Sloth (deadly sin)

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In the Christian moral tradition, sloth (Latin: accidia, pigritia) is one of the seven capital sins, often called the seven deadly sins; these sins are called the capital sins because they lead easily to other sins. Sloth is defined as spiritual and/or actual apathy or laziness, putting off what God asks you to do, or not doing it or anything at all. Acedia is a Latin word, from Greek akedia, literally meaning "absence of caring".

Sloth can also concern wasting due to lack of use or allowing entropy, expanding into almost any person, place, thing, skills, or intangible ideal that would require maintenance, refinement and/or support to continue to exist.

Several religious views concerning the need for one to work to support society and further God's plan and work by doing so reflects that by not being active alone, you invite the desire to sin on its own. "For Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do" Isaac Watts.

The meaning of sloth as a vice closely follows the meaning of the Greek word "akedia": "absence of caring". A student who neglects his studies to pursue another interest, such as martial arts or filming, does not necessarily commit the sin of sloth. Perhaps he should restructure his priorities, but the student does not necessarily display a spiritual decay, a lack of interest in anything, and thus is not slothful. A student who took no interest in anything requiring great effort, but preferred to watch television and play video games, might well be slothful.