There was one family who moved in just as I was making my exit that were HUGE? I'm talking at least 400 lbs a piece, no joke! In fact, an inactive friend went to a meeting with me once just cause they couldn't believe it was true. They were wrong - it was true! I couldn't believe no one said a word, even from the standpoint that these two were putting their health and their kid's health in danger.
No Future
by Perfection Seeker 26 Replies latest jw experiences
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onacruse
PS: Good for you! 8 mos ago I was 300#, and though I'm 6'-6" had a marvelous belly bulge. Have lost 40# and feeling much better (physically and emotionally, wonder which came first?). An elder I know recently wrote a letter to WTS about obesity, and the response was (needless to say) ambiguous. What are they gonna do? Eating is about the only social pleasure still approved by WTS. I well remember the mad rush out of assembly to get to the cafeteria tents (I AM that old!), refreshment stands, and local restaurants. Nothing wrong in and of itself, but plays into its own addiction.
MM: Speaking of addictions, add coffee to the list! Nicotine and caffeine are virtually identical as alkaloidal poisons: their chemical structures are very similar and physiological effects are the same--only the potency is different. It takes 1 drop of pure nicotine on tongue to cause cardiac arrest w/i 1 min, takes 60 drops of caffeine to do same. Based on average potencies, a 1-pack-a-day smoker absorbs approx 60 mg of nicotine; a 4-cup-a-day coffee drinker absorbs approx 1000 mg of caffeine. Not to mention typical western civilization over-consumption of sugars and alcohol. Choose the poison!
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SixofNine
I am a witness.
and
I speak the truth.
Not so. I was a witness. You are an apostate who happens to be living a double life that involves JW's.
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RubyTuesday
Gluttony
How Much Pleasure Is Enough?
Gluttony is one of the "Seven Deadly Sins"
"Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. " - Proverbs 23:2
"Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. " - 1 Corinthians 7:5
The chief error about Gluttony is to think it only pertains to food. Some people can't have enough toys, television, entertainment, sex, or company. It is about an excess of anything.
There are at least three forms of Gluttony:
1) Wanting more pleasure from something than it was made for.
2) Wanting it exactly our way (delicacy).
3) Demanding too much from people (excessive desire for other people's time or presence).More Pleasure Than It Was Made For
The world is full of good things, from the beauty of the stars to the ever-changing and never-changing oceans to the pleasure of human company. We are free to enjoy these things without becoming focused on any one of them to the exclusion of all else. It is possible to become so caught up in a pleasure, whether food or fun, that we can no longer enjoy other things, and would be willing to sacrifice other pleasures for the one.
We enter into Gluttony when we demand more pleasure from something than it was made for. Normally, we can only eat so much food, but some people in Ancient Rome wanted more pleasure, so they threw up after the meal and then ate more. This allowed them to enjoy eating more at the cost of health (and dignity).
Delicacy
In "The Screwtape Letters," C.S. Lewis describes delicacy as a desire to have things exactly our way. He gives the example of food having to be prepared just right, or in just the right amount, but it isn't limited to food. We might complain about unimportant defects in a product, the temperature in the room, or the color of a laundry basket. There is a certain amount of discomfort to be expected in life, but the Glutton will have none of it. Instead of becoming strong by suffering the minor inconveniences of life, the Glutton insists on being pampered. No one dares to point out how petty or foolish they are. In fact, some celebrities are praised for their excessive perfectionism, as though it were a virtue.
Demanding Too Much From People
There can be a healthy and natural enjoyment of time spent with friends and acquaintances, but some people just can't get enough. They make demands until the other person moves away or explodes in anger. The Glutton is wounded that someone would take offense at their "love" for them. At least some people can get away. Far worse is when a parent demands too much from a child, requiring too much time or too many accomplishments from someone too small to grant so many pleasures. Even pets get excessive attention at times, but they don't seem to mind as much.
In some dating relationships, one person desires the other's company constantly, to the point that the other can barely hold down a job or continue in school. Whatever the reasons, the object of affection is expected to provide the pleasure of their company (at least) more of the time than is reasonable. Even in marriage, it is possible for a couple to be so "romantic" that the children are neglected. One legitimate pleasure (sex) can become obsessive to the point that another pleasure (the company of one's children) is lost.
The Good News
Because Gluttony is generally a sin of the flesh, the flesh limits it. If we consume too much food or drink, our body (usually) lets us know, either by gaining weight or illness. If we are too fussy about things (delicacy), people will tell us to do it ourselves. And if we demand too much from people, they will fly from us and we will be alone more often. So, we usually get a view of the problem, and a chance to change.
It is said that St. Thomas More was an exceptionally fun person to be around, so much so that King Henry VIII of England kept calling for him, preventing Thomas from going home to his family. Thomas eventually began to curtail his merrymaking so that he was more dull company. This strategy worked, and he was able to live at home more often.
The cure for Gluttony lies in deliberately reducing our use of pleasurable things, not in eliminating them. When eating, quit before feeling stuffed. When snacking, don't just keep stuffing, but quit after a while. With people, allow some quiet time together, and also get some time alone. Of course, if time alone is very pleasurable, get out more often. And if the toast is a bit too brown, eat it anyway.
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Xander
I have a nice little 401k
an IRA
a college degree
and less than 6 % bodyfat
So....what you're saying is that you weren't a very GOOD witness, then?
Incidently, I agree they try and keep you down - not worthy to earn salvation, must be granted; humans are imperfect, we sin all the time; only approach god through elaborate series of channels; etc. HOWEVER - I would not say 'overweight' is so much the problem as simply eating disorders of all types. In all three halls I'd been to, I'd say about 75% of each was either WAY TOO FAT or ANOREXIC THIN. I stayed okay, though (see pic to left), as did quite a few still. (I got a bum shot to prove it, too....)
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LB
Yep DF all the fat people that way you don't have to talk to them anymore.
More to obesity that overeating or gluttony.
But enjoy yourselves.
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MikeMusto
So....what you're saying is that you weren't a very GOOD witness, then?
Im saying im a witness who is smart enough to know that god likes
me just as much if i didnt have a 401k
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Valis
Mike that's really dumb and arrogant of you to say if in fact you were really a Dub, but as the succinct six says, you're just another player in the game of apostacy....you know what dog likes....*L* talk to the alien lately have you? BTW you remind me of the way Fred tries to bait people and generally make idiotic comments. You guys lovers or something?
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
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Satanus
Mike
You bent the wt rules by getting a college degree. You're bending wt rules now by consorting w us apostates. I can't criticise either of those things now, but when i was a jw, it would have been a different story. I have to agree w 6of9, you aren't really a jw. Maybe it's a social club for you. I just wonder how honest you are toward your jw associates.
SS
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MikeMusto
im a jw until they announce it from the platform