What would you like to tell others about Gluttony?

Question

Gluttony... It does refer to an over-indulgence in food, yes, but I want to use the broader connotation, meaning it's an over-indulgence in anything, food included. What is something you would like to tell others about Gluttony and what a sin it is? Thanks for any input!

P.S. This is NOT a "help me with my homework question", I've been taking a look at the 7 Deadly Sins on my own time, and I'm just curious to hear other's thoughts on Gluttony. Thanks.

Thank you so much for your answers Barbara, Sierra, and Sarah..!!

Answer 1

Actually the dictionary states that it means over-indulgence of food or drink.
But anyhoo! Gluttony is indeed a deadly sin. First of all, it is a sin against mankind because in the classical sense, it is taking more than what's your share. It is deadly because this sin eventually catches up with you in the way of health or overall life circumstances.
I think gluttony is a bit different than obsessive eating which I consider to be more about comforting the mind and boredom than anything. I don't consider this a sin against God or mankind. It's just a sad condition of man.

Answer 2

I have a series of books on the seven deadly sins published by Oxford University Press. (The one on Gluttony is written by Francine Prose.) You might enjoy reading it.

I read in another book that Americans eat five times more food than the average person in Africa, while the French and German only eat twice as much. We also use more oil and other fuels. Europeans have learned to wear sweaters instead of turning the thermostat up in the winter and to ride bikes or walk rather than driving everywhere.

What worries me is our global image as a nation. We must seem like a bunch of pigs to the rest of the world. No doubt this is one of the major reasons that we as a people are held in such contempt.

We also overindulge our children. The next generation will be more spoiled than we are.

I think it is a sin to be gluttonous when other people are starving, especially if we refuse to share with those less fortunate. We need to be feeding our minds and souls instead of our bellies. In the end, though, we will end up fat and miserable.

Answer 3

Would you think it is also addiction? this way it covers a lot more ground than merely food and/or punishment.

I have experienced food gluttony once. It was a very nasty thing. I had a friend who had killed herself and I did not know much about these thing back then. It was 1973. I felt like she was with me a lot after her death. One day I found myself at the fridge stuffing my face to the point of feeling sick. I could not eat it fast enough... I remember it was cheese of some sort. Suddenly I stopped and listened to my thoughts. I realised that this abnormal reason was her, I was eating for her. I thought back on a few things that had happened since she did the deed and realized what was going on. There aer no accidents and a week later I had a houseguest who "met her on the stairs". He and I spoke about her, he described her to a tee, but was a visitor from Europe. Anyhow, she never bothered me again. But I knew exactly what a glutton feels like.

In Rome, at parties, they had slaves who were trained to tickled the throats of the guests with a feather to induce vomiting so the person could continue over eating. Often the hair of these same slaves was used for the person to wipe their mouths after they were done. Now THAT is gluttonly!

Answer 4

it has it's own reward, misery, ill health and trouble and that's just the start of it. It surely is one of the seven deadly sins.

Answer 5

My favorite of the seven is sloth because you don't have to do anything to be guilty of that one.