Eating disorders are actually due to mental illness and brain chemicals, so to say sin is involved isn't really fair. Not all illnesses are caused by sin. There is no need to place blame on people who are ill. Things like this is what turns people off of Christianity.

Good post. Christians, especially in  America, don't talk about Godly eating habits nearly as much as they should. Probably because they are too busy talking about smoking, abortion, and homosexuals.

@MrsMcKagan@xanga - Perhaps we need to back up a bit and work on a definition of sin. Here is a good old one:

"Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (Leviticus 5:17. And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity. James 4:17. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. 1 John 3:4. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.)"

How about if you tell me how your view of sin differs from this one and why. Then I think we can thresh this out one step at a time.

Okay. So if I understand you correctly, then you do agree that there is sin due to fallenness in the world. So then would it be right to say that you also agree that all people can be called sinners?  Would you agree that all of us have in Adam sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and that we should confess our inability to Him? I feel sure your answer to this is a yes, so I'll go on. General fallenness is the most basic sin that I am speaking of here, but not the only one.

Luther also best expressed the idea that sin has three causes: the world, the flesh and the devil. I have found that when I sin, it is usually a mix of the three of these. With an eating disorder, the world contributes by making us believe something false: that being very thin is the most desirable physique a person can have. There is no such thing as too thin for some of these people. It's not the only wrong body image a person can have, of course, but being too thin to the point of endangering one's health is an abuse of the body, just as being too heavy for good and godly health. It involves cherishing an attitude that is contrary to godliness.

The flesh contributes to this sin by putting one's own desires above God's. If I know that being healthy means not abusing my body, yet I stuff myself and then purge, it is I who am contributing to my own problem. No one is forcing me to eat, and no one forces me to purge. If someone were forcing me, then I could say that I was not guilty of sin-- just as in rape a woman is not guilty of adultery or fornication when someone forces himself on her. My flesh wants what it wants, and when I obey it instead of what God's desire for my health, then I fall short of His standard.

Finally, the devil. There is no question we are tempted, and there is no question that Satan wants to destroy us. Unless we are alert, we will fall into his traps. But even if we do fall into a trap, the Lord promises that there is always a way out so that we do not have to sin. (And the cost of not sinning can be distressingly high). Augustine was a man who knew what he was capable of. After he became a believer, he would not even allow his own sister in a room alone with himself. Extreme, but he did not committ sexual sin in the body. We are called to that level of committment.

If a person is downright out of their minds like the people in Scripture who harmed themselves, at some point they need to see their need for a Saviour who can save and heal them. If one is too crazy even for that, Scripture shows that believing friends can pray for them. I thoroughly believe that it is still possible for people to be possessed by demons (while I do not necessarily agree with many of the current modes of dealing with that). People are called to quit their bad behaviours. But if anyone does sin, we have a righteous intercessor, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and He is the payment for our sin, if we believe that He alone is the one Who is able to accomplish that..

Our failure to meet any standard of God's righteousness calls for us to recognise this and, call on Him for the help we need. Harming oneself may be due to illness, but we can and should recognise it for what it is: a violation of God's standard. Only then can we recognise the fullness of how deeply Jesus loves us and how decisively we are saved, and begin on the road to real sanctification.

Thanks for your conversation and thoughts.

The Christian never uses food or drink to harm others or ourselves. I was involved in a really fun food fight one time. And there are some hilarious things that can be done with raw eggs....

I like the fact that your post emphasizes that God gave us good things to enjoy, rather than hammering at obesity and junk food.

@MrsMcKagan@xanga - At this point I think it's good to distinguish between mental illnesses which are physical in origin, and emotional illnesses which are psychological in origin, as well as recognise the fact that sometimes they overlap a bit. Eating disorders are usually expressions of the latter two kinds. There is an awful genetic disease, Lesch-Nyhan, that literally compels a person to self-harm and harm others, but it is a very rare disease. These people literally beg to be tied up and become distressed when they are not.

In the end, I think we'll have to agree to disagree. For whatever reason-- clinical depression or emotional harm, the abuse of a gift of God is still the abuse of a gift of God. Those who suffer for its effects need to examine their hearts in a very deep way, seek the healing and forgiveness of God for it, and work honestly and carefully towards sanctification, keeping in mind that their salvation is secure as they do so.

only on revelife.

we should all stop eating apples. how about someone does a post about that?