Lose weight for Jesus~

[Bluebear]

On a video monitor in Paoli, Pa., Stephen Arterburn was talking about Jesus and fat. Arterburn, a folksy Christian radio host, has written more than 50 advice books on topics ranging from overcoming drug abuse to finding Mr. Right. But what the five people gathered here had paid up to $600 to hear him talk about was weight. Specifically, how to lose it.

On the screen, Arterburn stood in front of a giant blowup of his book "Lose It For Life," which has sold 113,000 copies, some through his New Life radio ministry, which is carried by 150 stations.

"The world hears all these stories that shed a negative light on Christians," he said. "If you want the world to notice Jesus, it helps to look and live like Jesus."

"We don't do this," he said, referring to efforts to lose weight, "so we can look in the mirror and be more attractive. We do it so people can look at us and see Jesus."

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050513/LIVING01/505130357/-1/RSS

[onager]

1. Argh!

When I monitor the local Fundie FM stations, every third commercial seems to be some form of "Xian weight control." Which apparently doesn't work as well as Xian Mind Control.

The other two categories of advertisement they play all the time: Xian Debt Counseling, and Xian Attorneys.

The ads for attorneys usually include a weird disclaimer. They're clearly inciting people to file frivolous lawsuits (they ask if you've been in a car accident, been hurt on the job, etc.) But all of them seem to include some denial of this. "You deserve what you can get with a lawsuit and you may not realize what you're ENTITLED too." Etc. I guess they don't want to step on the right-wing meme that only lib'rul freeloaders file "nuisance suits." It's a nice little piece of cognitive dissonance.

In fact, based on my listening to this station, I could almost conclude that Fundies are mostly a bunch of overweight slugs who have lousy credit and file frivolous lawsuits. But that would be wrong...

:evilgrin:

[beam me up scottie]

2. Please tell me this is a spoof site.

PLEEEEEEEZE ?

*****
And the marketplace is returning the embrace. If you have ever wondered "What Would Jesus Eat?" you need only turn to the best-seller by that name, by a Florida physician named Don Colbert. (Answer: lots of fish, grains and vegetables.) And if that fails, you can try "Body by God," "The Hallelujah Diet" and dozens of others.

The books serve a ready constituency. A 1998 Purdue University survey found that religious Americans were more likely to be overweight than their nonreligious peers. Baptists were the fattest, according to the study; Jews, Muslims and Buddhists were the least overweight, though the researchers attributed this to differences in income, ethnicity and marital status, not denomination.

The combination of faith and weight-loss evangelism goes back to the 1950s, when a newly slim Presbyterian minister named Charlie Shedd pronounced excess pounds to be a literal manifestation of sin.

The diets unite two parables of entrepreneurial salvation: the personal testimonies of formerly sinning preachers and the
testimonials of formerly fat diet gurus.
*****

[trotsky]

5. "Baptists were the fattest"

Coincidental with where you find the most Baptists, I assume. The South has some of the best food in the country, and it's also not usually the healthiest either!

[beam me up scottie]

6. You're telling me...

They put gravy on EVERYTHING down here. It's a requirement I think.

Slim pickings for a vegetarian unfortunately.
It's because they fear us.

[trotsky]

7. How the hell do you manage being a vegetarian down there?

They even cook their vegetables in meat! (Black-eyed peas with a ham bone!)

Or is your diet just sweet tea and collard greens?

[onager]

9. I'm baffled too.

Even the collard or turnip greens are usually cooked with some fatback thrown in the pot.

(Former Upstate South Carolinian.)

[beam me up scottie]

12. yuck. I know.

They still use LARD in everything, fer christ sake.
I don't know how anybody lives past 50.

[beam me up scottie]

10. I mow my lawn a lot.

I bought an electric lawn mower and the grass tastes much better now without the extra gasoline flavoring.

[trotsky]

11. Yummy!

Hey, I've got one of those electric mowers too. Had it for 10 years now - ZERO maintenance. Sharpen the blades every year and I'm ready to go. Plus you don't stink like exhaust when you're done. I love it.

[noamnety]

3. A bit of a disconnect

"If you want the world to notice Jesus, it helps to look and live like Jesus"

I thought the new Bob Jones dress code demands that guys get short haircuts. Shouldn't they be demanding that men stop cutting their hair and shaving?

[Solly Mack]

4. so...ah...

is the exercise program cross country cross carrying?

[fshrink]

8. Also.

Let's go to the bathroom like middle-easterners were 2000 years ago.