The Seven Deadly Sins of the Church
Not necessarily in order of magnitude…
1. Abuse of power
2. Oppression of women
3. Concealing/protecting/tacitly encouraging abusive clergy
4. Demonising abuse victims who complain publicly
5. Enforcing a code of submission to church authority
6. Promoting internal myth as absolute truth
7. Self protection — including such things as a) maintaining public status by lies and political pressure, b) the accumulation of money for the furtherance of the organisation rather than the relief of the poor, and c) silencing questioning members by accusing them of lack of faith.
These cause the spiritual death – not of the church (I’m not sure that such an organisation has much spiritual life to start with!) – but of its adherents who suffer the effects of the sins.