envy. This is dissatisfaction with what a person has, the desire to acquire someone else's property or position in society and thereby elevate himself, jealousy, vanity, etc.
3. Anger. This mortal sin takes many forms, from the blind rage of a hot-tempered person to the cold malice of a vengeful, vindictive soul. Manifestations of anger include offensive words and actions, swearing and shouting, and causing harm to others.
4. Dejection. Manifestations of this sin include depression, despair, lack of faith in God and His wisdom, and unwillingness to change one’s life for the better. In addition, laziness, love of idleness, and reluctance to pray and attend church services are sins.
5. Greed. Sin is the love of money and material wealth, which pushes one to dishonest and unrighteous acts and turns a person away from the spiritual side of life.
6. Gluttony. This is not only a love for delicious food and drinks, but also an attachment to other amusements that knows no restrictions. A glutton does not observe even a short and not too strict fast, because he cannot limit himself in pleasures. 
7. Voluptuousness. This is dissolute life in all its manifestations: promiscuity, self-gratification, homosexuality, seduction of the innocent, pornography, etc.
If a person knows that he is committing a sin and does not stop doing it, over time he becomes possessed by demons and can no longer stop his sinful life on his own.
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