Catholic Dictionary
Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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SOURCE OF SIN
The principle or root of all sinful human actions. Two sources are commonly found in revelation, deriving from the two sides to every sin, the turning to transient satisfaction, and the turning away from everlasting good. As regards the first, the principle of all sin can be called lust, lust in its most general sense, namely, the unbridled desire for one's own pleasure. As regards the second, the principle is pride, pride in its general sense, the lack of submission to God. Lust and pride in this pervasive sense may also be called capital sins, but more properly they are the rooots and sprouts of vice, as the desire for happiness is the root of all virtue.
