Why Is Obesity Not A Sin?

[pogi]

Let me put a little twist on this topic.  

 

On another thread several people voiced opposition to doctor prescribed lethal prescriptions as a merciful option for terminal patients who are suffering greatly.  One argument they used is that it is a sin to unnaturally shorten our lives in any way.  I can argue that trans fat and high sugar consumption can and will unnaturally shorten our lives, and most people know that.  Instead of being supervised by a doctor with a prescription however, we recklessly get 'over-the counter' drugs (do not think for a minute that foods are not drugs), take them unsupervised and suffer greatly because of it, leading to sickness and early death in most cases.

 

The first option relieves suffering, the second causes it.  The first lowers health care costs, the second increases them greatly.  The first is carefully and intentionally considered after speaking with doctors, family and often God, the second usually isn't.  The results are the same except the first happens quickly and painlessly and the second is drawn out and miserable.  How is it that we so easily prohibit others from the option of the first pill, yet have no problem swallowing the second?

[mnn727]

Science is not the be all and end all when it comes to health, it was just months ago that we found out all fat is not really bad for us, and just a little over a generation ago doctors were saying smoking was not only not bad but actually beneficial.

I remember as a kid going to the doctor and him coming into the room with a cigarette in his mouth.

Edited October 31, 2014 by mnn727

[pogi]

Then why do so many people struggle with it?

 

Because it is not easy.  First off, I don't necessarily blame people who struggle with weight due to unhealthy lifestyles.  In many ways, the American people are victims.  There is a very good and physiological reason why it is so d*** hard to change.  It has to do with the effects of insulin on hormones which speak to our brain telling us if we are starving or not.  The American diet messes with that system, making it incredibly difficult to change behavior. On top of that, sugar effects our dopamine system in the same way illegal drugs do.  We will build tolerance and experience withdrawals.  Having said that, we are still accountable for our behaviors and choices in this life no matter how difficult they are.  The more we blame others, the less power we have to make positive changes in our lives. 

 

the question could also be asked why isn't being skinny a sin? But I notice most people like to judge fat people when they may be healthier than a given skinny person.

 

 

I completely agree with you here.  I think obesity was brought up because we are facing an "epidemic" in America right now.  If we were having a unhealthily skinny epidemic, I think we would be talking about that right now. 

Edited October 31, 2014 by pogi

[pogi]

Science is not the be all and end all when it comes to health, it was just months ago that we found out all fat is not really bad for us, and just a little over a generation ago doctors were saying smoking was not only not bad but actually beneficial.

I remember as a kid going to the doctor and him coming into the room with a cigarette in his mouth.

 

That is a valid point.  I think we have always known that real, whole foods are good for us though.  People make it so much about what we should avoid, but really if we focused on what we have always known (what we should eat), we would all be better off.  We wouldn't have to read labels to see how much sugar or trans-fats are in it, because real whole foods don't have labels.  They don't have too much or too little of anything.

Edited October 31, 2014 by pogi

[The Nehor]

Oh no, not this thread again. It's not a sin because it is not a sin. Simple as that.

 

And don't assume that people are fat because they are "eating their 2nd and 3rd bag of candy or chips". 

 

But it is a sin in almost every case. Our bodies are temples and if many people treated our building temples the way they treat their physical bodies they would be excommunicated and probably up for criminal charges for vandalism.

 

Common Reasons People Use for being Obese:

 

1. It is hard not to be obese in this day and age.

 

- Yeah, it is hard to keep the law of chastity when surrounded by sexual images and pay tithing when average earning power is falling too but we don't excuse people from that on the basis that it is hard.

 

2. People's metabolisms vary.

 

- Yeah, they do but not nearly to the amount some people imagine. Everyone knows someone who "eats whatever they want and never puts on weight" but they are generally wrong. I am one of those people. That is because when I am with people the good food comes out or I am at a restaurant and I eat more and then skip a meal later on to make up for it or snack on veggies instead of eating dinner. Either that or they are in their 20's or younger and are in for a rude awakening soon.

 

3. It was caused by medicine.

 

- Yes, medicine can cause weight gain. Usually in the 10-15 pound range. If you are 50 to 100 pounds overweight it is not due to medication. The medication may cause emotional and other problems that can contribute to overeating but 

 

4. I have a thyroid (or other medical) condition.

 

- Yes, it causes weight gain but not nearly as much as people imagine. See above.

 

5. I eat little but still cannot lose weight.

 

- You are almost certainly lying or mistaken. The human body is pretty efficient at energy conversion. If you claim you can eat nothing and still never lose weight and can prove it then you need to be studied. Your body violates the laws of physics as we understand them and you may hold the key to infinite energy. There was a British show called Secret Eaters where they monitored what people actually ate and showed it to them. They thought they were obese due to metabolism. The truth is they just ate much more then they imagined. You can find episodes on YouTube.

 

6. I am healthy at this size and all bodies are different.

 

- A good use of satanic lying. Hide an error in a truth. All bodies are different but obese is not a body type. This is a photo from around 1900:

 

 

This guy was working for Barnum and Bailey and was seen as unbelievable at the time. People paid to look at him and saw him as a freak, something no human would ever see except at a freak show. We certainly wouldn't pay to look at this guy today. You can go to church or a grocery store or a restaurant and find lots of people that big. Some people would even argue he is average-sized. The average American has enough calories within them to walk from Paris to Moscow and could do it consuming only water and vitamins on the way. While anorexia and bulimia are real problems I have seen people accused of anorexia at a healthy weight because our idea of healthy has been so skewed.

 

 

So why do I say it is a sin?

 

1. It limits you. You are less able to do all kinds of things when obese. Everything from wrestling with your children to helping out on a scouting trek to being able to help someone move.

 

2. It tends to be passed on to children. I do not mean genetically. If you eat unhealthily and live unhealthily your children are more likely to do the same. Most families where everyone is obese have no genetic predisposition towards obesity. It is just a lifestyle choice and children mimicking parents.

 

3. It makes people more unsightly. Our bodies are things of beauty and can gladden others and no, I am not just talking about sexual desire.

 

4. It leads to hate and anger. Many obese hate the fit. It would be hilarious if it were not so sad to watch when a group of obese people exile someone from their friendship when he improves his life.

 

5. It leads to lying. Most of the obese throw up lots of reasons why they are obese. They are mostly facile. If you are willing to lie to yourself one way you are more likely to carry that to other areas of your life.

 

6. It makes you unhappy. We have what seems like an epidemic of depression and other mental and emotional problems in the western world. I would tie a lot of that to lack of physical activity. Physical activity releases endorphins. We are designed to be active and get depressed when we are not. If happiness is the object and design or our existence we will eschew obesity. When people are depressed many eat and that just exacerbates the problem and perpetuates the depression.

 

7. Love. The condition of our physical body is a gift to our spouse. Letting yourself go (beyond the normal effects of aging obviously) is giving less then your best to your spouse. I would add that it is grossly unfair that women are judged more harshly then men in this area.

 

8. Self-Respect. There is something ennobling about taking control of your body. It gives confidence and strength. It builds up the power of your will. After a hard day at work figuring out mental problems and creating things that others judge, sometimes fairly and sometimes not, it is relaxing and fulfilling to climb a wall or run a mile or spar or lift weights or whatever because it is objective. You succeed and control what you are.

 

9. Food is more enjoyable. Overeating is like being in a perpetual orgy. Eventually it loses the joy that drove you to it in the first place. People who eat healthy and live healthy can take joy out of eating an apple or a piece of bread that the glutton can never enjoy.

 

 

 

All that being said I do not go around thinking obese people are degenerate sinners. They have strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. I don't treat a friend who skips church as an outcast or a church member who smokes as a horrible sinner. I am also not going to pretend that gluttony is not a sin and in almost every case obesity is caused by gluttony. Those edge cases where it is not are due to crippling physical abnormalities that I doubt anyone here has.

 

 

I'd rather fellowship with obese people who keep the commandments then skinny people who dont

 

I've never met an obese person who keeps all the commandments. I can say I have never met anyone I spiritually looked up to who was also obese. I've known faithful members who where obese but never anyone I sought to emulate. It is also weird to me that "healthy" (a positive term) has been replaced with "skinny" (a neutral or derogatory term) and is usually used for those in good shape and not for the malnourished.

 

There is a weird double-standard about obesity. It occurs due to sin the same way tobacco stink does but those who indulge in it are quick to complain about how they should not be judged for it. We are told to love the sinner. Yes, so we should treat the obese the same way we treat liars, adulterers, same-sex marriage advocates, gossips, mean people, angry people, etc. But usually what people mean when they say love the sinner (when they are the sinner) is asking us to ignore the sin. That we really can't do and should not be expected to.

 

And on that note we will close this thread. Let's not judge one another.

[pogi]

Nehor, I find it hard to believe that you have never met an obese person that you look up to spiritually.  Over 35% of Americans are obese.  That is like 1 in 3 of our members, if statistics are equal. 

 

I would also caution against looking at the obesity as the problem instead of the lifestyle.  Once a person is obese (for whatever reason) it can be incredibly difficult to lose the weight (for multiple reasons) despite changing your ways and eating a healthy diet.  In other words, obesity can stick around for a very long time, even if you begin living healthily.  You can't assume because a person is obese, they are not living as they should.