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~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~

Question: My question is this: Is being a bulimic less a sin than being an alcoholic, drug addict, homosexual, etc.? If not, why not? By this I mean that if a person with bulimia should die because of their abuse to their bodies. Can they still be saved Christians?

Answer: Thank you for your question. This I might say is not a simple one to answer.

Let me begin by saying that it would seem unlikely that a true child of God would be bound by such a thing as bulimia. I happen to feel that it is more of a spiritual and emotional thing than a physical problem. If a person that professes Christ has this problem, he or she needs to seek deliverance through prayer and fasting and find others that will fast and pray with them. Christ came to set the captive free (Luke 4:18).

The question regarding would a person go to hell if they died due to bulimia , I cannot judge. It would seem that that person would have little faith, if any, if they were bound to this extent. He has made us conquerors through Christ. We can overcome the world by our faith (1 John 5:4).

I would not go as far as to compare it to drug addiction and alcoholism due to those being mind altering substances. They do compare however, in that they have a spiritual element and need a spiritual deliverance.

One thing I do know and have confidence in telling you is that it does not bring glory to God to be bound by such a disorder. It starts with a form of depression and a wrong self image. No, we are not to worship ourselves, but we must respect ourselves as God's creation.

I trust this is not too nebulous for you, however, I cannot speak where God has not spoken. Yes, it could very well be a sin that could damn a soul, which is a symptom of a far greater problem; the problem of the heart. However, it could be as well, the problem that a Christian is battling over, but has not yet found complete victory but is seeking it. So if they would die in that condition, the situation would be left to the righteous Judge who is long suffering and merciful.

WITHOUT KNOWING THE WHOLE SITUATION OF ANYONE IN THIS PREDICAMENT, IT WOULD BE HARD FOR ANY ONE, INCLUDING A MINISTER of the gospel, to make a cut and dry judgment on the matter of one bound by bulimia.

God bless you and I hope I was able to shed some light on the matter!

Additional Resources

• Beyond Starved: Real Stories, Real Freedom by Nancy Alcorn
• Breaking Free from Anorexia & Bulemia: How to Find Healing from Destructive Eating Disorders - by Linda S. Mintle
• Breaking Free from Compulsive Overeating by Linda Mintle
• Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center
• Eating Disorders: The Quest for Thinness by Edward T. Welch
• Getting Unstuck: Clear Answers for Women on Why We Get Trapped in Depression, Anxiety and Eating Disorders - by Linda S. Mintle
• Help Yourself! You Can Turn Your Life Around! - by David Wilkerson
• Remuda Ranch Programs for Anorexia and Bulimia
• Starved: Mercy for Eating Disorders by Nancy Alcorn
• The God of Hope! - by David Wilkerson
• The Monster Within: Overcoming Eating Disorders by Cynthia Rowland McClure
• Thin Enough: My Spiritual Journey Through the Living Death of an Eating Disorder by Sheryle Cruse
• What Do I Do When Teens Struggle with Eating Disorder by Dr. Steven Gerali

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North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

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