Deadly Sin?

We all know what the Cardinal Sins are (or we should know). Some of us may know them as the seven deadly sins or capital vices. Luxuria, Gula, Acedia, Ira, Invidia, Avaritia, and Superbia. These are, of course, according to the great work of Dante and his Divine Comedy. Translated, we know these to represent lust, gluttony, sloth, wrath, envy, greed, and pride. Now, we could argue the presence of more than 7 "deadly" sins and also contrary and wrap them into one category: pride.

Now, I know a lot of you will differ with this from me, but I firmly believe that all sin can be retraced back to pride. We sin against God to perhaps show that we are better than He, that we not need Him. Again, you may argue that we sin because we simply make a mistake or misunderstand. But given to all men is the Light of Christ, to know good and evil, right and wrong (Moroni 7:16). We cannot be naive simply because we refuse to believe.

Consciously, man knows he needs God. But there is that doubt that everyone gets everyone now and then. That attitude that I can do it, I can do better than what I have been given. Now, do not mistake my words, brothers and sisters. I am not here to dissuade you from progression. I want you to have your self-pride, which I shall call self-spirit - the spirit to lift up your voice and praise Him. The spirit to excel in your work, in your daily activities. This is not pride. This is just bettering yourself. Pride comes from the adversary - he wants us to be miserable like unto himself (2 Nephi 2:27). He will plant those thoughts that we do not need help. That we can be prideful. And he starts with the small things.

I love when Jacob says "O that ye would listen unto the word of [God's] commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!" (Jacob 2:16). How true is that today? So, going back to the other sins and linking them to pride as the root of all sins:
Lust - for as one lusts after another, he believes he is above God's eternal law that "thou shalt not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).
Gluttony - we show pride in that we are in the world. Gluttony is to eat abundantly, or in excess. I can think of hedonism, where people are fat and show that they are better than themselves and mock others who do not partake. "Eat, drink, and be merry... for tomorrow we die" (2 Nephi 28:8).
Sloth - How many people lay around and expect to be taken care of? Granted, there are those with disabilities, which are not their fault, but people need to work and take care of themselves. Again, we are told "six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work" (Exodus 20:9). When have you become too above the Lord's commandments to do work?
Wrath - How many wars have been waged for land, for money, for power or dominance? To show that you are superior to someone else? I think "thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13) can even be rephrased to be peaceful one unto another (referrence Ephesians 6:18).
Envy - They say that all sin starts with a thought. What more to lust after something that you are envious of? Would not lust be the epitome of envy? Envy would lead (possibly) to stealing and we know "thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:15) but what about "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife... manservant... ox... nor anything that is thy neighbor's" (Exodus 20:17). We are envious for we are prideful.
Greed - Again, this goes hand in hand with lust and envy. Perhaps even wrath. They say money is the root of all evil, but I disagree. Behind the greed is pride. The pride to be better and have more. We are warned even by Jacob: "Before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the Kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ [or, removed pride from oneself], ye shall obtain riches... for the intent to do good" (Jacob 2:18-19).

I love how President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said: "Pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power. Humility is a switch that turns it on" (Oct 2010 Gen Conference - "Pride and the Priesthood"). How many times have we seen the yo-yo effect of nations rise and fall. They rise when they are close to God, then become prideful and no longer need him and fall. Then, when all seems to be lost, the righteous gather and rebuild a kingdom. I see that kingdom coming closer and closer.

Sorry for the long blog. This is a great topic dear to me and I can continue to go on and on. I have about 6-7 other references I did not touch. For more info, please comment. If you want to discuss a topic, let me know!