Posted by
Corthell on Friday, May 15, 2009 3:22:19 PM
Las Vegas may be known as "Sin City," but when it comes to transgressions per capita, parts of the Bible Belt may burn much hotter, suggests a new study by Kansas State University geographers. The project, conducted by four graduate students in the university's department of geography, maps out "hot spots" for Christianity's seven deadly sins -- lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.
The hot-spot data is based on federal statistics such as sexually transmitted disease rates for lust, theft rates for envy and violent crime rates for wrath.
Researcher Ryan Bergstrom emphasizes the project was intended as a secular mapping exercise, but faith leaders have been gradually discovering it through word of mouth. Many express surprise and disbelief at findings that show America's deep South as suffering from more overall sinfulness than southern Nevada.
The Rev. Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland Church in Longwood, Fla., speculated the results could mean that regional stereotypes about morality have been greatly exaggerated.