Why are there only 7 deadly sins?

Answer 1

Catholic AnswerThe seven deadly sins are the opposite of the seven virtues:

Pride / Humility

Greed / Liberality

Lust / Chastity

Anger / Meekness

Gluttony / Temperance

Envy / Brotherly love

Sloth / Diligence

They are the seven deadly sins as they are the root of all sins, and all of them are rooted in Pride - the original sin, the Sin of Lucifer, who wanted to be like God, and make his own decision as to what was good and what was sin. The same original sin of mankind.

They are deadly as they are mortal sins which cause the death of the soul, the death of Divine Grace, and result in eternal disaster in hell.

AnswerPresumably because they can lead a person to his/her death. Also, these are the sins that guarantee your own spot in Hell forever.

Answer 2

The "seven deadly sins" have been considered sins since the time God gave his law to the Jewish people. They are the primary reasons we fall into countless other sins, such as because of Lust we cheat on our spouses, look at pornography, etc...another example would be because of Greed we don't help the needy, don't share what we can to benefit others etc..

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Catholic AnswerThe didn't "become" sins, they always were sins. The became the seven deadly sins in the early Church when the Church was trying to put together a catechetical formula for people to learn about sins. The seven deadly sins are the "root" sins, or categories of sins from which all sins evolve, and even all of them have their root in pride - which is the original sin of Satan and our first parents (as far as we know).