Food for thought

[casper]

I don't want to offend anyone but I was wondering weather it is a sin to be overweight/obese. For example couldn't food be a form of idol worship any how I was wondering what the bible or Qur'an says about this. I admit I'm not as will versed as most in here. I myself was once 22 kgs over weight and felt miserable with gods help I managed to lose it and keep it off.

 

[PouringRain]

I don't want to offend anyone but I was wondering weather it is a sin to be overweight/obese. For example couldn't food be a form of idol worship any how I was wondering what the bible or Qur'an says about this. I admit I'm not as will versed as most in here. I myself was once 22 kgs over weight and felt miserable with gods help I managed to lose it and keep it off.

I'm not sure why you would come here to ask what the qur'an says about this.

Anything can become an idol if we place it before God in our life. This does not mean that it is an idol for all overweight people. Being overweight or obese in itself is not a sin. There are many reasons why some people are overweight-- metabolic problems, genetic proclivity, thyroid functioning problems, overeating, stress, depression, etc. Some of these issues can be helped and some can not. It would be wrong to place all overweight people in one category and assume that they all eat poorly, eat excessively, and spend considerable amounts of time thinking of food. Or to assume that they are all in poor health and do not exercise either.

For some people, yes, they have the sin of gluttony. Just take care not to generalize that problem to all overweight individuals.

From my understanding of Islam, and Mujahid can correct me here, overeating is a sin. An individual is supposed to fill their stomach 1/3 full of food, 1/3 of drink (water), and 1/3 of air. They are supposed to eat to satisfy hunger but not to feel full. It is preferred that people stay fit and thinner so that they can best serve Allah. But also, individuals are not supposed to be wasteful of food and it is a sin to discard food that could be eaten.

 

[casper]

Thank you, Pouring rain Of course I understand there are medical reasons why some people are over weight and wasn't referring to this. I call myself a seeking christian however I am new on my journey. I asked about the Qur'an perspective because I thought this was a open forum, so I thought I was allowed to. I am new to this forum so don't know the rules.


I don't know why Christians hate Muslims so much after all we both have the same God. Maybe I should ask that in another forum. It is interesting to note that the Qur'an perspective on over eating makes logical sense. I myself find it annoying seeing so much food go to waste while people are starving to death.

 

[casper]

No, as I already said I am a christain. I just thought thier is no law in listening to other veiws and I noticed muslims come here. I know notin about the veiws on muslims and over eating expect what what said above.

 

[casper]

Thanks Mujahid Abdullah are thier any other foods besides pork that muslims cant eat. What about the way animals are killed can muslims eat a animal that has suffered a painfull death like most meat in western countries

 

[Strangelove]

I don't want to offend anyone but I was wondering weather it is a sin to be overweight/obese. For example couldn't food be a form of idol worship any how I was wondering what the bible or Qur'an says about this. I admit I'm not as will versed as most in here. I myself was once 22 kgs over weight and felt miserable with gods help I managed to lose it and keep it off.

Well...Let's look at Christians 2 commandments: Love God, Love others.

I would say yes it's a sin because it interferes with your ability to love others (paricularly your wife ;))

And also I'm pretty sure Jesus wants you to be healthy although I dont have srcipture right now to back that up.....so your viloating the first commandment there too.

So yes being fat is a sin.

Now watch some fat guy jump on me for saying that ((ouch))

Awww shucks,,,I've gone and done it again.

Aaaaaaaanyway. **ahem**

Casper, you dont need to worry 'bout any dietary laws buddy. We Christians are 'Universivores' meaning we can munch on ANY creature. S'all good.

4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:​

So when Mujahid and me are accidentally locked into a Pork rib packing factory for a week I'm gonna come out laughing and he's....um......not.​

Unless of course he eats me. Muj? Whats the rules on that?​

Doc.​

 

[Mike]

I call myself a seeking christian however I am new on my journey. I asked about the Qur'an perspective because I thought this was a open forum, so I thought I was allowed to. I am new to this forum so don't know the rules.

I don't know why Christians hate Muslims so much after all we both have the same God.

Casper, in the quote above, you call yourself a seeking Christian, and I took that to mean something like a seeker; someone looking into different faiths, which would make sense of your second statement above. To say that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, well I believe you're both right and wrong. There is only One God, so we do worship Him, but Muslims have a false prophet who revealed an entirely false nature of God. Christians generally see God as One Single Triune God, where Muslims have been misled into rejecting the fullness of Jesus' Deity. So to that end and many other differences in salvation, no we do not worship the same God.

But then you go on to say that you're a Christian as opposed to the above seeking Christian.

No, as I already said I am a christain. I just thought thier is no law in listening to other veiws and I noticed muslims come here. I know notin about the veiws on muslims and over eating expect what what said above.

If you are not one who is seeking a faith but in fact firm in your faith as a Christian, then I also wonder why you would be asking what the Koran has to say about your topic. It wouldn't interest me, nor would what the book of Mormon says, or what Hubbard's "Dianetics" says about it. As a Christian, I look for answers in the inerrant Word of God - the Bible.

I'm not calling you out on this. I wonder is all. Are you seeking or are you a Christian, and why you would ask what the Bible and Koran has to say? I did note that you capitalized one book but not the other when you said "bible and Qur'an". Not sure if I'm reading more into that than I should.

 

[Strangelove]

Interesting you ask the rules on that.

If a Muslim is trapped on a deserted Island (or pork factory) - and all there is to eat is juicy little pig - or the Muslim will die, It is permissable to eat the little pig.

Now I have a strong aversion to pork (aside from bacon, bacon is yummy)... so if I was trapped in a pork factory with you and pigs ... I might choose the lesser of the two evils and eat you Doc.

LOLZ. And you got the added bonus that my meat is kosher seein' as I'm a jew by the flesh!

Bite me!

 

[PouringRain]

Well...Let's look at Christians 2 commandments: Love God, Love others.

I would say yes it's a sin because it interferes with your ability to love others (paricularly your wife ;))

And also I'm pretty sure Jesus wants you to be healthy although I dont have srcipture right now to back that up.....so your viloating the first commandment there too.

So yes being fat is a sin.

Now watch some fat guy jump on me for saying that ((ouch))

Awww shucks,,,I've gone and done it again.

Aaaaaaaanyway. **ahem**


[/FONT]

The first bolded part is your own selfish opinion, and not the opinion of God. The fact that you are unable to love a woman who is overweight is a problem within yourself. It has nothing to do with God. Your preferences do not determine what is a sin in God's eyes.

The second bolded part assumes that overweight people are not healthy. Perhaps you should provide your own personal definition of what you consider to be "healthy" and also what you consider to be "fat". It is far from a secret that women who have a little more weight on them are often far healthier than their thinner counterparts. It is also no secret that research shows heavier (curvy) women are also healthier. These women would sometimes be considered "obese" by modern standards.

Now the third bolded statement...... I must be a "fat" guy since I take issue with ignorance. Just like someone who defends blacks must be black, and someone who defends homosexuals must be gay, and someone who defends helpless animals must be.......... well, you know. That logic is just as good as saying that being fat is a sin since it affects your personal ability to love your wife.

 

[lamplady]

The first bolded part is your own selfish opinion, and not the opinion of God. The fact that you are unable to love a woman who is overweight is a problem within yourself. It has nothing to do with God. Your preferences do not determine what is a sin in God's eyes.

The second bolded part assumes that overweight people are not healthy. Perhaps you should provide your own personal definition of what you consider to be "healthy" and also what you consider to be "fat". It is far from a secret that women who have a little more weight on them are often far healthier than their thinner counterparts. It is also no secret that research shows heavier (curvy) women are also healthier. These women would sometimes be considered "obese" by modern standards.

Now the third bolded statement...... I must be a "fat" guy since I take issue with ignorance. Just like someone who defends blacks must be black, and someone who defends homosexuals must be gay, and someone who defends helpless animals must be.......... well, you know. That logic is just as good as saying that being fat is a sin since it affects your personal ability to love your wife.

I think SL was joking PR - hence the wink lol ...

 

[jasoncran]

if one cant love thier wife after weight gain, then they need to have some time with God and let him show them the shallowness in thier heart.

my wife is overweight due in part to a bad thyroid.

thyriod failure and the replacement therapy of thryoxin is the only way to correct way to treat the problem.

yes diet does help but without the thyroid working they way it should the body doenst heal quickly, breathing is shallow and the metabolism is real slow.

and some meds cause weight gain.

 

[Mike]

Now I have a strong aversion to pork (aside from bacon, bacon is yummy)... so if I was trapped in a pork factory with you and pigs ... I might choose the lesser of the two evils and eat you Doc.

:toofunny

This might be the first time I've seem Muslim humor! :rolling

 

[jasoncran]

Youd be suprised - we arent all like aytollah khomeini - there was a movie thatc ame out a while back called "team America" making fun of Muslims and Americans alike - all the Muslims I know who saw it thought it was hilarious

i watched that in afghanistan, what was that line?,

"dirka,dirka, mohamed jihad"

 

[casper]

Firstly I would like to apologize again if I offended any over weight people this wasn't my intention. I was curious because I was over weight and have managed with gods help to keep it off. I also wondered because my preacher is clearly obese (Admittedly he may have a medical reason) .


Anyhow 'Mike' you read way to much into stuff.. I made a typo with the spelling of the Bible and Koran, So what, sue me. Also I am a seeking Christian just because you are ahead of me on the journey doesn't make you a better christian. A true christian encourages fellow seekers.


I look at different religions because I can, its my right, besides how can one refute a religion unless they have an understanding of that faith.


Personally I like the way Muslims treat animals (with respect to killing them for food ) and wish us Christians did the same. I was a vegetarian for years once because I couldn't stand the suffering of our animals for food.

 

[jasoncran]

Firstly I would like to apologize again if I offended any over weight people this wasn't my intention. I was curious because I was over weight and have managed with gods help to keep it off. I also wondered because my preacher is clearly obese (Admittedly he may have a medical reason) .


Anyhow 'Mike' you read way to much into stuff.. I made a typo with the spelling of the Bible and Koran, So what, sue me. Also I am a seeking Christian just because you are ahead of me on the journey doesn't make you a better christian. A true christian encourages fellow seekers.


I look at different religions because I can, its my right, besides how can one refute a religion unless they have an understanding of that faith.


Personally I like the way Muslims treat animals (with respect to killing them for food ) and wish us Christians did the same. I was a vegetarian for years once because I couldn't stand the suffering of our animals for food.

really? i watched a muslim kill sheep, and also a chicken the later was no different then we do.
cut the head off and hold it till it stops moving

then the lamb cut the head off and let the blood run out and hang up(it pumped its blood out) and they gutted it within minutes instead draining the blood like we do.

i dont see the difference.

the factory way is worse but my wife rung or cut chickens necks off and with cows she shot it in the head.

 

[Strangelove]

The first bolded part is your own selfish opinion, and not the opinion of God. The fact that you are unable to love a woman who is overweight is a problem within yourself. It has nothing to do with God. Your preferences do not determine what is a sin in God's eyes.

Lolz...um.....you took that completely the wrong way. I was talking about if a MAN was fat then it would interfere with HIS ability to 'love' his wife because he would be lethargic and have a lack of stamina etc. So it would be a sin for HIM.

...lolz.....nothing to do with attraction.

The second bolded part assumes that overweight people are not healthy. Perhaps you should provide your own personal definition of what you consider to be "healthy" and also what you consider to be "fat". It is far from a secret that women who have a little more weight on them are often far healthier than their thinner counterparts. It is also no secret that research shows heavier (curvy) women are also healthier. These women would sometimes be considered "obese" by modern standards.

So being obese is not unhealthy?

Can we have some documentation for this please? Thanks.

Doc.

 

[casper]

Yes animals definitely suffer immense psychological and physical pain during their moments of slaughter. I witnessed it first hand in New Zealand, where cows were being killed. They were very stressed watching and smelling the death of their own kind. One was running around the holding pen with a clearly broken leg and was to stressed to care. The whole time a person from some religion had to witness the event to make sure they didn't suffer or they would be no good for the export market. I cant remember what religion this person was I hope he wasn't Muslim (No offense Mujahid). I couldn't understand why he couldn't see the pain/stress the animals were in, but he clearly couldn't or didn't care.




I wish their was something in the Bible for us Christians demanding that we have more respect for animals after all animals are gods miracles and we are taking their precious life. People seem to think that because God gave us authority over all the animals that we have the right to abuse them. I think God means we have authority over them in more of a caretaker role, having respect for them.


I think I will go back to being a vegetarian I only started eating meant again a few weeks back.

 

[PouringRain]

Lolz...um.....you took that completely the wrong way. I was talking about if a MAN was fat then it would interfere with HIS ability to 'love' his wife because he would be lethargic and have a lack of stamina etc. So it would be a sin for HIM.

...lolz.....nothing to do with attraction.

Fair enough; but it still has to do with personal preferences, selfish desires, and confusing sex with love...... which still has nothing to do with God. ;)

So being obese is not unhealthy?

Can we have some documentation for this please? Thanks.

Doc.

You are taking my words out of context and twisting them. I did not say that being obese was not unhealthy. What I said was that women with a little more weight are often healthier than their thinner counterparts, and also that heavier (curvier) women are often healthier. This is not the same thing as saying that being obese is not unhealthy.

Certainly, for the majority of individuals, being obese is not healthy. Good health is determined by a number of factors, and weight is not always the best indicator. Genetics plays a role in health, eating habits play a role, exercise/ activity, stress, etc. Being thin is not synonymous with being healthy. Regarding fat, it is not always the amount of fat that an individual carries that can be a problem, but is also depends on where the individual carries the fat.

BBC NEWS | Health | Curvier women 'will live longer'

There is one article, based upon research. A size 14, with 40 inch hips, for some women (dependent upon height) would be considered obese. For all women, societally we would consider these women to be "overweight". A size 14 is what is called "plus size" clothing, for heavier women.

Another article you may enjoy:

Thin people might be fat on the inside - Health - Fitness - msnbc.com

This article also shows that risk is more associated with weight around the mid-section: A Person's Weight Often Doesn't Jibe With Heart-Disease Risk, Einstein Study Finds | Einstein News


The bottom line, being healthy is mostly about making wise choices in eating, exercise/ activity, biological factors, and psychological factors. To generalize and say that overweight people are unhealthy is wrong.

 

[Strangelove]

Fair enough; but it still has to do with personal preferences, selfish desires, and confusing sex with love...... which still has nothing to do with God. ;)

I still don't know where you are getting personal preferences and selfish desires from what I've said but......whatever...

....if you let yourself get grossly overweight and it effects your physical performance not just in the sack but playing with your kids and all other aspects of family life then you are doing a disservice to your partner. Cold and simple. It's showing a lack of love for them and is therfore a sin. And you should do something about it so you can be as active as you were before.

To generalize and say that overweight people are unhealthy is wrong.

Ok...well...can I say that 'substancially overweight' people are unhealthy?

Is that politically correct enough?

 

[PouringRain]

I still don't know where you are getting personal preferences and selfish desires from what I've said but......whatever...

....if you let yourself get grossly overweight and it effects your physical performance not just in the sack but playing with your kids and all other aspects of family life then you are doing a disservice to your partner. Cold and simple. It's showing a lack of love for them and is therfore a sin. And you should do something about it so you can be as active as you were before.



Ok...well...can I say that 'substancially overweight' people are unhealthy?

Is that politically correct enough?

It is not about what is PC to say. If the generalization is false, then it is false.

The first has to do with personal preferences, because the amount of sex that an individual needs varies from person to person. Some couples need absolutely zero sex and still have happy and fulfilling marriages. They are not "showing a lack of love," simply because sex does not factor into their equation. Sex does not equal love. Sex can be a natural display resulting from to people in love desiring to intimately express that love to each other. But sex can also occur devoid of all love. In itself, sex is not love, nor is sex necessary for love. The reason I added the word "selfish desires" into my response is because often the problems in marriage that revolve around sex (or the lack thereof) are really a result of selfish desires from one individual or the other.

I think it is sad to equate activity with love also. I suppose the quadraplegic is incapable of loving his wife and children and therefore is grossly in sin. I guess the woman in my church who suffers from MS and is unable to do anything but sit must be in sin because she is unable to show her love to her husband and is unable to actively do the things that she formerly did. There is a difference in someone being unable to do things, and in being unwilling out of laziness (or selfishness). If an overweight individual is unwilling to do things with his family, or unwilling to spend time with them, then the problem and the sin is within his attitude and heart-- not his weight. He may blame his weight, but the problem goes much deeper. Everyone has physical limitations. This doesn't make those limitations a sin.