No where have I claimed that the homosexual lifestyle and the obese lifestyle are the same. However, certain elements that determine homosexuality as a sinful lifestyle can be applied to obesity, so that it can be determined that obesity is indeed a serious sin, though perhaps not as serious as homosexuality…that is if one is in the business of determining one sin to be more serious than another.
Dave, I’m going to analyze where your argument fails:
Are people promoting obesity as natural? Not in the same sense as homosexuality, but whether or not people promote has no bearing on whether or not it is sinful. Secondly, there is general acceptance of obesity, while we may think in our minds “that person would benefit from losing weightâ€Â, we generally don’t point out that a person is “fatâ€Â, laws prevent one from discriminating against a person who is obese, for example, in the workplace, we don’t have people protesting their funerals, telling them they’re going to hell ect. In general, obesity is not seen as a sinful lifestyle…just unfortunate.
an obese person may have legitimate medical reasons for being obese
While this is true, it is very rare. Secondly, how often have I heard “If homosexuality is genetic, it does not change anything, sin is a sin†?
In addition, the sin of obesity does not so much lie in the state of being obese, but in the actions that lead one to that state, which are generally over eating, eating the wrong foods, lack of exercise, lack of caring for one’s body.
What is obese? Is it anything over 5% body fat? What about those who are obese because an injury has them temporarily bed ridden and they no longer exercise like they are used too. What about a pregnant mother, or a pregnant mother who just gave birth, is she sinning because she is overweight?
This is from the American Obesity Association: Some researchers refer to the 95th percentile as overweight and other as obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which provides national statistical data for weight status of American youth, avoids using the word "obesity," and identifies every child and adolescent above the 85th percentile as "overweight."
Christians are called to respect their bodies and treat them as vessels of the holy spirit. Obesity demonstrates an unbalance in one’s life, and is a generally unhealthy state. For a mother to gain weight while pregnant is perfectly natural and does not demonstrate an unbalance., in fact it is healthy for the child and the pregnancy. A little bit indulgence is certainly permitted by God, however, it is when we over-indulge that we are sinning. And obesity is certainly over indulging.
Obesity is described as an ‘epidemic’ in North America because of its numerous health affects. Again, I do not see how you can say this is not wrong. Most people are obese as a result of their choices, their choices lead them to an unhealthy and damaging state. Obesity leads to:
Asthma
o Prevalence of overweight is reported to be significantly higher in children and adolescents with moderate to severe asthma compared to a peer group.
Diabetes (Type 2)
o Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents has increased dramatically in a short period. The parallel increase of obesity in children and adolescents is reported to be the most significant factor for the rise in diabetes.
o Type 2 diabetes accounted for 2 to 4 percent of all childhood diabetes before 1992, but skyrocketed to 16 percent by 1994.
o Obese children and adolescents are reported to be 12.6 times more likely than non-obese to have high fasting blood insulin levels, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
o Type 2 diabetes is predominant among African American and Hispanic youngsters, with a particularly high rate among those of Mexican descent.
Hypertension
o Persistently elevated blood pressure levels have been found to occur about 9 times more frequently among obese children and adolescents (ages 5 to 18) than in non-obese.
o Obese children and adolescents are reported to be 2.4 times more likely to have high diastolic blood pressure and 4.5 times more likely to have high systolic blood pressure than their non-obese peers.
Orthopedic Complications
o Among growing youth, bone and cartilage in the process of development are not strong enough to bear excess weight. As a result, a variety of orthopedic complications occur in children and adolescents with obesity. In young children, excess weight can lead to bowing and overgrowth of leg bones.
o Increased weight on the growth plate of the hip can cause pain and limit range of motion. Between 30 to 50 percent of children with this condition are overweight.
Psychosocial Effects & Stigma
o Overweight children are often taller than the non-overweight.
o White girls, who develop a negative body image, are at a greater risk for the subsequent development of eating disorders.
o Adolescent females who are overweight have reported experiences with stigmatization such as direct and intentional weight-related teasing, jokes and derogatory name calling, as well as less intentional, potentially hurtful comments by peers, family members, employers and strangers.
o Overweight children and adolescents report negative assumptions made about them by others, including being inactive or lazy, being strong and tougher than others, not having feelings, and being unclean.
Sleep Apnea
o Sleep apnea, the absence of breathing during sleep, occurs in about 7 percent of children with obesity. Deficits in logical thinking are common in children with obesity and sleep apnea.
Lastly you said homosexuality is a sin, but
eating the right amount of food is an act of discipline
You don’t think that God asks us to be disciplined? You don’t think that, to the homosexual, refraining from sex is an act of discipline? Does God ask us to be disciplined and respect the body that he gave us?
Look at this: Disability programs assist individuals who cannot engage in their usual employment because of their health.
Social Security Disability
If you are obese, you may be entitled to disability payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA). According to the SSA, $77 million are paid monthly to approximately 137,000 persons who met obesity requirements for disability under criteria used prior to May 15, 2000, when a new policy was issued. Most of the people who qualified for benefits under the old policy claimed to have muscle or skeletal complications.
Considering that obesity is a lifestyle choice for the majority, how is this justified?
http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/o ... outh.shtml
