If you have Explorer, you probably signed on a few hours ago and were greeted by this headline on MSN.com: “The Seven Deadly Sins of Life.” And for a split second maybe you wondered: Is this a religious message? Are they talking about my life?
But then it went on:
Lust, pride, greed, envy, wrath, gluttony & sloth: See which celebs have sinned. Read about home-wrecking stars, money-hungry CEOs, boastful athletes & more.
On it went in that vein. (“Celebrity cheaters old & new, from Liz ‘n’ Dick to Brangelina. Who are they?” Click here and find out!)
And you realized that this wasn’t much of a call to turn from sin in your own life. It was mainly an invitation to wallow in the sins of others, who (by remarkable coincidence) happened to be rich, famous and pretty.
Not that you weren’t allowed to disapprove of them. In fact, you were invited to do that too. After all, the pleasure of reviling celebrities and feeling superior to them keeps you clicking. Adore ’em or abhor ’em, you make someone money with every click.
The devil’s got a similar approach. Whether we love the sin or loathe the sinner, he can work with it. He may manage to get us to do both, pretty much at once.
This stuff comes at us every day in so many ways, and it’s easy to get used to it. Which is all the more reason to consciously guard against it.
So here’s the question. When this celebrity-sin stuff comes your way, as it does every day in so many ways, how often do you (A) turn it off and turn away, or (B) keep soaking it up? (“I’ll watch just a few more seconds.” “I’ll just skim this story.” “I’ll just click this one link.”)
