Catholic teaching holds that there can be no conflict between faith and reason, but history shows us that sometimes scientists and theologians have been at odds. This often happens when either the scientist or theologian speaks outside his or her specialty.

Scientists who deny the existence of God have a right to their opinions, but they are not speaking as scientists but as philosophers. Likewise, theologians have no expertise in estimating the age of the earth.

For Catholics, the apparent conflict between Genesis and contemporary science was resolved by improvements in biblical theology, which respects the literary form and cultural context of scripture.

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Theologians have traditionally argued that pride is the core sin because it is placing ourselves above God and God’s law. Most of us, however, don’t live on that philosophical plane.

On a personal level, each of us sins and is sinned against in unique ways that are hurtful to ourselves, our families and our neighbors. Each of the deadly sins can lead to personal unhappiness, family disunity and interpersonal conflict. These sins rarely occur in isolation; we experience them in bundles.

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