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The Busted Halo Question Box
Ask our spiritual experts virtually anything!
This is the place where you can ask all of those burning questions that you wouldn't dare ask in person. We will post questions here (using your byline only with permission); we guarantee an answer to everyone.

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Fr. Tom Ryan
Ecumenical and interfaith
Neela Kale
Culture, ethics and Catholic basics
Mike Hayes
General
Ann Naffziger, M.A., M.Div.
Scripture
Charles C. Camosy, PhD
Medical ethics
Caitlin Kennell Kim
Mary
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Our readers asked:

Does the church require me to exercise?

Mike Hayes Answers:

The commandment “Thou shalt not kill” comes into play here.  While it wouldn’t bring about an imminent death if one were not to hit the gym, long term, it may indeed have consequences.

We are required to “take care of the temple.”  St. Paul writes that we should “glorify God with our bodies.”

A second note:  The Greeks believed in dualism, meaning that the body was bad and corrupt and that the spirit was all that mattered.  That gave rise to many not caring about their health, mostly also because they expected the world to end relatively soon.

But “we do not know the day nor the hour.”  God wants us to be the best version of ourselves.  So while we don’t have to have ripped abs, or buns of steel, we should take care of the body as best we can, by eating healthy food and getting regular exercise and sleep.

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The Author : Mike Hayes
Mike Hayes is the senior editor for the Googling God section at BustedHalo.com.
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