British magazine “Focus” calls itself “a magazine of science, technology and the future”.

Its latest edition carries an article on whether Nature (would that be God?) has “programmed” mankind to be sinful.

Entitled, “Born to sin: Why nature wants you to be bad”, the item talks about parts of the brain which supposedly “wire” human beings to commit the seven deadly sins (wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony).

It then identifies Australia as the world’s most sinful nation — its worst sin being envy.

Nonsense, you might say. What about nations which are waging civil wars and letting millions starve while others are affluent?

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Or is the article more perceptive and insightful that we care to admit?

Are Australians so hypocritical as to avoid the visible sins of killing other adults and excessive material inequalities, while harbouring, at the centre of our souls, total contempt for God — and for anything else but our whims and arrogances?

Many Australians will possibly further trivialise and animalise themselves by treating this whole question as a joke.

For example, Father Bob Maguire, described by Cathnews Online as “a popular Melbourne priest”, saying that Australians had their vices, but were also very virtuous.

“I think the people who did this survey are just jealous of we Aussies, and rightly so,” he said. “Australians like to indulge and enjoy the good things in life . . .”  

 You can imagine the rest.

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The other day, South Australian state government treasurer, Kevin Foley, told the media that he had “always been a liberal . . . progressive about poker machines and gambling”.

He called poker machines “an activity that brings enjoyment to many, many people” — although he conceded that “there are some who clearly have trouble with their gambling addiction.”

He dismissed them, however, saying, “There are services to help them”.

But he knows, and we all know, that such “help” is too little too late.