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Anyone who wants to be able to say, "But I didn't know!" when their time runs out is advised to look the other way. Still there? Perhaps the easiest way to tackle this touchy topic is to take the different categories one at a time. In the spirit of getting the truly terrible out of the way first, let's begin with the deadly sins. Deadly sins are synonymous with cardinal sins and correspond with "certain aspects of human nature." They include the big seven -- pride, gluttony, lust, avarice, sloth, wrath, and envy (aka the horrible things Kevin Spacey's character did to his victims in the movie Seven).
The seven deadly sins never appear as a list in the Bible, though some believe they can be found in the Gospel of Matthew. These sins are opposed by the seven virtues -- charity, meekness, zeal, generosity, moderation, chastity, and humility. Mortal sins are a bit more vague. They are voluntary acts "said, done or desired contrary to the eternal law, or a thought, word, or deed contrary to the eternal law." The key word there is "voluntary" because as this site puts it, mortal sins cannot be committed "accidentally." That's good news, but according to Wikipedia, mortal sins cannot be forgiven after the sinner dies. Depending on your particular system of beliefs, that may be cause to sign up for some volunteer work sooner rather than later.
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