My Healthy Sin
Religious conservative talk show host, Dennis Prager, likes to level a specific charge against us godless secularists. And I am going to confess before you all that, at least in my case, it is true.
The charge: because of a lack of religion, which would otherwise instill higher values in me, Physical Health has risen to one of my greatest values of all. Dennis says health becomes like a religion to the secularist and he speaks truth. After Family and Loving Others, Health really is my next greatest value.
Perhaps it is because my healthy habits give me more energy to make it through the day, to feel happy around my children and husband, even providing me greater ability to serve others. I want that fix. But it’s a vile habit, this constant concern over my health.
In December, Jesus’ birthday swept me toward religious gluttony, as I was spending most of my days shopping for presents and baking unhealthy Christmas goodies, of which I would normally not partake. I was moved by the spirit of that holy day, and turned away from my health-vices.
But now that the spirit of Christmas has subsided, I find myself ever more enticed to return to my old ways of daily exercise.
Paganistic traditions are calling me with a sweet, subtle temptation to return to Mother Nature and take the time to prepare meals from whole foods for my family.
I am finding a desire to allocate half my meal portions (you heard me, HALF) to the vegetables. Only one quarter of my plates contain an animal, which we know from the Holy Bible was given to man to have dominion over.
So yes, dear Dennis, you are correct. The loss of religion has rearranged my priorities, making a value as lowly as Health, one of my great priorities. Please forgive me.
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January 9th, 2006 @ 7:07 am
Noell,
I know exactly what you are talking about. It is not like health is a substitution for religion, it just moves up higher on the priority list when you have lack of religion.
Good input.
–Ann
January 9th, 2006 @ 1:20 pm
Please forgive my use of the comment option to send this post -
I just found your blog using Bloglines, and I’m glad I did!
I am looking for resources, community, and information for agnostic parenting. I am surprised at how challenging this has been - there are assemblies (both real and virtual) for every kind of person imaginable, but the oft demonized ‘teaming masses’ of secularists are in reality very hard to find!
Makes the claims of our influense and numbers seem awfully questionable.
Would it be possible to supply more links, if you have them - more connections to similar blogs - and if you are feeling particularly enterprising (at the beheist of a complete stranger), create some way of organizing your archives so that they are easier to fish through?
A link for emailing you directly would be helpful, too - it would prevent my interrupting your comments section to ask you these questions.
I’m a new parent, a stay-at-home-dad, and born-again agnostic doing my initial groundwork for making sure our nest is well lined, insulated from destructive influences, and harmonious!
thanks!
Ron
southmountainhouse@earthlink.(remove this section)net
January 10th, 2006 @ 6:42 am
I love your sense of humour Noelle.
January 10th, 2006 @ 5:28 pm
Hey Noell, You made some very good points. But if you ever need an example of a guy that refutes Prager’s charge, you can use me.
Larry
January 11th, 2006 @ 6:23 am
Well, thank you, everybody for your approval.
Ron-I’ll be happy to post some links in an upcoming entry. We are definitely a minority.
January 11th, 2006 @ 5:16 pm
Your health concerns make you a prime candidate to be a Seventh-Day Adventist, or a Latter-day Saint.
I suppose Prager thinks those sects unreligious? Prager sounds like a blasphemer to me . . .
January 11th, 2006 @ 5:30 pm
Ed-
Ha! I guess you haven’t read enough to know that I came from the Latter-day Saint camp (Other readers: LDS and Latter-day Saint means Mormon).
My LDS background still influences certain aspects of my life. I’d say the religion has its good parts. Although I have taken up coffee and tea. I also will have one or two coctails here and there. But I don’t drink it for the usual reasons. I have no desire to get drunk. Dancing and music give a much better buzz than alcolhol.
A listener on the show actually called to tell Prager that health is an essential part of the LDS religion.
January 11th, 2006 @ 7:07 pm
I’ve got a toe in both the Mormon and Adventist camps.
But I love my scotch, my beer, my wine, my steaks and roast beef. And I love the flavor of a good cigar. I’d be a terrible member of either of those sects.
Prager’s error is a common one, though, I think. There’s a guy at a seminary in Denver who is campaigning that yoga breathing and relaxation exercises should be banned from publich schools because they’re religious — to him. There’s a tyranny of Christians out there who ask that good stuff be killed in order to sustain their need to feel persecuted.
What do you think: Would Jesus breathe deeply?
January 11th, 2006 @ 7:23 pm
There it is: their need to feel persecuted.
And also, to be the only source of all good things. If Christianity isn’t the source, it’s not good. Just to the fanatics, though. My dear LDS mother meditates and does yoga.
As for Jesus and deep-breathing (I love it): when I was religious, I believed that every talent that people possess is also possessed by God. It was so hard to imagine Jesus doing gymnastics on the parallel bars, but I really tried, because he must’ve known how. I’m not trying to be blasphemous here. I really did try to imagine it and believe it. I did. Hee hee.
April 10th, 2006 @ 2:08 pm
Noell,
This is fabulous. I have just read a few entries and am not too computer savy but wow!
Have you explored Unitarian-Universalism? I am a UU and we have many agnostic church goers here in the Pacific Northwest. Most UUs are humanists, but I find support in my free and responsible search for truth and meaning in Unitarian-Universalism.
Blessings,
Lori
April 10th, 2006 @ 2:35 pm
Hi, Lori! I did look into UU. I researched them quite a bit online, and then visited a service once. People were extremely friendly and the service was thought-provoking. I was really intrigued with the children’s Sunday School program. Sometimes I read the sermons of the two congregations that exist in my area.
I have decided against joining for a few reasons, although I recommend others check it out if they want a group to be a part of.
For me the group leans a little too heavy on one political side. I myself am Independent, and while I agree with some of the UU political leanings, I felt that joining would practically be like joining a political party.
Also, my husband has no interest in joining anything whatsoever. And I, myself, don’t care to commit to a regular Sunday meeting, having shed my lifelong practice of three-hour church meetings with the Mormon church. We enjoy Sundays by relaxing or going out to restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, etc.
Our nearest UU is also pretty far. Otherwise, I actually would consider it more seriously, despite the other reasons. I would go, at least sometimes, if it were only ten or fifteen minutes away.
Feel free to share some of your UU experiences any time! I am sure I have some readers who would love it.