Gluttony: The Seven Deadly Sins

Book of the Day: Gluttony: The Seven Deadly Sins, by Francine Prose. Publisher: Oxford University Press

Knowledge of the seven deadly sins today is inferior to the past, but many can still name most of the sins on the list. How many remember that gluttony is one of the sins, though, much less understand why it was traditionally condemned by Christianity as a sin equal to that of lust, pride, anger, or envy? Modern America is experiencing a crusade against overeating, even as obesity continues to reach record levels, but there are differences as well as similarities to condemnations of gluttony.

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