"root sin"

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I’d like to have the term “root sin” explained. I heard some people discuss that they identified their root sin in spiritual direction/counseling.

Have you had experience (good or bad) with that approach? Can someone list the various types of root sins and give examples of how other sins can spring from them? Any other insights on this would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
What is being sought is the underlying cause of the sins.

Often sins are committed to support one particular area of sins.

For instance, lying (a sin itself) is common to keep more people from knowing about an underlying sin (such as adultery, pornography, coveting possesses, etc.)

Understanding the unlerlying cause permit you to counter it and work on defeating it.

For instance, if greed is the cause of many of the sins, working on developing a self-giving personality would help counter that.
 
There are three predominent faults that most of us fall into usually you fall into one area.

Pride, for example if you fall predominently in the category of pride you need to work on things that are within your root sin.

Pride

"Pride. An inordinate esteem of oneself. It is inordinate because it is contrary to the truth. It is essentially an act or disposition of the will desiring to be considered better than a person really is. Pride may be expressed in different ways: by taking personal credit for gifts or possessions, as if they had not been received from God; by glorying in achievements, as if they were not primarily the result of divine goodness and grace; by minimizing one’s defects or claiming qualities that are not actually possessed; by holding oneself superior to others or disdaining them because they lack what the proud person has; by magnifying defects of others or dwelling on them. When pride is carried to the extent that a person is unwilling to acknowledge dependence on God and refuses to submit his or her will to God or lawful authority, it is a grave sin. The gravity arises from the fact that a person shows contempt for God or of those who take his place. Otherwise, pride is said to be imperfect and venially wrong. While not all sins are pride, it can lead to all sorts of sins, notably presumption, ambition, vainglory, boasting, hypocrisy, strife, and disobedience. Pride strives for perverse excellence. It despises others and, depending on its perversity, even looks down upon God. The remedies for pride are a sincere knowledge of oneself, the acceptance of daily humiliations, avoidance of even the least self-complacency, humble acknowledgment of one’s faults, and prayerful communion with God" (Hardon, 342).
 
Thank you both for the replies. Yes, I can definately see how a sin can bring on others. What Toni wrote sounds more like what I heard others talking about–that we have one major sin that tends brings about other sins. That’s the part that confused me-- narrowing it down to just one.
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Toni:
There are three predominent faults that most of us fall into usually you fall into one area.
Click to expand...
How is the predominant fault identified? Besides pride, what are the other predominent faults? Why just three and not the “seven deadly sins”?:confused:
 
anger falls into this category, I think. A lot of people here have expressed concerns with anger, and the results of anger–fights, yelling, even spousal or child abuse etc. The root cause of the anger must be discovered and dealt with. That probably required psych counselling as well as spiritual healing.
 
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gardenswithkids:
That’s the part that confused me-- narrowing it down to just one. How is the predominant fault identified? Besides pride, what are the other predominent faults? Why just three and not the “seven deadly sins”?:confused:
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All of the capital sins can be considered here. We all have our own predominate sin, one that we can’t seem to get rid of. The only way, in fact, to get rid of it is through purgation by God alone.

How do I know what mine is? Well I look at the capital sins and see which one I have the most tendensy for. From reading about it you can get an idea. There are also some threads about capital sins in this forum so you read up on them.

If you want further study you can read the first couple of chapters of St. John of the Cross “Dark Night of the Soul.” He tackles every capital sin and how we can identify which ones we are most connected to. Here is the link. He does start with pride first. Just click at the top to go to the next chapter.

carmelite.com/saints/john/works/dn_3.htm

Hope this helps.
 
As I understand it, the root sin is most often a defect of personality that is the underlying cause for sin. Most spiritual writers list them as pride, vanity and sensuality. Defects of personhood that lay the underlying groundwork or situation that leads to sin. This defect is in part the result of original sin.

There are root sins, and manistfestations of root sins.

Take the sin of lying. One can lie by inflating accomplishments (pride or vanity) or to cover another sin like sensuality (say one lies and says his alarm clock broke but in reality he just slept in). The solution to the sin of lying is not the admonition to tell the truth the long term solution is to manifest the opposite virtue (humility, discipline, etc.) to avoid the sin of lying.

I often begin confession by saying “my that my root sin is pride and since my last confession it manifested itself this way…” Here the confessor know the perspective of the activity and can advise and form a penance accordingly. If father does not know what I am talking about, I make my confession any way but do not return to him because he does not understand my nature.

If you really want to grow in holiness, you make a plan to execute specific virtues daily to combat the root defect. Thereby you mitigate the defect and avoid sin.

It took me two years to define that my root sin was pride. I could have saved myself a lot of time and effort if I just asked my wife.
 
Ok here is the general idea and some questions to see where your root sin lies.

**Pride

Manifestations of root sin

  1. **
    *]Being critical (especially of… when…)
    *]Not listening to people and trying to convince them that I am always right especially…
    *]Not being consistent in saying my prayers. Not feeling a need to pray.
    *]Always rationalizing. Making excuses for myself.
    *]Not accepting things by faith
    *]Not being sensitive to the needs of others and being patient especially with… when…

    Vanity

    1. *]I can be really hurt if people do not treat me with respect.
      *]I am always thinking and talking about myself and the things that I do.
      *]I cannot say “no” to anyone, and always allow people to use me.
      *]I am afraid to stand up for what I believe, not wanting … tothink I am a religious fanatic.

      *]I always worry that if I discipline my children they might not love me.
      *]I love and live for compliments and appreciation for my talents especially…

      Sensuality

      1. *]Laziness, always putting things off
        *]Disorganization and disorder. I do whatever is immediate.
        *]Only do things when I feel like it. Moodiness controls me.
        *]Anger and impatience if I do not feel good. I cannot handle pressure.
        *]I live to shop, the only thing that picks me up.
        *]I always delay prayer and am inconsistent with God.
 
Thank you all for sharing. Toni shared three main catagories (pride, vanity and sensuality) above that are quite broad. I think I prefer the approach that examines the “seven deadly sins” (also known as “capital sins”), which approaches root sins in a slightly different way. What Toni and some others presented here definately helped me understand what I heard others saying and gave me material for personal reflection.

Thanks again to all. This answered my initial question, but if anyone has any other insight or resources they wish to share, I welcome it.
 
My sin of sins is arrogance.
I think about that sin and I think at the end of the year that sin will disappear from my soul.
 
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