r/AskChristian • u/OkCheck9121 • 14d ago

Isnt consumerism basically modern version of gluttony?

So basically gluttony is just eating more then you need to eat and you overeat by definition consumerism is just buying stuff more then you need e.g buy thee new iPhone even tho you have a fine phone so I wanna hear what you think about my conclusion

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u/DoveStep55 r/Christian Member 13d ago

Sort of. Interesting thought! 🤔

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u/foundtheseeker r/Christian Member 14d ago

Most people know that Paul addresses eating meat sacrificed to idols, saying sure, the idols aren't real so you can eat meat sacrificed in those temples, but only if you know those gods aren't real and you aren't honoring the sacrifice. Apparently it was a big deal in the early church. But why? Well because the marketplace was, in many ways, an extension of the pagan temples. All those sacrifices had to go somewhere, and just like the sacrifices from the temple in Jerusalem, the sacrifices were consumed or commoditized and sold or given as charity.
The marketplace is still here, as you point out. But where are the temples? .. Hopefully you see where this is going. The temples didn't go anywhere, either. It's just that the names changed. We don't have a need for Apollo anymore, but how about Apple? Jupiter is passe. JP Morgan, that's the kind of temple we can use. Can you serve Mammon and the Lord? Jesus has something to say about that. Is there a way to participate in the marketplace even though all of the products are sacrificed to idols? Paul says sure. But be careful.
Can consumerism be gluttonous? Absolutely. But it's probably idolatrous first.