In Christian tradition, sins which have the most serious impact on spiritual development have been classified as "deadly sins." Which sins qualify for this category have varied - Christian theologians have developed different lists of the most serious sins which people might commit. Gregory the Great created what is considered today to be the definitive list of seven: pride, envy, anger, dejection, avarice, gluttony and lust.
Although each can inspire troubling behavior, that isn't always the case. Anger, for example, can be justified as a response to injustice and as a motivation to achieve justice. Moreover, this list fails to address behaviors which actually harm others and instead focuses on motivations: torturing and killing someone isn't a "deadly sin" if one is motivated by love rather than anger. The "seven deadly sins" are thus not only deeply flawed, but have encouraged deeper flaws in Christian morality and theology.
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