Harsh Treatment of the Body

I like to people-watch and while walking on the treadmill at the gym I recently I saw a woman who appeared frail and anorexic, yet she seemed to force herself to exercise. The rules of the world demand that people be thin, but Paul tells people of faith, “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self–imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” (Col 2:21-23 NIV).