I'm Starting the Diet Tomorrow .....
Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:57 am
http://news.scotsman.com/international. ... 1088012006
I debated where to post this link and settled on Moral and Ethical affairs.
I have to confess that I am overweight. I am 6' 5" and weigh about 285 lbs.
Note that this article is outside the US.
I wonder, for those of us in the US and Canada, if we really realize how the rest of the world sees us? Missionary friends of mine tell me regularly that the rest of the world is acutely aware of the fact that so many American's are overweight and fat and that they see this as evidence of America's moral laxity and selfishness. When there is so much of the world hungry, and while America touts the benefits of democracy and our moral leadership, this stereotype just feeds their perception that it is more talk than substance.
Whether you accept that view as relevent or not, I can't help but notice that over time, we seem to cycle through social sins that come in and out of vogue in terms of their relative seriousness.
The Christian community is pretty quick to jump on sexual sin and deal with it in our communities, at least when it becomes public. We seem to be better now than at times in the past in speaking against alcoholism etc.
What would happen if we began addressing gluttony in the same manner? Aside from the fact that I'd personally be involved in the group so judged and rightly so, I wonder if this is elevating in importance and if it isn't time for the Church to begin addressing this more seriously, not from a viewpoint of legalism but rather as a national sin which we should be in the lead addressing?
Just mulling some of this over and pointing the finger at me first .... It is a "weighty problem" I think ......
I debated where to post this link and settled on Moral and Ethical affairs.
I have to confess that I am overweight. I am 6' 5" and weigh about 285 lbs.
Note that this article is outside the US.
I wonder, for those of us in the US and Canada, if we really realize how the rest of the world sees us? Missionary friends of mine tell me regularly that the rest of the world is acutely aware of the fact that so many American's are overweight and fat and that they see this as evidence of America's moral laxity and selfishness. When there is so much of the world hungry, and while America touts the benefits of democracy and our moral leadership, this stereotype just feeds their perception that it is more talk than substance.
Whether you accept that view as relevent or not, I can't help but notice that over time, we seem to cycle through social sins that come in and out of vogue in terms of their relative seriousness.
The Christian community is pretty quick to jump on sexual sin and deal with it in our communities, at least when it becomes public. We seem to be better now than at times in the past in speaking against alcoholism etc.
What would happen if we began addressing gluttony in the same manner? Aside from the fact that I'd personally be involved in the group so judged and rightly so, I wonder if this is elevating in importance and if it isn't time for the Church to begin addressing this more seriously, not from a viewpoint of legalism but rather as a national sin which we should be in the lead addressing?
Just mulling some of this over and pointing the finger at me first .... It is a "weighty problem" I think ......