Evangelical Christians and obesity

[Riders]

I think I tried to bring this up at beliefnet once and it went no where because people chalk it up to predjudiced,I admit it sounds like a stereotype that I'm picking on Christians. However,

The however is this. When I go to the Zen Buddhist group at Crowes Asian museum I'm like the only one who has a hard time making the long walk to the studio and I have to sit in a chair instead of on the floor because of my obesity.

I looked around the room, I was the only obese person, there.There may have been a few who were 25 pound over eight but no obese people.'
Everytime I bring this up to my UU church, they say were a diverse group, obese people have come and welcome here too. Its true weve had a few, I've known about 4 other obese folks from my church and maybe 40 thin and fit folks.

Truthfully, most people at my UU church, I had one other UU friend asmit this to me about his church, are either earthbased Pagan or Buddhist or Hindu, a lot of them are vegetarian. ALl of the UU churches in Dallas have vegetarian potlucks from time to time.

AT my old uU church when we had potlucks and till do, the only meat that is allowed to be brought in by people, this is a rule, is chicken breast. Unfortunately some people bring potatoe chips and cookies too which is junk as well.

Mostly though they have a bunch of bean type dishes vegetables and fruits and maybe one big rotisserie chicken in the middle for meat.

Theres a monster huge difference between potlucks at a UU church and the ones I go to at my Dads Primitive Baptist church and any other church.

As a rule,Id say about 60 percent of people in churches are like obese and most of the people in my groups are thin.

This is an issue I havnt been able to make peace with.It bothers me a lot. But if you disagree with me and think that I'm wrong can you answer this? Why do so many Christian churches eat bad food and binge eat together?

Do you know what churches do on Sunday mornings? After church after a monstrous amount of them show up and pig out at the local Golden Corral all you can eat restaurant. They actually have pictures of and advertisements for the community churches because that's theyre number 1 customer in Mesquite Evangelical churches Christians!

Doesn't the church have any conviction to eat healthy?

 

[wizanda]

Why do so many Christian churches eat bad food and binge eat together?

What is even worse, is they use all Pagan celebrations to entice everyone into it with food:

Yule tide (Christmas), Lupercalia (valentines day), Easter, Samhain (Halloween).

Like every Christian celebration is to gorge on food for some reason, with no limits to the amount we eat...

Even Pancake day, sort of misses Lent for most, and just goes ahead with more eating.

 

[pearl]

One of the 'seven deadly sins' is gluttony. But seriously, I think it all has to do with diet and life style. I have never observed many obese Asians, church or otherwise.

 

[Kenny]

Why do so many Christian churches eat bad food and binge eat together?

Do you know what churches do on Sunday mornings? After church after a monstrous amount of them show up and pig out at the local Golden Corral all you can eat restaurant. They actually have pictures of and advertisements for the community churches because that's theyre number 1 customer in Mesquite Evangelical churches Christians!

You mean like Friday nights where ALL the non-religious people binge on alcohol and have sex all night?

Don't you hate it when people use broad strokes painting people into a certain box to criticize? As if EVERYBODY goes to eat at restaurants after church? Or EVERYBODY drinks alcohol? Or EVERY non-Christian is EVIL?

Pleeeease!

 

[Riders]

You mean like Friday nights where ALL the non-religious people binge on alcohol and have sex all night?

Don't you hate it when people use broad strokes painting people into a certain box to criticize? As if EVERYBODY goes to eat at restaurants after church? Or EVERYBODY drinks alcohol? Or EVERY non-Christian is EVIL?

Pleeeease!

I didn't say all the did but considering we have a monster amount of people in our state who are over 600 pounds. That's why the Houston Dr Now do the show My 600 Pound Life and we have a huge amount of churches. Sorry to say this I think the church should be doing something.

But sense I'm sure you think I'm stereotyping and Christians will victimize themselves,let me rephrase and out this whole entire thread into a new light.

I'm obese. My UU church and Zen standards are helping me to raise my standards so much that I've lost 55 pounds. We don't have nearly as many Obese folks in our groups and I have good teaching about health their.

They are superior to churches in the health department. When I go to a Christian church half the people there are either as fat as me or obese, they over eat and binge on high fat unhealthy binge foods,at all you can eat restuarants together.

They encourage me to not give a sh#t about my health just like you just did, hey who gives a sh(t?

Other religious groups have programs, Unity has had weight loss program taught by the ACIM group there before and they have vegetarian potlucks. But they are very self conscious aware that many people have to be on a food plan so mostly they don't provide food for potlucks they let us bring our own food so they wont tempt other people to over eat.

So with all these other groups being completely superior to the church health reform, what on earth would draw me into the church? That's a question better then any stereotype.

Heres an interesting fact for you. A lot of Christians have started going to strict undergound groups like some of the Judeo Christian churches that teach healthy Jewish eating styles, like my sisters, shes a conservative Christian and uh she agrees with me. That's one reason why they changed churches.

 

[Riders]

What is even worse, is they use all Pagan celebrations to entice everyone into it with food:

Yule tide (Christmas), Lupercalia (valentines day), Easter, Samhain (Halloween).

Like every Christian celebration is to gorge on food for some reason, with no limits to the amount we eat...

Even Pancake day, sort of misses Lent for most, and just goes ahead with more eating.

We have 2 or 3 things like that but even then mostly we don't bring high fat meats ever. So even when we have huge celebrations we go mostly vegetarian. I hate to this up to you but our Pagan UU church has had classes on vegetarianism and health while the church has none. Weve had discussions on it and very few people are obese in our church.

As I stated in my last post, its ok to say I'm stereotyping pointing fingers that may just be. But if you put it in a different perspective, of reason I choose the places I go to, is in part because I like to study the benefits of health I've gone to classes, as I said the Unity church ahs an ACIM weight loss class, theres a lot of discussion about health and I feel like people at the UU church and UNity and Zen temple do actually support me in my weightloss while I feel like the church does not.


So if you just think of it it in terms how I choose my religious groups, the church hasn't done anything to support my health issues. So what does the Christian church do to help weight loss, the UU church and UNity has done a lot, if other religions do we should be able to expect as much from the Christian church.

So, what does the Christian church do to help and support folks with obesity issues?

 

[Kenny]

I didn't say all the did but considering we have a monster amount of people in our state who are over 600 pounds. That's why the Houston Dr Now do the show My 600 Pound Life and we have a huge amount of churches. Sorry to say this I think the church should be doing something.

But sense I'm sure you think I'm stereotyping and Christians will victimize themselves,let me rephrase and out this whole entire thread into a new light.

I'm obese. My UU church and Zen standards are helping me to raise my standards so much that I've lost 55 pounds. We don't have nearly as many Obese folks in our groups and I have good teaching about health their.

They are superior to churches in the health department. When I go to a Christian church half the people there are either as fat as me or obese, they over eat and binge on high fat unhealthy binge foods,at all you can eat restuarants together.

They encourage me to not give a sh#t about my health just like you just did, hey who gives a sh(t?

Other religious groups have programs, Unity has had weight loss program taught by the ACIM group there before and they have vegetarian potlucks. But they are very self conscious aware that many people have to be on a food plan so mostly they don't provide food for potlucks they let us bring our own food so they wont tempt other people to over eat.

So with all these other groups being completely superior to the church health reform, what on earth would draw me into the church? That's a question better then any stereotype.

Heres an interesting fact for you. A lot of Christians have started going to strict undergound groups like some of the Judeo Christian churches that teach healthy Jewish eating styles, like my sisters, shes a conservative Christian and uh she agrees with me. That's one reason why they changed churches.

OK... forgive me for over-reacting.

Yes... obesity is a problem. At our church we emphasize that we are temples of the Holy Spirit and teach on healthy eating (with a sneak into sweets every now and then). In our neck of the woods, it appears not to be such an issue as in yours.

Do hope you are able to overcome -- your body will say thank you!

Have a great evening.

 

[Riders]

Thank you. I have heard plenty of concern about people wanting to be more in a program for weightloss that is more faithbased, will the churches be reaching these people? What kind of faithbased approaches are their. I do k Celebrate recovery is suppose tor each all addictions but have heard some folks at it seems to be more directed to alcoholics and drug addicts.

Will the churches be meeting more of a demand for faith based recovery programs in general faithbased health programs?

 

[Shem Ben Noah]

It's more a culture thing than anything else.

When you're working hard you eat hardy. Problem is, most folk don't live that lifestyle any more so need to stop eating as they do. I'm a farmer, and eat like one, but I do only eat poultry and fish now, like your UU.

 

[Kenny]

Thank you. I have heard plenty of concern about people wanting to be more in a program for weightloss that is more faithbased, will the churches be reaching these people? What kind of faithbased approaches are their. I do k Celebrate recovery is suppose tor each all addictions but have heard some folks at it seems to be more directed to alcoholics and drug addicts.

Will the churches be meeting more of a demand for faith based recovery programs in general faithbased health programs?

Yes. The Church really is all encompassing. From sex-slave rescue to child-solders recovery. From education to feeding, From divorce recovery to child rearing. There are programs already there for weight loss.

Nightline: Losing Weight To Honor God?

 

[Riders]

I guess theres another issue I have with food too.

When the church goes out to eat together at places that are all you can eat like Golden Corral or has potluck where everyone brings something, and theres a ton of food;

I feel like it makes it hard on us who have to eat healthy or on a food plan to lose weight and stay on our food plan.

I also feel like its a way of buying my membership, churches have taken me out to eat alot and I feel like its kind of a way to manipulate me into joining their church.

Unity church told me last time I was there most of the time they bring their own food when they eat together. That way I can stay on my foodplan and the church doesn't have to spend money on me for potluck.

I don't like being bought into joining a church,or have folks offer me a friendship in order to get me in.