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Overweight Preachers
- Thread starter Salty
- Start date
I think this is a legitimate point. However, overweight does not necessarily equate to unhealthy.
Heavyweight boxers and MMA fighters and weight lifters are overweight by common standards and are usually very healthy.
Furthermore, there are some people who are simply fat and very healthy at the same time (I do not mean morbidly obese, however). These people have healthy blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Their resting heart rate is around 70bpm and they can run and jump.
Last I checked, medical scientists have yet to be able to connect being fat to early mortality rates.
At the same time it seems clear to me that MANY slim people have to eat within the bounds of such restricted diets to maintain their slimness that they deprive their body of needful vitamins and minerals. Many of these people are attractive and very unhealthy.
These things need to be taken into account when passing judgment on the "overweight".
I understand. Sigh. Let me shift positions in my nice easy chair.
Alive in Christ
New Member
Wha is the "BMI?
Nothing against her or her book..
However, she has a couple of biblical problems with her book if the above is correct.
First, scripture never speaks being healthy as taking care of the temple. In fact, it specifically states bodily exercise profits little but godliness is profitable to all things... (1 Tim 4:8).
Scripture never even speaks at or against those who are VERY obese in scripture, in regard at least to their health.
Another issue is that of God's Sovereignty.
God has already determined what we will do, who we will help, and the very manner in which it will be done. Are you really trying to say (knowing your theological position) that God is thwarted in His plans because some people get overweight
Seriously.. we need to stop making a CULTURAL view/position to be a biblical one. NOTHING in scripture speaks about what is a proper biblical healthy weight to be. And while it is 'prudent' to maintain a healthy body, even scientist disagree as to what that is.
Body Mass Index
It says.. this is how tall you are so this is the weight you should be ... in its most basic form
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Nothing against her or her book..
However, she has a couple of biblical problems with her book if the above is correct.
First, scripture never speaks being healthy as taking care of the temple. In fact, it specifically states bodily exercise profits little but godliness is profitable to all things... (1 Tim 4:8).
Scripture never even speaks at or against those who are VERY obese in scripture, in regard at least to their health.
Another issue is that of God's Sovereignty.
God has already determined what we will do, who we will help, and the very manner in which it will be done. Are you really trying to say (knowing your theological position) that God is thwarted in His plans because some people get overweight
Seriously.. we need to stop making a CULTURAL view/position to be a biblical one. NOTHING in scripture speaks about what is a proper biblical healthy weight to be. And while it is 'prudent' to maintain a healthy body, even scientist disagree as to what that is.
I don't believe that God is "thwarted" but I do believe He uses the vessel that is ready and able to do the work. It is a privilege to be a solder in God's army and I think we miss out on a lot of very awesome blessing because we have not taken good care of ourselves.
Not trying to be argumentative.. but are we not 'thwarting' God's plan if we can 'miss out'. IOW - God's plan for us can not come to fruition because we ate to much
I'm kind picking on your phrasing.. but I understand your point.
Again I apologize for my tasteless remark yesterday but I still do think obesity is an issue and I don't think people are very well educated about how bad fast food and other things are for you. Also some weight standards are crazy too at 5'7" 170 pounds to me you aren't obese or really even overweight. I see more and more young, very young kids that are very obese and I'm scared for them, they are going to be at risk. If you're severely overweight at 10 its not going to be easy to be helthy as a young adult, its not appearance its health.
I agree there is a growing problem regarding the issue of being overweight.
However I do not believe is should be laid on the shoulders of food (fast or not), or eating in general.
The issue lays squarely at the feet of inactivity. We are in a new generation where all entertainment and activity reside indoors, on a computer or TV screen.
When I was high school (88-92) I ate pretty much, only deep fried foods (good ol' southern foods.. yum!) and fast food all the time. Some times 4 and 5 meals a deals. Left over deep fried pork chops for breakfast was my FAVORITE!! (with jalapenos)
But I maintain a 10 percent body fat ratio because I was always outside playing.. or doing sports (martial arts - Tae Kwon Do), and other things.
My brother can eat whatever he wants and not get over weight and just sit around all day.. he has done it for years and is still a tooth pick. Me.. not even close.
I was hit head on be a drunk driver and have had severe issues, with leg and hip, and struggle to go up and down stairs with out my knee blowing out on me and being laid up for a week at time. Thus I am constantly struggling with weight issues now that I can't just up and go like before.
But what I am illustrating is that it isn't food or eating for that matter that is the primary culprit.. it is activity. I mean look at the schools. When I was there P.E. was mandatory for the first 3 years of high school (and in JR. High it just, was) and you were running, moving, whatever for a 50 minutes before you left. Today.. P.E. is optional.. and even when you take it, it barely even touches on physical activities.
Those who took Paul from Jerusalem to Rome could have walked but they took the short cut and went by sea. I suppose they were lazy.
That is why Paul walked so much. An obese man could not have gone on three missionary journeys mostly by foot.
Seriously, there is a flaw here in your theology. It is called fatalism.Another issue is that of God's Sovereignty.
God has already determined what we will do, who we will help, and the very manner in which it will be done. Are you really trying to say (knowing your theological position) that God is thwarted in His plans because some people get overweight
God has pre-determined that I am going to be obese, therefore I can be as much as a glutton as I want to be.
God knows ahead of time, and in fact has predertermined that I am going to murder my enemy, so now that I have permission from God to do so, I may as well go out and commit the act.
The hyper-calvinistic view of pre-determinism is nothing more than an excuse to sin. Obesity that comes as a result of over-eating, and is blamed on God because all is pre-determined is sin, and it is accusing God to be the author of sin and your own evil.
I doubt if obesity was much of a problem then as it is now. You don't find the term "couch-potato" in koine Greek.
Overweight is a combination of lack of activity and excess over eating. And yes, Computers and 500 channel Cable companies are culprits (as a kid, we only had 2 TV channels )
In High School 66-70 we had PT 3x/wk one semester and 2 x the other semester. In addition in good weather they would let us go outside during lunch to shoot hoops, just walk or whatever.
I also have a bad knee. I was chewed out by my physical therapist because I was running - (which I enjoy) now, I just am able to do a slow walk. thought in good weather, I will get a bike and do some riding. So my forced inactivity does not help my weight. In addition, I am sitting in my Taxi all day long as well.
Salty
ps, I think I will become a hyper-Calvinist, then I can believe I am predestined to be obese (my BMI is 42.3 )
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Silly at best. That has nothing to do with scripture telling us any type of proper weight or size. Nor does your comment reflect anything to what I was speaking to.
You have flaw in your understanding here.
He did not walk to be physically fit, :laugh:
It was the common mode of transportation. However what you fail to realize is that scripture does not tell us he walked everywhere he went or even most of them. Commonly, for the distances he traveled, a horse, camel, or donkey was taken for trip, and yes.. we see him riding in ships as well.
And also.. large people walked even then.
Seriously, read what I wrote.
I was not saying that was my view.
The hyper-calvinistic view of pre-determinism is nothing more than an excuse to sin. Obesity that comes as a result of over-eating, and is blamed on God because all is pre-determined is sin, and it is accusing God to be the author of sin and your own evil.
Nor do you find - fat, obese, or over weightAgreed, it is a combination of one and not the other.. or two much of one and little of the other.. but the fact remains.. inactivity is the primary modifier.. or little thereof
saturneptune
New Member
saturneptune
New Member
When the Postal Service assigns a zip code to your pastor, you know it has gone too far.
I do think food is a problem. You can't tell me a whopper or a big mac has any value you at all to your body except to satisfy your own cravings. I know this is extreme but think of it this way. You eat chicken wings (which I love by the way) because they taste good to you, they are a source of pleasure when it comes to eating. Ok someone drinks or does a drug or takes a pill because it makes them feel good. My point is just because something tastes good or makes us feel good doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it. There's nothing wrong with MCD or wherever in moderation, but moderation is the key.
I agree, and would add that moderation is necessary in other areas besides food. Eating habits are the ones that are most obvious and get picked on because a person's size is hard to hide. We should also be moderate in our spending of money, spending of our time on pleasures, etc.
saturneptune
New Member
That is an excellent post. Heredity plays a big part in overeatings affect on the body. For example, I have never been really heavy, no drinking, and only light smoking years ago in my earlier years. Yet, I had a six way heart bypass at 57. My mom died from this at 54. Now compare this to a guy I worked with who was near 300 pounds, ate 4 whoppers at one sitting, drank, etc. He had the same test that caught my condition, and he had perfect arteries.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that each of us are responsible for knowing our bodies and taking care of them accordingly. Moderation is the key. My weight gains center around holidays, vacations, and church pot lucks, so I try and be aware of what I am doing during those periods. The Lord was very gracious to allow me to live, so many times these things are not found. My first symptom was not being able to push mow the yard and had to rest every few passes. The next thing was not being able to carry boxes up stairs into the attic. Finally I got so weak that it affected my job, so I retired. I was operated on two months later. My point is, listen to your body. If something is amiss, have it checked out. Life is too precious to play games with it. It may require changing eating habits, or exercising more, or whatever, but it is certainly worth it.