Tuesday, September 06, 2005
You are what you eat
Remember the trite old saying, "you are what you eat"? I've been thinking about it in terms of religion, especially the sacrament of Christian communion.
The idea of god-eating isn't new to Christianity, it's thousands of years old and is reflected in some cannibalistic practice too. I'm sure none of these ideas are original either. I just want to point out a couple of things I've been thinking about. It centres around this idea of becoming what you consume.
We're used to discussing consuming media products, consider the debates surrounding sex on TV or violence in computer games. Studies by Gerbner and Kubey show some correlations between what we watch and what we think or feel.
Let's just think about Gerbner's work. He showed that people who are "heavy" TV watchers (more than 4 hours per day) were more likely to
Be racially prejudiced
Overestimate the amount of lawyers, doctors and athletes in the world
View women as having limited abilities
View science as dangerous and scientists as odd
Have an exaggerated view of violence in society
Think there are a smaller number and less healthy old people than 30 years ago
See the world as a more dangerous place
You become what you consume. Eventually you are consumed by it.
I'd like to consider communion in this light. In this ritual we consume Christ through the media of bread and wine. As such we hope to be what we eat: People that operate without boundaries to display love and hope. Eventually we aim to be consumed by love.
PS. To those concerned I'm not about to become a bottle of 42 Below Feijoa Vodka anytime soon.
The idea of god-eating isn't new to Christianity, it's thousands of years old and is reflected in some cannibalistic practice too. I'm sure none of these ideas are original either. I just want to point out a couple of things I've been thinking about. It centres around this idea of becoming what you consume.
We're used to discussing consuming media products, consider the debates surrounding sex on TV or violence in computer games. Studies by Gerbner and Kubey show some correlations between what we watch and what we think or feel.
Let's just think about Gerbner's work. He showed that people who are "heavy" TV watchers (more than 4 hours per day) were more likely to
You become what you consume. Eventually you are consumed by it.
I'd like to consider communion in this light. In this ritual we consume Christ through the media of bread and wine. As such we hope to be what we eat: People that operate without boundaries to display love and hope. Eventually we aim to be consumed by love.
PS. To those concerned I'm not about to become a bottle of 42 Below Feijoa Vodka anytime soon.
Filed in: theos
Craig (mars-hill) Tuesday, September 06, 2005
1 Comments:
Hey Josh,
Glad you took the time to visit during your partial fast!
I can imagine you becoming hilariously nasty but I'm certainly never allowing you to diagnose me...or give me drugs...or get near me with a sharp object.
Glad you took the time to visit during your partial fast!
I can imagine you becoming hilariously nasty but I'm certainly never allowing you to diagnose me...or give me drugs...or get near me with a sharp object.
