"The obesity crisis in our culture is a perfect example. We are killing ourselves with things that have the appearance of health but in actuality are destructive. No one has ever become obese from eating vegetables! No doctor has ever said, "Your consumption of grapes is going to be the end of you." No, it's the 2000-calorie hamburger with sausage and bacon on top that is making us obese. Commercials, web advertisements, and billboards depict our favorite indulgence, causing us to drool like Pavlov's dog before we consume to our own death. These foods have the appearance of health but they poison us."
Okay, yes, we Americans, in general, are a fat nation. But this is the second reference to obesity I've seen over at The Resurgence's website. The Resurgence is a website more or less devoted to Reformed theology/doctrine/etc. So why are they so down on people who have weight problems?
As I mentioned in an earlier post, weight problems can point to sin issues of overindulgence or lack of discipline. But is obesity in and of itself a sin? I've watched plenty of people diet, exercise and deny themselves every little pleasure of the food variety....and never drop a pound. These people do not overindulge but rather practice a level of discipline that I stand in awe of...but through a twist of genetics, they just can't drop those pounds.
As a woman, I already have too many expectations placed on me regarding my appearance coming from secular sources...now it seems like the church is going to start chiming in. To be the good Christian woman, do I need to wear khakis, blouses in pastel colors, have styled/colored hair, and wear a size 6? I'm already under enough pressure to have the right clothes, the right makeup, the right jewelry when I'm out in the world. I don't want to have to worry about those things when I walk into church on Sunday morning in order to worship.
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