Is overeating really a sin?

Okay, I realize that the headline is probably a bit facetious, but I hope it got your attention.  I had coffee with a good friend this morning, and we got to talking about this subject.  My friend (I’ll call him ‘Bob’) and I have been getting together on a regular basis for the past year or so, primarily for accountability for his issues with sexual sin. When I mentioned to Bob that I wish I had the same thing for my issues with food addiction, it took a lot of convincing that what I face every day with food issues really is a sin. In my view (and I welcome your comments, supporting or opposing), shouldn’t ’sin’ be defined as anything that takes the place of God on the throne of worship? It shouldn’t matter if that thing is pornography, anger, greed, or gluttonly - it’s all sin in God’s eyes, because it takes the place of Christ and His rightful place of our worship.

So why is it so difficult for people to understand that my issues with overeating and gluttony are just as sinful in God’s eyes? And in a related question, why is it so easy to find support groups for men dealing with sexual sin, or alcoholism, or drug addiction, but soooooo difficult to find any type of spiritual support for guys dealing with gluttony issues? This blog, to be honest, is my attempt to help provide some of that support that I’ve been missing.  It may be self-serving (oops, wait - isn’t selfishness a sin?!?), but I’m also hoping that it helps some of you, too.

I’d really love to hear your comments about this - why are sexual sins so bad, yet sins such as gluttony take a back seat?  Like I said before, it’s not that I’m wanting to elevate gluttony higher than any other sin; rather, it’s just fascinating to me that we as humans tend to feel the need to categorize sin into certain levels, and I’m looking for the criteria for which those levels are set.

Have a great day, guys!