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What Does the Bible Say About Plastic or Cosmetic Surgery?

Cosmetic surgery has become a phenomenon in these past few years. People are spending hundreds and even thousands on procedures from tummy tucks, liposuction, brow lifts, botox injections, nose jobs, hair transplants, and everything else. All of this raises an interesting question:

Does the Bible Say Anything About Plastic or Cosmetic Surgery?

We have to keep in mind that at this point in history, medical knowledge was not very advanced. If someone had surgery, there was an incredibly high risk of infection due to unclean surgical practices.

Also, people were not as concerned with their appearance as they are today. We live in a society where we are judged by our appearance often.  So people in biblical times would not have been so quick to want a cosmetic procedure as they might today.

But the Bible is silent on the issue of cosmetic surgery. We know that people did try to improve their appearance on occasion. The ancient Egyptians painted their eyes, and also wore perfumes and oils to make themselves more appealing looking.

We have a warning in the New Testament about vanity in the book of Timothy:

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array…”

This verse warns women of not putting too much focus on physical appearance. This doesn’t necessarily forbid any kind of physical care or makeup, but is more saying to limit it and not put too much focus on it. It seems that this would also apply to excessive plastic surgery procedures as well.

Is It a Sin to Get Plastic (Cosmetic) Surgery Done? What About Corrective Surgery for a Deformity?

 

In my view, fixing minor or major deformities would not be considered excessive vanity. In fact, many deformities or conditions can severely limit our lives (such as a tumor growth on the lip, etc.). They can interfere with functions such as eating. So I don’t think it would be a sin to get these things corrected.

After all, did Jesus not heal a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath? We can live without a hand can’t we? Or what about Lepers? They can still live with their skin conditions but they were healed as well. This seems to indicate that he healed them not only because of the condition, but also perhaps to restore them to perfect health and also give a better appearance in the process.

I am sure Jesus didn’t heal them just so they could look better alone, but at the same time, I see nothing wrong with fixing minor problems if they are harming your self esteem dramatically, or causing functional problems (such as tumor growth, enlarged mole, etc.). The thing we have to keep in mind when we start looking at this is the very fine line that exists here. We can get to a point where we become very focused on us, us, us. When instead we need to focus on others.

On the other hand, I think there is a difference between a minor cosmetic fix, and using plastic surgery for vanity. Especially people that tend to have multiple plastic surgeries for things such as liposuction (when people can just diet and workout to lose the weight), or multiple brow lifts to prevent aging. Sometimes, people actually look worse than if they just let themselves age naturally.

Is it right spending thousands and thousands of dollars trying to look perfect when some people could be saved if they got a $2 pill tonight? Not necessarily. Yet at the same time having a procedure to correct a major issue, or even a minor one time fix may not be considered wrong. We have the right to take care of our bodies.

So I don’t think correcting a major or minor deformity is vanity. But at the same time, there is a fine line and we should all take care to think about what we do and how we spend our money. Don’t fall into the cycle of multiple plastic surgeries. It can be a very destructive and risky behavior. Surgeries are serious and many people die on the operating table every year by trying to look better.

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Was Jesus a Vegan or Vegetarian? What Foods Did Jesus Eat?

Jesus is always a point of fascination among people of all faiths. After all, regardless of what you believe, you cannot deny the impact that Jesus has had (and continues to have) in the world. He did this after only a mere 3 years in the public ministry. Pretty impressive, huh? Anyways, back to the topic. What was Jesus food diet like?

What Did Jesus Eat? Was He A Vegetarian? Did Jesus Eat Meat?

 

The Bible records Jesus eating and drinking several things throughout his life. The Bible clearly shows that Jesus was not a Vegetarian. He was also not a “Vegan.” Jesus did eat meat, and in fact seems to have enjoyed fish often.

And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. (Luke 41-43)

This verse clearly shows us that Jesus at a piece of fish. He also ate honey as well, as another verse indicates. On top of that, we know that Jesus ate lots of bread (he broke bread with the disciples). Jesus would have also enjoyed the fruits of the land, such as figs, etc. He would have also naturally ate vegetables (as the disciples were picking corn).

Even though the Bible does not mention other meats Jesus may have eaten, it is likely he ate other meat besides fish, as many Jew of the time would have as long as it was kosher. This could have included meats such as chicken, lamb, red meat, etc.

Did Jesus Really Drink Wine? Was It Fermented Alcohol? Was Jesus A Drunk?

 

Jesus would have drunk water, fruit juice, and possibly even wine. Jesus is recorded as drinking wine in the New Testament of the Bible. In fact, at one this is addressed in the Bible with the following verse:

“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and
you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and “sinners.”‘” (Luke 7:33-34)

Does this mean Jesus drank real fermented (alcoholic) wine? Not necessarily. Wine can mean either fermented or unfermented grape juice. You have to keep in mind, at this point in history there wasn’t a lot of clean drinking water.

There was always a risk of getting “bad” water with diseases in it. So these people would have been much safer drinking the juice of fruits (such as grapes), or even allowing it to ferment so it would kill any bacteria.

So was Jesus drinking alcoholic grape juice or regular grape juice? We don’t know. We can only guess. Some people hold that Jesus was drinking alcohol. Others suggest it was merely grape juice that wasn’t fermented.

The Bible never states that drinking wine is a sin. It strongly warns against drinking excessive alcohol, or being a drunkard in several verses. However, merely drinking wine in reasonable quantities is not a sin at all, and could have been beneficial to provide a source of drink that could be stored safely. So even if Jesus was merely drinking wine, there is nothing sinful about it.

It is most likely that Jesus never became intoxicated or drunk. We never have any indication of that, and given Jesus’ knowledge of scripture he would have avoided ever being a drunkard, as that could be considered a sin (and the Bible says Jesus was without sin).

Conclusion: Jesus Ate A Regular Diet Containing Meat, Fruit, and Veggies

 

Based on the scriptures in the Bible, it is quite clear that Jesus would have followed a regular diet of fruits, veggies, and meat. He also could have drank fruit juice, and perhaps even alcoholic wine (without getting drunken or intoxicated).

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