In Roman Catholicism, sloth (latin: accidia, pigritia) is one of the seven deadly sins, and is defined as spiritual and/or actual apathy or laziness, putting off what God asks you to do, or not doing it or anything at all. Acedia is a Latin word, from Greek akedia, literally meaning "absence of caring".
Sloth can also concern wasting due to lack of use or allowing entropy, expanding into almost any person, place, thing, skills, or intangible ideal that would require maintenance, refinement and/or support to continue to exist.
Several religious views concerning the need for one to work to support society and further gods plan and work by doing so; reflects that by not being active alone, you invite the desire to sin on its own. (“For Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do”. Isaac Watts)
The meaning of sloth as a vice closely follows the meaning of the Greek word "akedia": "absence of caring". A student who neglects her studies to pursue another interest, such as martial arts or filming, does not commit the sin of sloth. Perhaps she should restructure her priorities, but the student does not display a spiritual decay, a lack of interest in anything, and thus is not slothful. A student who took no interest in anything requiring great effort, but preferred to watch television and play video games, might be slothful.
Hit on January 25 2007
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