- Related Topics:
- seven deadly sins
- overeating
- intoxication
- temperance
gluttony
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What is gluttony?
In Roman Catholic theology, gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, characterized by excess in eating and drinking. While moderate enjoyment of food and drink isn't sinful, overindulgence beyond reason is considered a sin, with drunkenness being a form of gluttony. Gluttony is believed to encourage immoral behavior and other sins. The Bible cautions against it, associating gluttony with poverty and wickedness. Saint Thomas Aquinas described five expressions of gluttony: eating too fast or at inappropriate times, consuming expensive foods, overeating, greedily eating and refusing to share, and being overly fastidious about food. The virtue of temperance counters gluttony.
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Why is gluttony considered a deadly sin?
Gluttony, identified by Pope Gregory I and elaborated on by St. Thomas Aquinas, is one of the seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic theology. It is defined as excess in eating and drinking, going beyond reason.
Gluttony is considered a deadly sin because it can lead to other sins and immoral behavior. The Bible warns against it, associating it with poverty and wickedness. St. Paul likens gluttony to idolatry, where one's stomach becomes their god.
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How is gluttony described in religious teachings?
In religious teachings, gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins, is defined as excess in eating and drinking. Eating and drinking for pleasure isn't sinful, but doing so to excess is.
The Bible cautions against gluttony. Proverbs warns against joining those who "glut themselves on meat," as it leads to poverty. Ezekiel names gluttony as a sin of Sodom, whose residents were "sated with food" but didn't help the needy.
In the New Testament, Paul the Apostle lists "drinking bouts, orgies, and the like" as sins that prevent one from inheriting God’s kingdom and likens those whose "god is their stomach" to idolaters. Thomas Aquinas described five gluttonous behaviors, such as eating too much, too eagerly, or too daintily. To counter gluttony, the virtue of temperance is recommended.
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What are some examples of gluttony in everyday life?
Gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins, is defined as excessive eating and drinking. While enjoying food and drink isn't sinful, overindulging to an unreasonable extent is considered a sin. Overeating, excessive consumption of alcohol, or even consuming expensive foods instead of healthier options can be examples of gluttony.
In modern society, gluttony can be seen in the overconsumption of high-calorie foods and beverages, which can lead to health issues like obesity. It can also manifest as turning to food or alcohol for emotional relief, or as a means of personal destruction due to unjust economic practices and lifestyle habits.
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How can gluttony affect a person's health and well-being?
Gluttony, or excessive eating and drinking, is considered one of the seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic theology. The Bible cautions against it, associating it with negative consequences.
Gluttony can manifest in several ways, such as eating too quickly or too much, being overly eager for food, or insisting on rich and expensive foods. It is seen as a failure of self-discipline that may lead to further immoral behavior. Pope Francis has connected gluttony to materialism, food waste, world hunger, and obesity.
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What are some ways people try to avoid gluttony?
Gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins, is defined as excess in eating and drinking. It can be countered with the heavenly virtue of temperance.
Ways to avoid gluttony:
* Temperance According to Roman Catholic theology, temperance is the virtue that counters gluttony.
* Mindful Eating Emotional or psychological factors can affect satiety. People can limit food intake by not eating until they are fully satisfied.
* Moderation, abstinence, and self-control Pope Francis named these virtues as ways to combat nutritional disorders.
* Recognizing inappropriate behavior St. Thomas Aquinas specified ways gluttony can manifest, such as eating too fast or too much, or being too eager to eat.3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
gluttony, in Roman Catholic theology, one of the seven deadly sins. Gluttony is defined as excess in eating and drinking. Although eating and drinking for pleasure is not seen as sinful, eating or drinking to excess beyond reason is a sin. Drunkenness, which is caused by excessive consumption of intoxicating beverages, is considered a type of gluttony. As a deadly sin, gluttony is believed to spur other sins and further immoral behavior.
According to Roman Catholic theology, gluttony can be countered with the heavenly virtue of temperance. The seven deadly sins were first enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and were elaborated by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. Along with gluttony, the deadly sins include pride, lust, envy, wrath, greed, and sloth.
The Bible repeatedly admonishes against gluttony in the Old Testament. The Book of Proverbs advises, “Do not join with wine bibbers, nor with those who glut themselves on meat. For drunkards and gluttons come to poverty, and lazing about clothes one in rags” (Proverbs 23:20–21). Gluttony is one of the sins named in God’s judgment upon the wicked city of Sodom, whose inhabitants were “proud, sated with food, complacent in prosperity. They did not give any help to the poor and needy” (Book of Ezekiel 16:49).
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In the New Testament, St. Paul the Apostle includes “drinking bouts, orgies, and the like” in his list of “works of the flesh” that will keep “those who do such things” from inheriting the kingdom of God (Letter of Paul to the Galatians 5:19–21). Paul also likens gluttony to idolatry, as in his description of the “enemies of the cross of Christ” in the Letter of Paul to the Philippians: “Their end is destruction. Their god is their stomach; their glory is in their ‘shame.’ Their minds are occupied with earthly things” (Philippians 3:18–19).
In Summa theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas specifies five ways in which gluttony can present itself in one’s behavior: (1) hastily, by eating or drinking too rapidly or at the inappropriate time; (2) sumptuously, by eating or drinking rich or expensive fare over healthier or more moderate fare; (3) excessively, by eating or drinking too much; (4) greedily, by eating or drinking too eagerly and refusing to share; and (5) daintily, by eating food that is dainty in quality or excessively prepared.
In Dante’s 14th-century Inferno, gluttons are punished in the third circle of hell, where they are guarded and tortured by Cerberus, a monstrous three-headed beast, while lying face down in icy mud and slush. Dante also meets Ciacco—like Dante, a native of Florence—and they discuss the political strife between two rival factions in Florence, which represents gluttony for dominion and power.
The 16th-century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder made allegorical drawings of the seven deadly sins. In Gula (Gluttony), gluttony is depicted in a nightmarish scene that includes a woman guzzling from a pitcher while sitting atop a pig as demons and nude women around her eat and drink to excess. The drawing also shows figures vomiting or being force-fed.
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In the modern era, Pope Francis referenced the sin of gluttony on numerous occasions in his commentary on world hunger, food insecurity, food waste, the obesity epidemic, and materialism. During his Christmas Eve homily in December 2018, he called on Christians to forgo greed, gluttony, and materialism and instead focus on the holiday’s meaning of love, charity, and simplicity. In October 2019, on World Food Day, which is observed annually by the United Nations to draw attention to world hunger and malnutrition, Francis lamented that “food is ceasing to be a means of subsistence and turning into an avenue of personal destruction.” He blamed unjust economic practices as well as lifestyle habits, and he named the virtues of temperance, moderation, abstinence, self-control, and solidarity as ways to combat “nutritional disorders.”