[Mbird friend John Stamper recently forwarded me a fascinating article about the book, The Fattening Of America. Among other things, the book relates the findings of a study which claims that, “many individuals are making a conscious decision to engage in a lifestyle that is obesity-promoting.” What follows is Stamper’s commentary on the issues raised by the article.]
When the article was posted on the [Angilcan news-] website TitusOneNine, it lead to a thread of responses, which largely fell into two categories. One group claimed that obesity was fine or it didn’t have anything to do with overeating; and the other side pointed out how people only got fat as a result of their “choice” and therefore should be condemned for it. The two groups were also mirrored inside the article itself.
As always, what is missing in many of these kinds of discussions, certainly those in the secular press but also elsewhere, is the Pauline appreciation of the bound will (e.g. in Romans 7). The two classic postures in every such debate are repeated: one side denies the existence of sin (the weight tables are wrong, the extra pounds have no relation to me overeating) and the other (in this case thinner) side Pharasaically condemns the sinners for failing to “just say no” to gluttony—why can’t they exercise their glorious Pelagian free will—why are they CHOOSING this?
The most poignant passage in the whole article to my mind was: “For many, this is a problem they have struggled with for many years… it gets discouraging after a while,” [Dr. Linda Gotthelf (ed. – great name!!)] said. “I would not doubt that if you asked obese people if they could push a button and not be obese, close to 100 percent would say they would push the button.”
It’s the closest the article gets to a touching compassionate appreciation of the human problem of sin, which never gets “fixed” in this life, even for Christians. (See Article IX of the Thirty Nine Articles!)
Thank God that Christ Jesus is the Friend of Sinners, and his love is showered especially upon the unrighteous, those unable to keep the law. And thank God for the comfortable words repeated in the old Anglican liturgies.
COMMENTS
4 responses to “Obesity Now A Lifestyle Choice”
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John,
This is such a great post! Your insight into “the two classic postures” is truly helpful, and your word of compassion for the actual suffering person is water to thoroughly parched soul. Thanks!
Sean
I love the Human Beat Box.
Nice Post.
I recently have lost about 40 pounds, and for about 8 years before this I know exactly what you are talking about … wanting to lose weight, but it seems an insurmountable uphill struggle. Even now it is not a case of having become “normal” … I tend to “split”, a psycho-analytic term for seeing things in drastic either-or-terms: either I go to the gym every day or I go back into a lifestyle of depression-driven eating problems. I am on the weight loss/exercize side of that now but … I just do the best I can to be balanced about it and figure, if I can keep fairly balanced, I prefer that side (the weight was feeling really oppressive … and since I have started exercizing an un-anticipated, but very welcome side effect has been much more regular sleep, which used to be all over the map … I used to work roofing and house-framing in my 20s and never needed to go outside of that for exercize and sleep needs, but since going into academia full time in my 30s that changed)
My whole point in that is the depression thing. I think you are right in that post in that a lot of the time (although not all … sometimes it is genetics etc) physical weight is a manifestation of other types of weight … and not necessarily moral/sin weight either. Many who live an unhealthy food life know it, but it is very hard to muster up the motivation even to try.
The fact is that in this world their is a lot of stuff pushed that makes it hard to be stable personally (a lot of stuff that is mindlessly accepted as “normal” by many an average church goer), and that makes it hard to be healthy physically. And a lot of times there is resistance … let’s face it, in our culture dysfunction is very big business. The “principalities” we have to fight are not necessarily our own “moral demons” (gluttony etc), but rather the pressure of those who stand to gain most by our remaining unhealthy.
the other thing I would say is that one of the types of mentality you’re combating here is “health and wealth gospel.” An assumption that thin = healthy = “right with God.” And it is false. I have a friend who was over-weight and then lost a lot of weight basically by starvation dieting (that should be a good ol’ righteous self-mortification, right?) and now when I see him I worry for him as far as anorexic tendencies … he can’t gain or maintain healthy weight or a stable dietary life when he tries.
weight is hard to lose especially when one hits a certain age. What we should be encouraging people to do, at least first, is move towards health: CLEANER diet, getting in BALANCED cardio-vascular exercize etc, regardless of whether it sheds the pounds everyone is saying they should … and then, if they want to keep going, to lose pounds (first of all – losing too much weight too quickly is a big shock to system and organs, especially if it is a hard sudden shift from years of being low on constitutional strength and stamina)
just my 0.02 worth … good post on something that is one of those very real issues that stupidly “we just don’t talk about that too much” out of “respect” (“consoling” with one hand while judging with the other)
Hey Merlin. I loved every bit of your post. I especially loved your last line:
consoling with one hand while judging with the other
That applies to so much in our church life!
I am swamped today but hope to respond more fully when I have time. Thanks again for your very truthful and personal witness.