Why is pride a sin?

[Love_Divine]

I don’t understand why being proud of yourself, or of others and their accomplishments is a sin? Taking pride in yourself and not letting others get you down when you stand your ground sounds like a good thing. In a world where people are so cruel to themselves and beat themselves up every morning when they look in the mirror because society tells them they’re not good enough, is it not a good thing to tell yourself that you’re proud of yourself and what you are?

 

[John_of_Woking]

I don’t understand why being proud of yourself, or of others and their accomplishments is a sin? Taking pride in yourself and not letting others get you down when you stand your ground sounds like a good thing. In a world where people are so cruel to themselves and beat themselves up every morning when they look in the mirror because society tells them they’re not good enough, is it not a good thing to tell yourself that you’re proud of yourself and what you are?

If you give the glory to God and attribute all that is good - such as your accomplishments to God’s unmerited gifts (he holds us in being afterall) then it is not pride. Pride is when we don’t give God the credit. It is basically saying “God I don’t need you”. Humilty is recognising our true condition…part of the massa damnata save for God’s grace

 

[Good_News_1]

I think of pride as forgetting God as the source of accomplishment.

I am not responsible for my talents (or lack thereof), or for the good fortune I may have (or not have) in my upbringing, opportunities, etc.

I am not responsible for the grace I receive from God in my life, or the support I receive from others.

I am responsible for what I do with those things. There is a balance between pride and gratitude. I think of sinful pride as that which exaggerates my role in my success, to the exclusion of the role of God and others. Reflection tells me that I am not the author of the majority of my good fortune or accomplishments.

 

[Lancer]

For your consideration…Pax Christi

Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas said of Pride "inordinate self-love is the cause of every sin ** (1,77) … the root of pride** is found to consist in man not being, in some way, subject to God and His rule."

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
SECOND EDITION
V. THE PROLIFERATION OF SIN
1865 Sin creates a proclivity to sin; it engenders vice by repetition of the same acts. This results in perverse inclinations which cloud conscience and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil. Thus sin tends to reproduce itself and reinforce itself, but it cannot destroy the moral sense at its root.
1866 Vices can be classified according to the virtues they oppose, or also be linked to the capital sins which Christian experience has distinguished, following St. John Cassian and St. Gregory the Great. They are called “capital” because they engender other sins, other vices.138 They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia.
1867 The catechetical tradition also recalls that there are “sins that cry to heaven”: the blood of Abel,139 the sin of the Sodomites,140 the cry of the people oppressed in Egypt,141 the cry of the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan,142 injustice to the wage earner.143
1868 Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:

• by participating directly and voluntarily in them;
• by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
• by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;
• by protecting evil-doers.
  1869 Thus sin makes men accomplices of one another and causes concupiscence, violence, and injustice to reign among them. Sins give rise to social situations and institutions that are contrary to the divine goodness. “Structures of sin” are the expression and effect of personal sins. They lead their victims to do evil in their turn. In an analogous sense, they constitute a "social sin."144

 

[Rascalking]

I don’t understand why being proud of yourself, or of others and their accomplishments is a sin? Taking pride in yourself and not letting others get you down when you stand your ground sounds like a good thing. In a world where people are so cruel to themselves and beat themselves up every morning when they look in the mirror because society tells them they’re not good enough, is it not a good thing to tell yourself that you’re proud of yourself and what you are?

There is nothing wrong with taking pride in what your doing. For example, I’m a gifted chess player. It took me a long time to learn that skill, and I practice it all the time. I’m proud of my accomplishments in playing chess.

What DOES make it a sin is when I say “I’m a superior person because I can play chess better than you. Morally, I am superior.” That is where the issue is.

 

[po18guy]

I don’t understand why being proud of yourself, or of others and their accomplishments is a sin? Taking pride in yourself and not letting others get you down when you stand your ground sounds like a good thing. In a world where people are so cruel to themselves and beat themselves up every morning when they look in the mirror because society tells them they’re not good enough, is it not a good thing to tell yourself that you’re proud of yourself and what you are?

It traces back to Satan, who was proud of himself. Did Jesus ever once command anyone to be proud of themselves, or did he tell them to repent? Did Mary claim to be proud or, rather, a humble handmaiden of the Lord? In her magnificat, she proclaims that the Lord has humbled the proud and raised up the lowly. Notice that this raising and lowering is done by the Lord, and not by humans. The problem with pride is that it is a product of the ego, which lead Satan to rebel against God. Ego lead Adam and Eve to fall from grace: “You will become like gods, knowing good and evil”. Pride is a flame and must be controlled and kept small (or put out), or it flares up and consumes one. All glory and honor is due God, and not man - either oneself, or others.

 

[Carlan]

It traces back to Satan, who was proud of himself. Did Jesus ever once command anyone to be proud of themselves, or did he tell them to repent? Did Mary claim to be proud or, rather, a humble handmaiden of the Lord? In her magnificat, she proclaims that the Lord has humbled the proud and raised up the lowly. Notice that this raising and lowering is done by the Lord, and not by humans. The problem with pride is that it is a product of the ego, which lead Satan to rebel against God. Ego lead Adam and Eve to fall from grace: “You will become like gods, knowing good and evil”. Pride is a flame and must be controlled and kept small (or put out), or it flares up and consumes one. All glory and honor is due God, and not man - either oneself, or others.

Thank you God for all the very good insights into what pride really is. We all need to reflect and grow in humility!
Peace, Carlan

 

[Love_Divine]

So does that mean it’s a sin for someone who has very low self esteem to use positive affirmations such as, “I am the greatest. I am the best.” just to build them up to where they should be? I’m not saying they go around acting all superior over everyone, and meaning it, but it seems like in this world you almost need to over-compensate what you tell yourself to bring up a level of self confidence and self esteem once can use to function in the world.

 

[Rascalking]

So does that mean it’s a sin for someone who has very low self esteem to use positive affirmations such as, “I am the greatest. I am the best.” just to build them up to where they should be? I’m not saying they go around acting all superior over everyone, and meaning it, but it seems like in this world you almost need to over-compensate what you tell yourself to bring up a level of self confidence and self esteem once can use to function in the world.

Well, if you have low self esteem, the best thing to do is to go out and **earn **it. You earn it by accomplishing things. Start a goal centered hobby. Karate, mountain climbing…something like that.

I cannot, for the life of me, imagine why taking pride in your abilities is sinful. Can you take it to an extreme? Yes, of course you can, but it’s not a zero sum game where it’s either walk around thinking your God, or become so insecure and depressed that you never leave your house.

If your really confused about whether something is sinful, talk to a priest.

 

[po18guy]

So does that mean it’s a sin for someone who has very low self esteem to use positive affirmations such as, “I am the greatest. I am the best.” just to build them up to where they should be? I’m not saying they go around acting all superior over everyone, and meaning it, but it seems like in this world you almost need to over-compensate what you tell yourself to bring up a level of self confidence and self esteem once can use to function in the world.

The “self esteem” movement is purely man-made in origin and, by design, is entirely separate from God. It is well-intentioned, but ultimately doomed to failure because of its separation from God. Low self esteem results from a lack of knowledge of God, or of God’s unfathomable love of us, and our value to Him. Such problems are not repaired by learning to exalt the self, since we are finite and routinely fail. Many who “benefit” from the self esteem movement are crushed when they confront the world and its failures, as well as their personal failings.

Jesus, in His human nature, should have suffered from low self esteem after the way He was maltreated and rejected by those in power and authority, as well as being abandoned by His followers (John 6). He did not, because of His perfect knowledge of the Father, to Whom all honor and glory are due. Our concept of self must be rooted in our total reliance upon the love and mercy of God. Adam and Eve tried to exalt themselves by their own power, and were reduced to shame.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I think of pride as forgetting God as the source of accomplishment.

I am not responsible for my talents (or lack thereof), or for the good fortune I may have (or not have) in my upbringing, opportunities, etc.

I am not responsible for the grace I receive from God in my life, or the support I receive from others.

I am responsible for what I do with those things. There is a balance between pride and gratitude. I think of sinful pride as that which exaggerates my role in my success, to the exclusion of the role of God and others. Reflection tells me that I am not the author of the majority of my good fortune or accomplishments.

Agreed, it is closely akin to idolatry when we attribute to ourselves the credit that belongs to God who gave us our abilities. The proud one worships himself rather than God.

 

[Pug]

So does that mean it’s a sin for someone who has very low self esteem to use positive affirmations such as, “I am the greatest. I am the best.” just to build them up to where they should be? I’m not saying they go around acting all superior over everyone, and meaning it, but it seems like in this world you almost need to over-compensate what you tell yourself to bring up a level of self confidence and self esteem once can use to function in the world.

I know what kind of phrases you mean. Perhaps if you feel that it is helpful to tell yourself phrases, pick phrases that are comfortable to you and are true? Are you a good cook? Tell yourself, “I am a good cook.” Pick something suited to yourself, of course.

I find it helpful to realize the dignity of man, and how it is that God became man to save us. This shows the value of each one of us is very great. God loves each of us very much!

 

[Rascalking]

. The proud one worships himself rather than God.

Well, I’m both proud of my accomplishments in life, and I worship God, not myself. I’m really cool like that.

 

[po18guy]

Here is what the catechism has to say on the subject:

CCC1866 Vices can be classified according to the virtues they oppose, or also be linked to the capital sins which Christian experience has distinguished, following St. John Cassian and St. Gregory the Great. They are called “capital” because they engender other sins, other vices.138 They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia.

CCC2540 Envy represents a form of sadness and therefore a refusal of charity; the baptized person should struggle against it by exercising good will. Envy often comes from pride; the baptized person should train himself to live in humility:

“Would you like to see God glorified by you? Then rejoice in your brother’s progress and you will immediately give glory to God. Because his servant could conquer envy by rejoicing in the merits of others, God will be praised.” - St. John Chrysostom, Hom. in Rom. 71,5G 60,448

CCC2094 One can sin against God’s love in various ways:

• indifference neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity; it fails to consider its prevenient goodness and denies its power.
• ingratitude fails or refuses to acknowledge divine charity and to return him love for love.
• lukewarmness is hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love; it can imply refusal to give oneself over to the prompting of charity.
• acedia or spiritual sloth goes so far as to refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine goodness.
• hatred of God comes from pride. It is contrary to love of God, whose goodness it denies, and whom it presumes to curse as the one who forbids sins and inflicts punishments.

 

[Newbie2]

I don’t understand why being proud of yourself, or of others and their accomplishments is a sin? Taking pride in yourself and not letting others get you down when you stand your ground sounds like a good thing. In a world where people are so cruel to themselves and beat themselves up every morning when they look in the mirror because society tells them they’re not good enough, is it not a good thing to tell yourself that you’re proud of yourself and what you are?

I think we first need to address what is meant by Pride:

I think of pride as forgetting God as the source of accomplishment.

I am not responsible for my talents (or lack thereof), or for the good fortune I may have (or not have) in my upbringing, opportunities, etc.

I am not responsible for the grace I receive from God in my life, or the support I receive from others.

I am responsible for what I do with those things. There is a balance between pride and gratitude. I think of sinful pride as that which exaggerates my role in my success, to the exclusion of the role of God and others. Reflection tells me that I am not the author of the majority of my good fortune or accomplishments.

There is nothing wrong with taking pride in what your doing. For example, I’m a gifted chess player. It took me a long time to learn that skill, and I practice it all the time. I’m proud of my accomplishments in playing chess.

What DOES make it a sin is when I say “I’m a superior person because I can play chess better than you. Morally, I am superior.” That is where the issue is.

So does that mean it’s a sin for someone who has very low self esteem to use positive affirmations such as, “I am the greatest. I am the best.” just to build them up to where they should be? I’m not saying they go around acting all superior over everyone, and meaning it, but*** it seems like in this world you almost need to over-compensate what you tell yourself to bring up a level of self confidence and self esteem once can use to function in the world***.

It can be sinful. Better to use affirmations such as “God made me the perfect me”. If one says they are the “best” or the “greatest”…what do they mean?..the best what? The greatest what? The greatest that you can be or the greatest as in being better than everyone else?

While it may seem like such overcompensations are necessary, may I suggest that it’s a matter of perspective. There is and will always be someone better looking, wealthier, better educated (smarter) and luckier than you and I. There will always be people more talented, more motivated, more (insert anything here) than you and I.

Keeping that in mind, the liklihood that you or I will be the best or greatest at anything is right about zero. The perspective comes in when you ask the question, “So what?” As long as you and I strive to be the best that we can be for what God intended for us, we already are the best or greatest at something that really matters.

Each and every one of us could make improvements, and that’s OK. We cannot, however, cease to be comfortable with who God made us and be dissatisfied because someone else is “better” at this or that. Such dissastisfaction, methinks, is at the rood of self-esteem issues.