Oh, remember the brief moment when The Tennessean ran a story that wasn’t ridiculously offensive about fat people? Yeah, well, fuck that shit. Today, they have a story about how being fat is so wrong that your church needs to preach against it. No, I am not even fucking kidding you.
If ever you need evidence that obesity is a moral issue, not a health issue, consider the fact that our local paper ran a story about how fat people are sinning against God.
Honestly, I had to sit through enough bullshit about how having a vagina meant that God only intended these limited rolls for me and how having a vagina meant that I was a little more sinful, just by nature, than regular folks, and a little more likely–if not vigilant–to lead other, good people, into sin. I get it, you know? God hates women.
I respect that most Christian women can do the mental work to separate Christians’ bullshit beliefs about women from God’s beliefs about women–bullshit or not–but I just couldn’t. It was easy enough to find Other Folks who were interested in me whose followers didn’t hate me because of the arrangement of my genitalia.
But this, man, this just hits me right in the gut (pun not intended). It’s not enough that I’m supposed to internalize that God has to try harder to love me–and therefore I have to constantly try harder to earn His love–because I’m a girl, now I’m supposed to internalize that God has to try harder to love me because I’m fat?
Well, don’t do me any favors, Dude.
Every once in a while, I admit, I get nostalgic, like maybe I could go to Jay Voorhees’ church and just enjoy it and not worry so much about what it all means or whether I’m in 100% agreement and I’d fit in and my parents would be happy.
And then something like this comes along…
And I am relieved, just bone-deep relieved, to have gotten out when I did.
Fat heads are particularly grievous–the ones with noses in the air. Puffed out chests too–hot air where hearts should be.
Word up, Alice.
I’ve been reading a couple of books written by my friend Jacqueline S. Homan, and she covers this ground in one of them. Really, though: why the hell should any woman want to sit and torture herself with the bleatings of some asshole who’s pushing a barely reconstructed version of a vengeful, capricious, sadistic, and above all misogynistic ancient desert god?
Oh well, B, at least you’re not Miriam Liebowitz, who was probably not told that her interview would be used in an article in which religion = Christianity. The Tennessean really knows how to write a story with broad appeal, huh?
Ah, for the days when going to church brought a sense of peace and fulfillment through fellowship instead of the judgemental business that it has become.
“Your body is God’s temple and what you do to it you do to Him!” Yeah, that kinda crap is the reason I stopped going to church as soon as I got out of my parents’ house. That and the fact that I was apparently going to hell for listening to the Beatles.
The Tennesseean has got to be one of the absolute worst newspapers in the country. I used to beat up on the Commercial Appeal for some of their more annoying editorial policies until I really started paying close attention to what the Nashville paper puts out. I wouldn’t even let my bird shit on the Tennesseean.
Aunt B.,
There is no doubt that the campaign against obesity has turned into a war on personal freedom. And certainly some churches will take it to extremes. Just like some churches teach Dave Ramsey’s ideas on personal finance as Sunday School classes.
But it really isn’t unreasonable for churches to be concerned about the physical health of members as well as the spiritual health. In fact it is perfectly reasonable to make the case that the two go together.
This is more and more true as churches become the key community for more and more Americans. While the church has always played a huge role in black communities, more and more whites are moving to large churches for the community life as much as the theology.
The way to combat the extremists is to keep making the point that not everyone has an option of becoming ‘thin’ or achieving a particular bmi.
It would also help if bloggers like you would step up and oppose giving any level of government the power to regulate soda sizes or what other-wise safe cooks use in food for the general public. Those laws impact people who are not in danger of diet-related illnesses.
The driving force in all this is the belief that ‘government’ has the right to play nanny in all aspects of our lives. Anyone who ever argued that conservatives want control over women’s bodies ought to appreciate that now liberals want to take control over women’s and men’s bodies.
Since when did Michael Bloomberg become a liberal?
“But it really isn’t unreasonable for churches to be concerned about the physical health of members as well as the spiritual health. In fact it is perfectly reasonable to make the case that the two go together.”
I would have to agree with Mark on this. I do not, however, think this article should have been a news story on the front page above the fold. At best, it’s a local religious interest story.
I have had arguments with Webb personally about his book and teachings. Specifically this:
The assumption that fat=gluttony and that, by extension, gluttons can be visually identified as “specific sinners”.
First, that any sin needs singled out is completely contrary to the Gospel. (Romans 3:23)
Second, preaching against “specific sin” is primarily about shame, whereas actual Christianity is about the peace of redemption. (Romans 2:1-4)
Third, gluttony is not just about food consumption.
B, I would never pressure you into returning to Christianity. But I do strongly, emphatically assert that these things you see and are justly angered by are not Christianity but subcultural misuse of my religion to further individuals’ temporal ends.
As for that article…well, the fact that it took me three days to say anything is a good indicator of my feelings on the shit of hate it spewed.
The local paper is really reaching for any kind of controversy that would bump up page views–especially in the past week since the paywall went up.
That said, I can’t remember who wrote this but it’s a good one: You know you’ve created God in your own image when He hates all the same people that you do.