P
PeteZaHut
Guest
Is participating in an eating contest for fun sinful?
- Status
K
KostyaJMJ
Guest
So let’s see. According to St. Thomas there are six ways of committing the sin of gluttony.
They are:
Praepropere – eating too soon
Laute – eating too expensively
Nimis – eating too much
Ardenter – eating too eagerly
Studiose – eating too daintily
Forente – eating too fervently
With the eating contest I would say you’re eating too eagerly, eating too much, and eating too fervently. So yes, I would say you are committing the sin of gluttony by competing in an eating competition.
They are:
Praepropere – eating too soon
Laute – eating too expensively
Nimis – eating too much
Ardenter – eating too eagerly
Studiose – eating too daintily
Forente – eating too fervently
With the eating contest I would say you’re eating too eagerly, eating too much, and eating too fervently. So yes, I would say you are committing the sin of gluttony by competing in an eating competition.
S
Sailor_Kenshin
Guest
There will always be Pharisees eager to tell you every word, thought and deed is a sin.
K
KostyaJMJ
Guest
Care to explain how it wouldn’t be gluttony? The Church’s teaching seems pretty clear to me. The purpose of eating is delivering proper nutrition to the body, and anything that is contrary to this purpose is a sin. It really isn’t that difficult: just don’t eat too much, eat too expensively, eat before you need to, and try not to enjoy your food too much.
D
doanli
Guest
I’m thinking of that TV show “Man Vs Food”.
I think that would be gluttony, right?
I think that would be gluttony, right?
J
Joe_5859
Guest
I think I’d have to disagree with that. The Church doesn’t hold to some reductionistic, utilitarian view of food and eating. We can enjoy our food. Just look in Scripture. Banquet imagery abounds. The Gospel of Luke, in particular, has many meal scenes. Meals offer an opportunity for bonding and fellowship and celebration. Food is not just a nutrition delivery device.Care to explain how it wouldn’t be gluttony? The Church’s teaching seems pretty clear to me. The purpose of eating is delivering proper nutrition to the body, and anything that is contrary to this purpose is a sin. It really isn’t that difficult: just don’t eat too much, eat too expensively, eat before you need to, and try not to enjoy your food too much.
I’m not sure about eating contests, though. It certainly doesn’t seem to be in keeping with proper stewardship and respect of the body, but maybe an eating contest champion could offer a convincing argument otherwise.
K
KostyaJMJ
Guest
Yes, I know. We can enjoy our food as long as we don’t enjoy it too much.
reminds me of this funny article on the subject.
catholicity.com/commentary/zmirak/04775.html
P
Patrick_Le
Guest
Hey Joe 5859, I think that what KostyaJMJ was trying to say was that anything contrary is sinful, eating for the pleasure is not contrary as long as it doesn’t cause you to sin. Otherwise, any time we eat desert we are sinning
S
Sailor_Kenshin
Guest
Agreed. As has been stated before, there are always those eager to tell you your every thought, word and deed does not measure up to their personal standards of ‘holiness.’I think I’d have to disagree with that. The Church doesn’t hold to some reductionistic, utilitarian view of food and eating. We can enjoy our food. Just look in Scripture. Banquet imagery abounds. The Gospel of Luke, in particular, has many meal scenes. Meals offer an opportunity for bonding and fellowship and celebration. Food is not just a nutrition delivery device.
I’m not sure about eating contests, though. It certainly doesn’t seem to be in keeping with proper stewardship and respect of the body, but maybe an eating contest champion could offer a convincing argument otherwise.
They drive people away from the Church rather than draw them toward it.
H
horselvr
Guest
"So let’s see. According to St. Thomas there are six ways of committing the sin of gluttony.
They are:
Praepropere – eating too soon
Laute – eating too expensively
Nimis – eating too much
Ardenter – eating too eagerly
Studiose – eating too daintily
Forente – eating too fervently"
Goodness. I’d have a hard time dining with St. Thomas. I really enjoy a meal especially shared with good, fun company and a glass of wine
They are:
Praepropere – eating too soon
Laute – eating too expensively
Nimis – eating too much
Ardenter – eating too eagerly
Studiose – eating too daintily
Forente – eating too fervently"
Goodness. I’d have a hard time dining with St. Thomas. I really enjoy a meal especially shared with good, fun company and a glass of wine
B
baltobetsy
Guest
No you wouldn’t. Let’s just say St. Thomas was one of our … ah … larger saints! He appears to have enjoyed a good time as much as the rest of us.Goodness. I’d have a hard time dining with St. Thomas. I really enjoy a meal especially shared with good, fun company and a glass of wine
N
Newbie2
Guest
Yeah. And he’s not really even competing in a contest.
Worst one was the 8# or so Burrito, which he didn’t finish. Uggggh.
I do like when he tries small “non-gluttonous” quantities of the really, really, really hot foods. I guess it’s a guy thing to enjoy another person’s expression of stupidity through self-inflicted discomfort.
There have been threads on the annual National Hot Dog eating contest. In that case, the sponsors donate funds toward feeding the hungry. Perhaps that mitigates some of the gluttony of such an event.
S
Sailor_Kenshin
Guest
I think it’s safe to say that if you break a rib, you ate too much.
J
Joe_5859
Guest
I think I understand what you’re getting at better. Thanks! Nice article, too.
I haven’t seen this from Aquinas before, but it does seem to offer a useful measuring stick to evaluate our behavior in this regard. That said, I think it still leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Exactly what does it mean to eat “too eagerly”? I don’t think his description excludes the possibility of enjoying our food. That would seem a bit ridiculous to me."So let’s see. According to St. Thomas there are six ways of committing the sin of gluttony.
They are:
Praepropere – eating too soon
Laute – eating too expensively
Nimis – eating too much
Ardenter – eating too eagerly
Studiose – eating too daintily
Forente – eating too fervently"
Goodness. I’d have a hard time dining with St. Thomas. I really enjoy a meal especially shared with good, fun company and a glass of wine
B
baltobetsy
Guest
I once had a cat who was fed cat food twice a day and little bits of human food whenever we had a meal. Every single time he ate, it was as if he hadn’t eaten in three days. He snarfed the food down in a twinkling at every meal. That’s eating too eagerly. People do that, too. I did it myself the other day when we had some wonderful fresh corn on the cob. :blushing:
Betsy
A
ab75
Guest
so if you like it, try not to?Care to explain how it wouldn’t be gluttony? The Church’s teaching seems pretty clear to me. The purpose of eating is delivering proper nutrition to the body, and anything that is contrary to this purpose is a sin. It really isn’t that difficult: just don’t eat too much, eat too expensively, eat before you need to, and try not to enjoy your food too much.
Also, can you define too expensively?
How about too much?
S
Sailor_Kenshin
Guest
‘Too expensively’— twenty percent less than someone else thinks you should spend.
A
ab75
Guest
I do wonder why Saint Thomas was so overweight?"So let’s see. According to St. Thomas there are six ways of committing the sin of gluttony.
They are:
Praepropere – eating too soon
Laute – eating too expensively
Nimis – eating too much
Ardenter – eating too eagerly
Studiose – eating too daintily
Forente – eating too fervently"
Goodness. I’d have a hard time dining with St. Thomas. I really enjoy a meal especially shared with good, fun company and a glass of wine
S
Sailor_Kenshin
Guest
He was big-boned.
J
Joe_5859
Guest
And not more than half of what the neighbor two doors down would spend on seventy-five percent of the same item.‘Too expensively’— twenty percent less than someone else thinks you should spend.
- Status