Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechism

For the PC(USA) these confessions are the lists of sins. As with an earlier catechism that treated the ten commandments, they aren't as simple as they sometimes sound and none of us can claim to have kept a one. You'll want to note my favorite sin - in amongst the list of sexual - is forbidding the keeping of stews.

VII. The Larger and Shorter Catechisms By far the most fruitful source of practices called sin, these catechisms enumerate at least the following (references are to the larger catechism, which appears to the writer to include all sins identified in the shorter):

A. (Q105): Sins forbidden in the first commandment:
1. atheism
2. idolatry
3. failing to acknowledge God as God
4. the omission or neglect of anything due God
5. ignorance, forgetfulness, misapprehensions, false opinions, unworthy and wicked thoughts of God
6. bold and curious searchings into God's secrets (the nature of which is not stated)
7. profaneness, hatred of God, self-love, self-seeking, and all other inordinate and immoderate setting of our mind, will, or affections on things other than God in whole or in part
8. vain credulity, unbelief, misbelief, distrust, despair, incorrigibleness and insensibleness under judgments, hardness of heart, pride, presumption, carnal security, tempting of God
9. using unlawful means and trusting in lawful means
10. carnal delights and joys
11. corrupt, blind, and indiscreet zeal
12. lukewarmness and deadness in the things of God
13. estranging ourselves and apostatizing from God
14. praying or giving any religious worship to saints, angels, or any other creatures
15. all compacts and consulting with the devil and harkening to his suggestions
16. making men [sic] the lords of our faith and conscience
17. slighting and despising God and God's commands
18. resisting and grieving of God's Spirit, discontent and impatience at God's dispensations, charging God foolishly for evils inflicted on us
19. ascribing any good we are, have, or can do to fortune, idols, ourselves, or any other creatures

B. (Q109) Sins forbidden in the second commandment:
1. devising, counseling, commanding, using, and otherwise approving any religious worship not instituted by God
2. making any representation (or image) of God, either mentally or physically
3. worshiping an image of God, or worshiping God through an image
4. making any representation of feigned deities, worshiping or serving them
5. all superstitious devices which corrupt the worship of God, from any source
6. simony and sacrilege
7. neglect or contempt of or hindering or opposing the worship ordinances which God has appointed
C. (Q113) Sins forbidden by the third commandment:
1. not using God's name as required
2. abusing God's name in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane, superstitious or wicked way
3. blasphemy
4. perjury
5. cursing, oaths, vows, and lots
6. violating our lawful oaths and vows
7. fulfilling unlawful vows
8. murmuring and quarreling at, curious prying into, and misapplication of God's decrees and providence
9. misinterpreting, misapplying, or perverting the Word, or any part of it, to profane jests, curious and unprof~table questions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false doctrines
10. using the Word for purposes of charms or sinful lusts and practices
11. maligning, scorning, reviling, or opposing God's truth, grace, and ways
12. professing religion in hypocrisy or for sinister ends
13. being ashamed of, or a shame to, the Word by walking in uncomfortable, unwise, unfruitful, and offensive ways, or backsliding

D. (Q119) Sins forbidden by the fourth commandment:
1. omitting the duties of the Sabbath, carelessly performing them, and being weary of them
2. idleness or doing what is in itself sinful on the Sabbath
3. needless works, words, and thoughts about our worldly employments and recreations

E. (Q128) Sins of "inferiors" forbidden by the fifth commandment:
1. neglect of duties required toward superiors
2. envying at, contempt of, and rebellion against superiors' persons and places in their lawful counsels, commands and corrections
3. cursing, mocking and refractory and scandalous carriage which is a shame or dishonor to superiors and their government

F. (Q130) Sins of "superiors" forbidden in the fifth commandment
1. neglect of duties required of them
2. inordinate seeking of themselves, their own glory, ease, profit or pleasure
3. commanding things unlawful or not in the power of inferiors to perform
4. counseling, encouraging, or favoring inferiors in that which is evil
5. dissuading, discouraging, or discountenancing inferiors in that which is good
6. correcting inferiors unduly
7. carelessly exposing or leaving inferiors to wrong, temptation, and danger
8. unjust, indiscreet, rigorous, or remiss behavior
G. (Q132) Sins of "equals" forbidden in the fifth commandment:
1. neglect of the duties required of them
2. undervaluing the worth of another
3. envying the gifts of another
4. grieving at the advancement or prosperity of another
5. usurping preeminence

H. (Q136) Sins forbidden in the sixth commandment:
1. suicide
2. taking away another's life except in case of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defense
3. neglecting or withdrawing the lawful or necessary means of preserving life
4. anger, hatred, envy, or desire of revenge
5. excessive passions
6. distracting cares
7. immoderate use of meat, drink, labor, and recreation
8. provoking words
9. oppression, quarreling, striking, wounding
10. whatever else tends to the destruction of the life of any

I. (Q137) Sins forbidden in the seventh commandment: 1
. neglect of the required duties, which are:
a. chastity in body, mind, affections, words, and behavior
b. preservation of chastity in ourselves and others
c. watchfulness over the eyes and all the senses
d. temperance
e. keeping chaste company
f. modesty in apparel
g. marriage by those who do not have the gifts of continency, conjugal love, and cohabitation
h. diligent labor in our callings
i. shunning of all occasions of uncleanness and resisting temptations thereto
2. adultery
3. fornication
4. rape
5. incest
6. unnatural lusts
7. unclean imaginations, thoughts, purposes, and affections
8. engaging in or listing to corrupt or filthy communications
9. wanton looks
10. imprudent or light behavior
11. immodest apparel
12. prohibiting lawful marriages
13. dispensing with unlawful marriages
14. allowing, tolerating, keeping of stews (brothels) and resorting to them
15. entangling vows of single lif
16. undue delay of marriage
17. having more than one spouse at a single time
18. unjust divorce or desertion
19. idleness 20. gluttony 21. drunkenness
22. unchaste company
23. lascivious songs, books, pictures, dancings, stage plays
24. provocations to, or acts of, uncleanness in ourselves or others

J. (Q142) Sins forbidden by the eighth commandment:
1. Neglect of the required duties, which are:
a. truth, faithfulness, and justice in contracts and commerce
b. rendering to everyone his due
c. restitution of goods unlawfully detained
d. giving and lending freely according to our abilities and the necessities of others
f. moderation of our judgments, wills, and affections concerning
e. worldly goods
f. provident care and study to get and use things necessary for our nature and suitable to our condition
g. a lawful calling and a diligence in it
h. frugality
i. avoiding unnecessary lawsuits and suretyship
j. an endeavor by all just and lawful means to promote the welfare of others as well as our own 2. theft, robbery, man-stealing, receiving stolen goods
3. fraudulent dealing, false weights and measures, removing landmarks, injustice and unfaithfulness in contracts or in matters of trust
4. oppression, extortion, usury, bribery, vexatious lawsuits, unjust enclosures and depopulations
5. engrossing commodities to increase the price
6. unlawful callings
7. unlawfully taking what belongs to our neighbor or enriching ourselves
8. covetousness and inordinate desire for worldly goods
9. inordinate attention to getting, keeping, and using worldly goods
lO. envying the prosperity of others
11. idleness, prodigality, wasteful gaming and all other wastes of our outward estate

K. (Q145) Sins forbidden by the ninth commandment:
1. prejudicing of the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, especially in court
2. giving false evidence
3. suborning false witnesses
4. knowingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause
5. outfacing and overbearing the truth
6. passing unjust sentence
7. calling evil good, and good evil
8. rewarding the wicked as if righteous, or the righteous as if wicked
9. forgery
10. concealing the truth
11. undue silence in a just cause
12. holding our peace when we should reprove or complain
13. speaking the truth unseasonably or for a wrongful purpose, perverting the truth to a wrong meaning or an equivocal expression to the prejudice of truth or justice
14. speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, talebearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling
15. rash, harsh, and partial censuring
16. misconstruing intentions, words, and actions 1
7. vainglorious boasting
18. thinking too highly or too meanly of ourselves and others
19. denying the gifts and graces of God
20. aggravating smaller faults
21. covering up sins
22. unnecessary discovering of infirmities
23. raising false rumors
24. receiving and countenancing evil reports .
25. stopping our ears against just defense
26. evil suspicion
27. envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any
28. endeavoring or desiring to impair the credit of another or rejoicing in another's disgrace and infamy
29. scornful contempt
30. fond (ie., foolish) admiration
31. breach of lawful promises
32. neglecting such things as are of good report
33. failing to avoid in ourselves, and hinder in others, those things that damage reputation

L. (Q148) Sins forbidden in the tenth commandment:
1. discontentment with our own estate
2. envying and grieving at our neighbor's good
3. inordinate motions and affections to anything that is our neighbor's