Sins against neighbors, family, society. So-called "petty sins"

The following list should not be considered as “instructions”, but as an aid to a general understanding of what sins and tendencies exist, and from them to feel the attitude to which we are called to walk the path of repentance.

Serious sins that can deprive one of hope for salvation 1. Pride, despising everyone, demanding servility from others, ready to ascend to heaven and become like the Most High: in a word - pride to the point of self-adoration. 2. An insatiable soul, or Judas’s greed for money, combined for the most part with unrighteous acquisitions, not allowing a person even a minute to think about spiritual things. 3. Fornication, or the dissolute life of the prodigal son, who squandered all his father’s estate on such a life. 4. Envy, leading to every possible crime against one’s neighbor. 5. Gluttony or carnal knowledge, not knowing any fasting, combined with a passionate attachment to various amusements, following the example of the Evangelical rich man, who had fun all day long. 6. Uncompromising anger and resolving to terrible destruction, following the example of Herod, who in his anger beat the Bethlehem babies. 7. Laziness, or complete carelessness about the soul, carelessness about repentance until the last days of life, such as in the days of Noah. Sins of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit Excessive trust in God or continuation of a gravely sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy. Despair or the feeling opposite to excessive trust in God in relation to God’s mercy, which denies the fatherly goodness in God and leads to thoughts of suicide. Stubborn unbelief, not convinced by any evidence of truth, even obvious miracles, rejecting the most established truth.

Sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance for them In general, intentional homicide (abortion), and especially parricide (fratricide and regicide). Sin of Sodom. Unnecessary oppression of a poor, defenseless person, a defenseless widow and young orphans. Withholding from a wretched worker the wages he deserves. Taking away from a person in his extreme situation the last piece of bread or the last mite, which he obtained with sweat and blood, as well as the forcible or secret appropriation of alms, food, warmth or clothing from prisoners in prison, which are determined by him, and generally oppressing them. Sadness and insults to parents to the point of daring beatings.

Further, as an aid during preparation for confession, a list of sins is proposed, from which you select only those committed by you, starting from the age of 7

Sins against the Lord God Belief in dreams, divination, meetings and other signs. Doubts about faith. Laziness towards prayer and absent-mindedness during it. Not going to Church, long absence from confession and Holy Communion. Hypocrisy in Divine Worship. Blasphemy or just murmuring against God in the soul and in words. The intention to raise your hands. In vain. An unfulfilled promise to God. Blasphemy of the sacred. Anger with mention of evil spirits (trait). Eating or drinking on Sundays and holidays before the end of the Liturgy. Violation of fasts or inaccurate observance of them is a work issue on holidays.

Sins against one's neighbor. As a rule, they come from a lack of love, from anger, hatred or insensitivity towards him and his salvation (a list of sins from which you choose those you have committed, starting from the age of 7): - Sinned by lack of love for your neighbor, which manifests itself: impatience , unmercifulness, selfishness, suspiciousness, jealousy, inconstancy in relation to neighbors, suspicious character. Suspicion is a serious sin, indicating a non-Christian structure of the human soul. A Christian in all life circumstances must always put everyone else above himself in his relationships with others, and consider people’s actions and their motives from the best side. Such is the peaceful spirit. — I sinned by not having acts of love and not forcing myself to do them, including: I didn’t visit the sick and prisoners, I didn’t help the needy, I was stingy with alms, I judged the poor, I didn’t console the grieving, I didn’t defend innocent people and just causes, I didn’t want to feel sorry for my neighbor, I didn’t want to give in. to serve him. Deeds of love should not be done out of self-invention - a “homemade cross”, but where and when the Lord, through the prevailing life circumstances, calls us to this. — I sinned by being careless about saving my neighbor . This sin includes coldness and forgetfulness in prayers for one’s neighbor. In each person we must see, first of all, his immortal soul, and not just his corruptible flesh, and build relationships with our neighbor in such a way as to contribute to the rooting of his soul in eternal life. — I sinned by disrespecting my parents . He did not humble himself before his parents, did not show them due respect and attention, was angry, shouted, raised his hand against them, did not care, did not rest in their old age, etc. Dishonoring parents is a violation of the fifth commandment of God’s law: “Honor your father and your mother.” “as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Deut. 5, 16. But this should not relegate the reverence of God to the background: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” Matthew 10:37. — I sinned by disrespecting my elders . — I sinned by not raising my children in the Orthodox faith . According to the teachings of the Church, parents at the Last Judgment of God will answer before God for how they raised their children. Therefore, Christian upbringing of children is also a matter of saving the souls of the parents themselves. Believing parents should baptize their child as early as possible and from that time go to Church with him, regularly give him communion, pray for him and with him out loud from infancy, and in due time teach him prayers and the basics of faith. The main thing is to instill in your child a Christian worldview and a corresponding structure of the soul with your soul, your example, the “hierarchy of values” in your life. “I sinned by not caring about the people subordinate and dependent on me. — Sinned by voluntary or involuntary murder , including abortion. This includes the sins of self-harm. Self-harm is the voluntary or involuntary infliction of injury and assault on oneself or others, including actions that voluntarily or involuntarily led to termination of pregnancy, miscarriage, or any damage to the health of the fetus. Abortion is the mortal sin of killing an innocent baby. The Church does not distinguish at what stage of the baby’s development his life was destroyed - an embryo or a fetus, for life and an immortal soul are given to a person by the Lord from the moment of conception. For the Court of God, it makes no difference whether a woman went to the hospital “to have an operation” or, for example, buried a newborn baby in the garden, explaining that she was ashamed of the shame, or her salary was small and the living space did not allow, etc. The sin of abortion is invariably followed by God's punishment, especially in old age. According to the canons of the Church, those involved in abortion should be expelled from the Church for many years until complete repentance and atonement. Those who have such a grave sin on their conscience must repent of it from the bottom of their hearts, firmly promise the Lord not only to never commit it again themselves, but in every possible way to keep those around them from it, and, having confessed this sin to the priest, accept penance from him - a church mandate in atonement for this mortal sin. — I sinned with cruelty to animals . A person commits a sin if he cruelly beats and tortures animals, mocks them, and does not create normal living conditions for them. — I sinned with passionate attachment to animals . Passionate attachment to animals violates the natural, God-given relationship between man and animals, which must be cared for and pitied, and damages a person’s relationship with other people and with himself, and is also harmful for the animals themselves. — I sinned with hatred and malice, ill-will, ill-retribution, i.e. vindictiveness, gloating. — I sinned with anger and irascibility. — I sinned with a curse (curse). A curse is the sin of calling upon one’s neighbor satanic forces. In this case, great damage is caused to one's neighbor, especially in the case when this neighbor is spiritually dependent on the one who curses him - such as, for example, a child from his parents. But the curser himself inevitably becomes dependent on evil spirits, becoming its “legitimate” victim, for he himself called it. — I sinned through intransigence , rancor, and unwillingness to humble myself before my neighbor. — I sinned by insulting , slandering, slandering. — I sinned by irritability , contradiction, reproach, stubbornness, argumentativeness. — I sinned with partiality . Partiality is bias, partiality, “double yardstick” in relations with people. — I sinned with slander and gossip. — I sinned with envy . — I sinned with lies , including deceit, hypocrisy, and boasting. — I sinned by condemnation . Condemnation is an extremely widespread and at the same time extremely poorly understood sin. A secularized consciousness considers it not only permissible, but also necessary to have a judgment on everything, which, as a rule, is of a condemnatory nature. At the same time, not only the extreme subjectivity of any individual judgment is lost sight of, but also the Lord’s direct prohibition of the sin of condemnation, repeatedly repeated in the Gospel. Thus, in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ directly connects God’s pardon of each person with his non-judgment of other people: “Judge not, lest ye be judged, for with the judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.” Matthew 7:1 - 2. Several sins are intertwined in condemnation. The sin of pride (lack of humility), the sin of dislike for one’s neighbor and, finally, the theft of the Divine right of judgment. For only the Creator has the right to judge His creation. “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, able to save and to destroy: and who are you, who judge another?” James 4:12. — I sinned by partiality , people-pleasing, flattery. People-pleasing is a selfish desire to please someone in order to obtain some benefits or privileges; it is admiration or fear of the “powers of this world.” — I sinned by seducing others with behavior , including the desire to be passionately liked. To please out of a vain desire for attention to oneself or out of a desire for lustful seduction. The Bible says about seducers and temptations: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world from temptations, for temptations must come; but woe to that man through whom temptation comes” Matthew 18:6-7. “I sinned with freedom and impudence in dealing with people, impudence and insensitivity, mockery and ridicule, shamelessness. — I sinned with passionate curiosity , spying and eavesdropping on people, the desire to learn other people’s sins and secrets. Sins against yourself. As a rule, they are associated with the passions of gluttony, love of money and fornication. (a list of sins from which you select only those committed by you, starting from the age of 7):

— I sinned by neglecting God’s gifts : life, talents, time. Empty daydreaming, meaningless pastime, idle talk, idleness. — I sinned with an addiction to television, computers, collecting, sports, reading literature that is not good for the soul and other shows and activities. — I sinned by neglecting my health or being overly concerned about my health. — I sinned by voluptuousness, laziness , relaxation of the body and feelings, excessive sleeping, indolence, love of bodily peace, parasitism. Parasitism is “freedom.” The Apostle Paul teaches: “If anyone does not want to work, let him not eat” 2 Thess. 3:10. Voluptuousness is the love of the sweets of life, the desire to live in pleasures. — I sinned by not fulfilling my daily duties , by not maintaining a conscience regarding things - this is negligence about preserving things, about using them wisely and economically, about doing quality work, and not damaging anything. This also includes a careless attitude towards one’s duties according to the principle “Somehow, it will work out”, “Blooper”, “In a hurry”, etc. - I sinned with love of money , covetousness, dreams of wealth, love of gifts, addiction to various objects that deprive the soul of freedom, wastefulness or, conversely, infringement of oneself and others due to greed, stinginess and passion for hoarding, self-interest. The love of money is a passion in which money, property, and any material wealth become an idol. Selfishness - in Church Slavonic - greed. — I sinned by misappropriation , covetousness, theft, theft, luring, begging. Evil acquisition is the acquisition of money, material goods or property by dishonest means unworthy of a Christian, for example by cunning. Extortion - bribes, extortion, etc. Theft is the theft of government property. Theft is the appropriation of something that does not belong to oneself (property, money, things, praise, name, etc.) Sacrilege is the appropriation of something taken from the Church. — I sinned by fornication . Fornication is a carnal relationship between a man and a woman who are not legally married. Fornication is a mortal sin. According to the words of the Apostle Paul, “no fornicator has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” Eph.5:5. — I sinned by committing adultery . Adultery is a carnal relationship between a man and a woman if one or both of them are married and at the same time have relations with another person. Adultery is a more serious sin than fornication, for in this case, in addition to spiritual damage to these people themselves, their loved ones are insulted, and the Church as the celebrant of a legal marriage is also subject to reproach. — He sinned by unnatural fornication , these include: incest — close relationships, as well as sodomy, bestiality, etc. — He sinned by masturbation . Handjob is the satisfaction of carnal lunacy in any form. “I sinned with lustful incitement and all kinds of sensuality: reading depraved books and looking at seductive pictures and shows. — I sinned by night desecrations . Night desecration can be free, i.e. a consequence of intemperance in life: gluttony, sleeping too much, enjoying lustful thoughts, etc. Also a consequence of condemning one’s neighbor, which requires special repentance in the Sacrament of Confession. And it can be an involuntary physiological phenomenon without obvious sinful reasons. This is not a sin. But in any case, this should not be hidden during confession. If it happens, wash yourself, read a special canon or prayer against desecration according to the prayer book. — I sinned by intemperance in married life , by not observing fasts and holidays. The Church prohibits marital relations on the eves of holidays, Sundays and on the eve of Wednesday and Friday, as well as during multi-day fasts. — He sinned by immodest views and free behavior with persons of the opposite sex, voluptuous touches, immodesty in clothing and jewelry; dances and body movements that evoke voluptuous feelings, lust, spiritual and mental darkness, seductive conversations and songs, immoderate laughter. Participation in passionate worldly pastimes, including playing cards and other games of chance. — I sinned by spiritual impurity : lustful thoughts, procrastination in them, recollection of sins, incontinence of mental and physical feelings. — I sinned by smoking, drinking and using drugs and substances that cause narcotic intoxication, euphoria, unnaturally stimulating, relaxing and intoxicating. This is the enjoyment of the effects of drugs, ranging from the actual narcotic drugs, medicines and toxic substances to concentrated tea, listening to intoxicating music, etc. The use of drugs is a mortal sin, because it relates to the sin of suicide. The Church does not prohibit the consumption of alcoholic beverages in moderation, but forbids getting drunk with them, just as it does not prohibit food, but forbids gluttony. — I sinned by gluttony , secret eating, gluttony, laryngeal madness, polyeating, intemperance in food and drink, dissatisfaction with food and drink. Gluttony is a passion for satiety with food and drink, when it becomes a life idol. Secret eating is eating food secretly out of greed, shame, or unwillingness to share. Gluttony is a passionate desire to fill the stomach (womb) more tightly, to eat as much as possible. Laryngeal madness is a passion for eating especially tasty food, enjoying the sensations of taste. — I sinned by eating animal blood .
Not eating blood is one of the most ancient provisions of the church charter. See: Gen.9:4; Ex.34,15; Acts 15:20. Blood is the carrier of the soul. By consuming animal blood, a person becomes imbued with animal instincts and darkens the soul.

Sins against your neighbor and God are also sins against yourself

How to get rid of sins. 4 stages of the fight against sins

In a sense, any sin is a sin against oneself. That is, we are well aware that we perceive it as a bad act that only harms us. But, if you look at it, every sin has a detrimental effect on the fate of the one who commits it.

There are sins against God - this, according to the Bible, is a violation of the first four Commandments. There are sins against one’s neighbor—actions that can harm another:

• lie;
• mental or physical pain caused;
• temptation.

Let's not continue the list. And so the principle is clear. And who is the neighbor? Let's remember the parable of the Good Samaritan: your neighbor is the one with whom you currently cross paths. The Bible doesn't even say it's necessarily a person.

Surely there is someone among Orthodox Christians who believes that harming an animal is not a manifestation of a bad attitude towards one’s neighbor?

The Good Samaritan in the parable helped a man with whom he was not related either by blood, religion, or nationality. This shows that absolutely anyone who happens to be nearby should be considered a neighbor. Therefore, sin against one’s neighbor is harm caused to anyone, not just family and friends. Photo: proza.ru

One Jew was asked to explain the essence of his faith in a minute, to which he replied: “Don’t treat others the way you don’t want to be treated.”

This formula is also suitable for Christianity: God, people, animals, nature, the whole world - all this requires exclusively good deeds, and not just walking around the temple.

If we choose another way, it is always a sin. And it will always be turned against the person himself. The one who was offended will forget about his suffering in the next world. And his offender still has to pay for them.

7 virtues and 7 sins

Sin must be fought, and this is a constant process, and a matter of a single victory, as the Apostle Paul reminds:

“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.”

(Rom. 7:14)

Ten Commandments

“What sins should I list in confession?” - this is the question asked by those who begin their path to the Lord. The Savior gave people ten commandments, and by breaking them, a person sins.

For those who do not know about the commandments, we publish all ten for your reference:

1. I am the Lord your God; Let you have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; do not worship them or serve them.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; Six days you shall work and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
5. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.
6. Dont kill.
7. Don't commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

What needs to be done before coming to confession?

Confession consists of three parts: repentance immediately after committing a sin, recollection of the act during the day, a prayer to God for forgiveness and the Sacrament of Confession. The laity come to have a conversation with the priest, but this will not be a confession, even if you told about the violations committed. The conversation before Baptism does not mean confession. (see three main rules of Forgiveness Sunday)

When preparing for confession, there is no need to observe special fasting or say prayers.

Before repentance, pay attention to special prayers, sit in front of a candle in the evening and remember all your actions for which you are ashamed or feel guilty. Remember repentance alone is not enough, ask for forgiveness from those to whom you have caused pain and misfortune

Offended by indifference or importunity. Do not be afraid that you cannot quickly formulate all the violations of God's law. Write a plan for the story and try to confess as sincerely as possible to all your inner experiences and demonic thoughts, temptations and bad thoughts. If the violation you committed is terrible, a week before confession, cleanse yourself through fasting.

If you forgot a sin not out of malicious intent, don’t worry, it will still be forgiven. But the Lord will not forgive you for them if you specifically hid from the clergy something for which you feel guilty, but did not dare to say. It is useless to list everything described in scripture.

It is important to tell who you offended, what guilt you took on yourself and how you feel - confession requires specifics

The clergy note that there is no need to describe sexual sins in detail - it is enough to say that the sin was adultery.

Another important rule is don’t make excuses for yourself. If you make a mistake, the blame lies with you

If you do not see and feel your guilt, this does not mean that you are a saint. Ask the Lord to point out the violations.

The meaning of confession

Having to talk about your sins in front of a stranger is embarrassing. Therefore, people refuse to go to confession, believing that God will forgive them anyway. This is the wrong approach. The priest acts only as an intermediary between man and God. His task is to determine the measure of repentance. The priest has no right to condemn anyone; he will not expel a repentant person from the church. During confession, people are very vulnerable, and clergy try not to cause unnecessary suffering.

It is important to see your sin, recognize and condemn it in your soul, and voice it before the priest. Have a desire not to repeat your misdeeds again, try to atone for the harm done through acts of mercy

Confession brings revival of the soul, re-education and access to a new spiritual level.

Sins (list), Orthodoxy, confession imply self-knowledge and the search for grace. All good deeds are done through strength. Only by overcoming yourself, doing works of mercy, and cultivating virtues in yourself, can you receive God's grace.

The meaning of confession lies in understanding the typology of sinners, the typology of sin. At the same time, an individual approach to each repentant is akin to pastoral psychoanalysis. The sacrament of confession is the pain of awareness of sin, recognition of it, the determination to voice and ask for forgiveness for it, cleansing of the soul, joy and peace.

A person must feel the need to repent. Love for God, love for oneself, love for one's neighbor cannot exist separately. The symbolism of the Christian cross - horizontal (love for God) and vertical (love for oneself and one's neighbor) - lies in the awareness of the integrity of spiritual life, its essence.