What is More Important?

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What is More Important:
  1. Physical Health- And all things associated with it such as healthy food, sleep, exercise, etc…
or
  1. Spiritual Health- And all things associated with it such as God, our spiritual life, and family.
Let me know your reasons and whether you are religious or not.

Thank you
 
My short answer is that spiritual health is more important than physical health because while physical well-being is temporal, spiritual well-being is eternal. That being said, I wish I didn’t have such a splitting headache right now. (lol)
There is an obligation to God to take care of the vessel that He placed our souls in, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter whether we are in good health or poor when we are called home to Him. We will eventually, at the final judgement get our glorified bodies back.

As to the point of being “religious”–I don’t know how to respond to that, really. I am not by nature evangelical about my faith. I will respond to inquiries to the best of my knowledge when asked about what I believe. If the the question is aimed at what “level” is my faith practiced, then I would respond that I do what I can. I go to mass 5-7 days a week and receive the Eucharist, I try to get to confession at least once per month, and I have been spending a lot more time lately in deep meditation about each day’s scripture readings.

Since I started the above practices in earnest earlier this year, my physical health (I think) has actually improved. My back problems have significantly lessened, and I am starting to take more responsibility for my diet and exercise–my spiritual and physical needs have seemed to “meld” together. Does this make any sense?
 
They are often so intertwined it is not a either-or question. There is no real separating the two into two distinct areas and making one more important than the other.
 
It may be worth considering that while it is always important to have spiritual health, there are times in our lives when our spirits greatly benefit from poor physical health. How does the old saying go? Prayer is good; prayer with suffering is better? Just food for thought.
 
Spiritual health is by far more important that physical health by any measure. I’m a Catholic, so the Cross demonstrates that we should be willing to give up our comfort and embrace suffering for our own spiritual health and the souls of those we pray for. If you gain a healthy body but lose your soul, what have you really gained? That isn’t to say that we shouldn’t try to maintain our health, but no matter how healthy you are, we’re all destined to die in this life.
 
Well, that’s a tough question.

On one hand, spiritual health is obviously a very important thing and one wouldn’t want to neglect it. But on the other hand, if one neglects their physical health, that is being irresponsible and also does not honor God’s creation. Maintaining one’s physical health helps to maintain spiritual health… it’s far easier to participate in Mass, the sacraments, focus on prayer, et cetera.

Neither is so much more important that the other should be forsaken. But since our bodies are mortal and our souls are immortal, I would think it wiser to keep the soul in shape.
 
Based on your definitions, I’d say spiritual only because you lumped family in there, though, I think family should go under a 3rd category - emotional health/well being
 
We are mind, body, spirit. We need mental stimulation, exercise, rest, food, emotional sustenance, and spiritual refreshment. I don’t think you can separate them. To neglect any of them is a disservice to all the rest. It’s what is called being well-balanced. I don’t think you can raise one above the others. they are naturally complimentary and I submit are meant to be that way.
 
Feanaro said:
What is More Important:
  1. Physical Health- And all things associated with it such as healthy food, sleep, exercise, etc…
or
  1. Spiritual Health- And all things associated with it such as God, our spiritual life, and family.
Let me know your reasons and whether you are religious or not.

Thank you
Click to expand...
**I think both go hand-in-hand. Remember, the body we have today will be the same one that we are resurrected with at the end of the world, but it will be glorified. **
 
Spiritual health, without qualification. Physical health is utterly meaningless in itself. Mind you, this doesn’t mean it doesn’t inform spiritual health, because it clearly does. It’s obviously generally harder to actively love God right after eating a bad fish sandwich than when sitting serenely in perfect health. It’s not quite a one-for-one relationship, though, as wisdom is borne from suffering (example given: “The Death of Ivan Ilych”), and comfort can cause one to stop seeking God. It’s really because of this ambivalence and ambiguity that it’s meaningless: when something can mean anything, it really means nothing.
 
Feanaro said:
What is More Important:
  1. Physical Health- And all things associated with it such as healthy food, sleep, exercise, etc…
or
  1. Spiritual Health- And all things associated with it such as God, our spiritual life, and family.
Click to expand...
Not fair! Family should go under #1! The spiritual sometimes kill or torment their family in the name of god, so these two cannot go together!
 
AgnosTheist said:
Not fair! Family should go under #1! The spiritual sometimes kill or torment their family in the name of god, so these two cannot go together!
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If they are killing or tormenting their family, they are not spiritually healthy.
 
East_and_West said:
If they are killing or tormenting their family, they are not spiritually healthy.
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Thats your opinion. The Islamic koran advises men to beat wives who wont listen to reason.

Anyway, family is a physical thing. That even atheists know how to appreciate. So it has nothing to do with spirituality, unless you think atheists are spiritual too?
 
Feanaro said:
What is More Important:
  1. Physical Health- And all things associated with it such as healthy food, sleep, exercise, etc…
or
  1. Spiritual Health- And all things associated with it such as God, our spiritual life, and family.
Let me know your reasons and whether you are religious or not.

Thank you
Click to expand...
To me spiritual means ghostly. And because I live with the knowledge that these alleged ghosts and other spirits aren’t real, I’m going with physical.

I would amend your poll to read:

Physical Health- And all things associated with it such as healthy food, sleep, exercise, *family, job, friendships, personal interests, hobbies, education, outlook, *etc…
 
Feanaro said:
What is More Important:
  1. Physical Health- And all things associated with it such as healthy food, sleep, exercise, etc…
or
  1. Spiritual Health- And all things associated with it such as God, our spiritual life, and family.
Let me know your reasons and whether you are religious or not.

Thank you
Click to expand...
Body and soul cannot be separated, except by death. Since the body is temporal and the soul eternal, it would seem from a purely pragmatic view that since one’s soul is around a good deal longer 😉 , spiritual health is more important.
AgnosTheist said:
Anyway, family is a physical thing. That even atheists know how to appreciate. So it has nothing to do with spirituality, unless you think atheists are spiritual too?
Click to expand...
Do you, as an atheist, subscribe to the concept of Love? Family members (should, anyway) love one another. Isn’t that a spiritual thing? How about other positive “feelings” that family members have toward one another? Are those all physical or spiritual?
 
Spiritual health, hands down! Every man must experience physical death but because of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, every man is giving the choice and Grace to escape the third and everlasting death. (First death: to die to sin through the cleansing waters of Baptism; Second death: death of the body here on earth; Third death: the everlasting death of the unrepentent soul). Those are a Catholic convert’s thoughts…
 
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