Is Obesity a Sin?

[Kae]

Originally Posted by NotforSale

What's funny, I'm a pastor and I struggle with this verse, too. When I tell the saints to exercise, "But Pastor, it profiteth LITTLE". I mean, uh, well, uh yeah, I know, but, you know (not trying to sound like Obama here)................

I just say, "A little means a whole lot to the Lord".

How do you like that "context"????

This scripture was written when the main mode of transportation was walking.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by NotforSale

With obesity considered the #1 health epidemic in America, causing irrepairable damage to the human body (our temple), how should we as Christians approach this subject? I was told as a new convert, take care of your temple (body). Be moderate. Have temperance (have self-control).

Repent of things that destroy and be a good example.

Obesity is proven to cause diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer; and the list goes on.

We tell folks to quit smoking because of the dangerous side affects caused by this unhealthy habit. Are we able to take this stand if we accept the "overweight" issue by looking the other way?

I've seen many preachers "joke" away at this subject to calm the air of thier obvious lack of self-control in this area. In reality, being fat is not funny, it's unhealthy. I've watched them preach strong and hard to live holy; Live holy? I guess I'm a little confused here, as holiness covers our physical and spiritual being.

Don't mean to offend here, just stating the facts of how the lost may (are) looking at our ability to justify gluttony. In past churches I've attended, visitors were very suprised at the amount of overweight people on the pews. I'm not just talking about a few pounds either; 100 or more.

I have many good friends who are big. One of them is 400 pounds and he is only 40. He laughs now, but in the next few years laughter will turn to tears.

I do believe mercy plays a role in this somewhere. But, where do we draw the line? How far do we go? Will the church simply end up "full" of the sick because we can't push the plate away or get off the couch?

The prayer line would shrink and we would feel better if we would learn the blessing of proper diet and exercise.

If you are overweight and are reading this, please, I have compassion on your dilema. We have great abundance in this Country and many convienences that now take away the "task" where calories were once burned. There is hope, though. Find people who enjoy getting out, who have the same desire as you to shed the pounds and get in shape.

People can revolutionize thier existence by good old fashioned discipline and motivation. Not only will you feel better, people will notice you care about yourself and your Light will shine with new vigor. The doctor will be stunned when you show up to your next appointment with normal blood pressure and no more need for "PILLS".

I have only read the first post... but I will comment on this.

1, Obesity is a symptom. A result.
2. Obesity can never and would never be a sin because obesity is not an action.
3. Gluttony is a sin.
4. There are definitely gluttons and that is a sin. But not all obese people are the result of gluttony and not all gluttons are fat.
5. Some "skinny" people eat more than some "fat" people. Which one will be called the glutton? There are many factors. Lineage, metabolism, activity rate, living in a country where high carb/low fiber foods are the norm. I am not saying "It's not their fault". I am saying it isn't as simple as you are making it.

I have more points to make... but I will stop here.

It is very easy to make a post about other people and their physical condition when each of us has a totally different set of circumstances, historical family leanings, metabolic rates, monetary ability to purchase good foods etc.

It is very easy to file it all nicely in a nutshell and even preface the post with a question that pulls a null sum.

To answer your question... again...

Obesity is not, never has been and will never be a sin. Obesity is not an action... it is a result.

[Kae]

Malnutrition causes obesity. The body thinks you are fasting and starts storing up fat. It is hard to find nutrient rich foods these days.

People a hundred years ago ate about 5lbs of sugar a year. Today people eat 150lbs a year.

Calories don't matter as long as they are nutrient rich. You need nutrients to exercise, very difficult to do without energy.

An athlete just thinks about exercise and he starts to lose weight. An average person has to do 15 minutes before the body will start burning fat. A person that is seditary will take 30 to 45 minutes of exercise before their bodies will begin to burn fat.

When you start adding more nutrient rich foods to your diet it will first go to the most serious health issues before it will go to the weight loss.

Drink a gallon of water a day (work up to it) and it will flush out toxic water from the body which will result in quick weight loss that isn't harmful.

You didn't get their overnight and it isn't a quick fix, no matter how many diets come out proclaiming otherwise.

Some obese people have been that way since they were young. We need to stop badgering people and telling them it is just a matter of self control. It is a matter of knowledge.

Sugar is poison to the body and will cause you to eat things you normally wouldn't touch with a clear mind.

[tbpew]

Originally Posted by Kae

Malnutrition causes obesity. The body thinks you are fasting and starts storing up fat. It is hard to find nutrient rich foods these days.

People a hundred years ago ate about 5lbs of sugar a year. Today people eat 150lbs a year.

Calories don't matter as long as they are nutrient rich. You need nutrients to exercise, very difficult to do without energy.

An athlete just thinks about exercise and he starts to lose weight. An average person has to do 15 minutes before the body will start burning fat. A person that is seditary will take 30 to 45 minutes of exercise before their bodies will begin to burn fat.

When you start adding more nutrient rich foods to your diet it will first go to the most serious health issues before it will go to the weight loss.

Drink a gallon of water a day (work up to it) and it will flush out toxic water from the body which will result in quick weight loss that isn't harmful.

You didn't get their overnight and it isn't a quick fix, no matter how many diets come out proclaiming otherwise.

Some obese people have been that way since they were young. We need to stop badgering people and telling them it is just a matter of self control. It is a matter of knowledge.

Sugar is poison to the body and will cause you to eat things you normally wouldn't touch with a clear mind.

IMO, Kae's post seems valuable and thoughtful, thanks for taking the time.

I can not help believing that something is VERY WRONG in our understanding involving what we take into our bodies. I am inclined to believe that our adversary, who is a liar, is subtly in the big mix. A mixture that may well involve various influences like; mood, lust (desire to have), propensity toward excess, fear of lack, enticements, pleasure centers, and a general lack of alertness toward cause and effect.

Similar to the endless supply of lascivious images that invade our sightlines, food (solid and liquid) is set before us as something that can be for good or for evil.

Obesity is an "effect" of something. How each of us, as spiritually-minded sojourners, participate in the "consumables" of this present world, will help us consider our own hearts...from which all the issues of life proceed, and also the manner in which the adversary and sin can be given place in our lives.

As far as our body is concerned, consumption is largely a "chemical" feedstock. Stimuli and responses; triggers and dominoes, each one affecting the other. With such vast complexity, the need for a wonderful counselor to guide us in this aspect of life is undeniable.

[*AQuietPlace*]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

I have only read the first post... but I will comment on this.

1, Obesity is a symptom. A result.
2. Obesity can never and would never be a sin because obesity is not an action.
3. Gluttony is a sin.
4. There are definitely gluttons and that is a sin. But not all obese people are the result of gluttony and not all gluttons are fat.
5. Some "skinny" people eat more than some "fat" people. Which one will be called the glutton? There are many factors. Lineage, metabolism, activity rate, living in a country where high carb/low fiber foods are the norm. I am not saying "It's not their fault". I am saying it isn't as simple as you are making it.

I have more points to make... but I will stop here.

It is very easy to make a post about other people and their physical condition when each of us has a totally different set of circumstances, historical family leanings, metabolic rates, monetary ability to purchase good foods etc.

It is very easy to file it all nicely in a nutshell and even preface the post with a question that pulls a null sum.

To answer your question... again...

Obesity is not, never has been and will never be a sin. Obesity is not an action... it is a result.

Good post.

Obesity is easy to point fingers at, because it's so visible. But gluttony is the real sin, as is abusing your body, and not all gluttons, or body abusers, are obese. And vice versa.

I have a friend who is very, very skinny. And yet, she lives on candy bars and Pepsi. That's pretty much all she eats. She's always tired with no energy. She doesn't nourish her temple.

I also know someone who is so obsessed with being 'thin' that she does not eat enough. That's very damaging to your body, too. But when someone preaches against obesity, she can sit straight and tall and smug. (and does)

So we can't "hear" an obese preacher. What about one that has covetousness in his heart? One that struggles with bitterness? Pride?

We all have issues that we struggle with. Obesity is just visible. You don't know how much that obese person struggles with their weight and tries to lose it. There are a lot of mental struggles that are involved with losing weight. I'd recommend praying for that person, with compassion, instead of judging them.

I read that you can eat only ONE HUNDRED calories per DAY more than your body needs, and gain 20 lbs. in one year. That's not gluttony. Our body doesn't have a meter on our arm that tells us that we've reached enough calories for the day. It's very easy to go 100 calories over.

If you've ever struggled with your weight, you know how hard it can be to lose it. It took me a lot of Weight Watchers meetings, and much prayer just to lose 25 lbs.

Once again, I suggest praying for people instead of pointing fingers. Unless you're positive you don't have a beam in your own eye.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by Kae

Malnutrition causes obesity. The body thinks you are fasting and starts storing up fat. It is hard to find nutrient rich foods these days.

People a hundred years ago ate about 5lbs of sugar a year. Today people eat 150lbs a year.

Calories don't matter as long as they are nutrient rich. You need nutrients to exercise, very difficult to do without energy.

An athlete just thinks about exercise and he starts to lose weight. An average person has to do 15 minutes before the body will start burning fat. A person that is seditary will take 30 to 45 minutes of exercise before their bodies will begin to burn fat.

When you start adding more nutrient rich foods to your diet it will first go to the most serious health issues before it will go to the weight loss.

Drink a gallon of water a day (work up to it) and it will flush out toxic water from the body which will result in quick weight loss that isn't harmful.

You didn't get their overnight and it isn't a quick fix, no matter how many diets come out proclaiming otherwise.

Some obese people have been that way since they were young. We need to stop badgering people and telling them it is just a matter of self control. It is a matter of knowledge.

Sugar is poison to the body and will cause you to eat things you normally wouldn't touch with a clear mind.

Excellent post... thanks for sharing.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by tbpew

IMO, Kae's post seems valuable and thoughtful, thanks for taking the time.

I can not help believing that something is VERY WRONG in our understanding involving what we take into our bodies. I am inclined to believe that our adversary, who is a liar, is subtly in the big mix. A mixture that may well involve various influences like; mood, lust (desire to have), propensity toward excess, fear of lack, enticements, pleasure centers, and a general lack of alertness toward cause and effect.

Similar to the endless supply of lascivious images that invade our sightlines, food (solid and liquid) is set before us as something that can be for good or for evil.

Obesity is an "effect" of something. How each of us, as spiritually-minded sojourners, participate in the "consumables" of this present world, will help us consider our own hearts...from which all the issues of life proceed, and also the manner in which the adversary and sin can be given place in our lives.

As far as our body is concerned, consumption is largely a "chemical" feedstock. Stimuli and responses; triggers and dominoes, each one affecting the other. With such vast complexity, the need for a wonderful counselor to guide us in this aspect of life is undeniable.

Well said...

And I will add this... not adding to your thoughts... but sharing some of what your post has prompted within my own mind.

Perhaps this should go in the "5 Things AFF Doesn't Know About Me" thread...

But.. I weigh 437 pounds. WAY too much. And I am working on that.

But... 4 years ago I weighed 550+ so I have lost 120 pounds in the last 3-4 years. VERY slow weight loss... but steady.

This has come from educating myself about what I should eat and even from acting on some of what I have learned. LOL

Over time my desires have changed because of educating myself about how food affects me. It has taken half a decade of study to get here too. After all... I am undoing over 4 decades of bad concepts about food. And it is not all about not eating fatty foods etc. I read earlier today that someone drinks 2 liters (I believe) of diet soda per day. OH MY GOODNESS... from my study... that makes me cringe. Probably most of it has Aspartame in it. There is much to know and it doesn't all revolve around sugars & fats.

The main reason I share this is because most people who saw me on the street would think... glutton.

Hey... I have lost 120 lbs... Does the average Joe seeing me walk down the street know that? Nope. Is that the snap judgment people jump to? Nope.

I just got my new drivers license yesterday. WOW... what a difference. But no one who simply saw me walking down the street would look at me and say... Hey... he looks like he has been changing his eating habits and, consequently, lost 1/5 of his body weight.

[tbpew]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

Well said...

And I will add this... not adding to your thoughts... but sharing some of what your post has prompted within my own mind.

Perhaps this should go in the "5 Things AFF Doesn't Know About Me" thread...

But.. I weigh 437 pounds. WAY too much. And I am working on that.

But... 4 years ago I weighed 550+ so I have lost 120 pounds in the last 3-4 years. VERY slow weight loss... but steady.

This has come from educating myself about what I should eat and even from acting on some of what I have learned. LOL

Over time my desires have changed because of educating myself about how food affects me. It has taken half a decade of study to get here too. After all... I am undoing over 4 decades of bad concepts about food. And it is not all about not eating fatty foods etc. I read earlier today that someone drinks 2 liters (I believe) of diet soda per day. OH MY GOODNESS... from my study... that makes me cringe. Probably most of it has Aspartame in it. There is much to know and it doesn't all revolve around sugars & fats.

The main reason I share this is because most people who saw me on the street would think... glutton.

Hey... I have lose 120 lbs... Does the average Joe seeing me walk down the street know that? Nope. Is that the snap judgment people jump to? Nope.

I just got my new drivers license yesterday. WOW... what a difference. But no one who simply saw me walking down the street would look at me and say... Hey... he looks like he has been changing his eating habits and, consequently, lost 1/5 of his body weight.

I count it an honor to know you.

You have been an example that has greatly helped restore my confidence that God draws near to a humble and contrite spirit.

God gives good gifts from above, you are one of those gifts.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by tbpew

I count it an honor to know you.

You have been an example that has greatly helped restore my confidence that God draws near to a humble and contrite spirit.

God gives good gifts from above, you are one of those gifts.

This feeling is one that is mutual between us tbp...

[*AQuietPlace*]

Good for you Digging!!!

Another good reason why we should not judge someone based on their outward appearance.