The Sin of Sloth

Sloth

Sinopsis

What it is: Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

Why you do it: You're shiftless, lazy, and good fer nuthin'.

Your punishment in Hell will be: You'll be thrown into snake pits.

Associated symbols & suchlike: Sloth is linked with the goat (or the goatfish, in the case of the Deadly Sins T-shirt) and the color light blue.

References

From the Pocket Catholic Catechism:

Sloth is the desire for ease, even at the expense of doing the known will of God. Whatever we do in life requires effort. Everything we do is to be a means of salvation. The slothful person is unwilling to do what God wants because of the effort it takes to do it. Sloth becomes a sin when it slows down and even brings to a halt the energy we must expend in using the means to salvation.

Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas said Sloth is "sluggishness of the mind which neglects to begin good... [it] is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses man as to draw him away entirely from good deeds." (2,35, ad 1)

The Travelers' Guide to Hell says Sloth is ruled by the celestial sign of Saturn. This book actually mentions the Seven Deadly Sins Homepage! I could have written this book, but someone else did, and now I'm plugging their damn book because I'm thrilled just to be mentioned. Behold the wages of Sloth

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