Is obesity a sin?

[music2]

More and more people are becoming obese. I think about 2/3 of the people in the USA, GB and Germany are overweight.
Is eating too much food and also mostly eating too much bad food(junk food) a sin and if not, why?
The reason I came up with this question is because I just read the “is this gluttony” thread which made me think that over-eating should actually be gluttony or am I wrong?

In my view,it could be,BUT in the majority of cases,i think obesity is due to physical and or or psycho-physical-social problems.
While its understandable that you would care for your brother,and be curious as to why he does this,
at the same time I think this topic needs to be handled ALOT more sensitively then people just coming out with “yes it is one of the 7 sins” due to the effect that it could have on obese people who are reading this and them feel blamed,confused,condemned,defensive or shamed etc.

Naturally,there are different body shapes,and there can be a healthy “slim”,healthy “medium”,healthy “curvy” etc…it all depends on the natural bone structure plus how-if any-negative effect is being placed on the heart etc.
So i dont think health can be defined by purely the weight on the scales but instead the effect on the person.
That said,i think we can all see/agree that OBESE weight is unhealthy and not just a larger frame.
What causes us to eat is really complicated and involves many hormones,hypothalamus,amygdala etc and theres a large psychological component to it and eating habits can be effected by depression,thyroid problems,raised with certain beliefs towards food,some claim some use food as an emotional “crutch” etc…
I don’t know all the reasons,and if all are sound scientifically,theres alot of stuff,and i think the science is still being discovered.
So,i don’t think its fair to quickly state “obese people are sinning” because it might hurt,or be inaccurate.
For me personally,I am thin and literally can not feel hungry because i have like depression and sortof neurotic/scared of what it feels like to feel hungry.Im scared if i knew what it was like to be hungry that then i’d eat heaps and feel “i’ve done gluttony and commited sin”.
I just eat because i have to,but my hormone signals are “out of whack”.
I have received great turmoil regarding Thomas Aquinas teachings regarding 7 deadly sins etc and it can cause a horrific effect on people which doesn’t exactly increase your appetite if your crying and in despair,fear etc.
My point being,that while my issue isn’t the same as obesity,there is a physio-psycho component to our eating habits.
For me it might be one way-related to depression/fear-for (some)obese people it might be another way-for example an inability to feel satiated(leptin?) possibly?

 

[Debora123]

I do wonder if we would be healthier if we were as scrupulous about gluttony as we are about lust. But nobody ever seems interested in obsessing over gluttony. It’s a real shame too, because I’ve been having thoughts about how to prepare the best BBQ and I really need to know if they cross the line into sinful preoccupation with food.

I don’t think we should ever be “scrupulous,” and instead should always strive to be non judgmental and tolerant.

I do agree with you though, that the sin of gluttony is quite forgotten around these parts, while those of lust are being obsessed over to an unhealthy degree.

I do wonder why we don’t pay more attention to the sin of gluttony? It’s definitely been a hot topic and a big problem in America for quite some time now…

 

[Irish_Kathleen]

I know of a priest who is terribly obese. Yet on some Sundays, he chastises the really good women at church because of modesty issues,( which I might add are not immodest at all!) He sees nothing wrong with his problem. He dieted and was complimented on his losing weight, but slipped and looks terrible again. So yes if we are going to say one thing is wrong, why not another? I am reminded of that quote in the bible, I am just paraphasing, about the log in someones eye being more than a piece of wood in another’s.