Theology of the Soda Ban

Student brother Sebastian White, O.P. is a summer fellow at First Things magazine, a publication of The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute whose purpose is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society.  As part of his duties, Br. Sebastian publishes regularly at First Thoughts, the blog site for the journal.  Below is an excerpt of his recent blog post : Theology of the Soda Ban

 It’s the combination of values that is puzzling: a quasi-religious zeal to eliminate soda, salt, and saturated fat on the one hand, and the toleration—nay, promotion—of grave offenses against human dignity and health on the other. When premarital sex, homosexuality, contraception, and abortion are encouraged in health class, isn’t Michael Bloomberg’s crusade against sugary drinks a bit odd? As the Church is backed into a corner because of its teaching on sexuality, and its institutions face increasing pressure to compromise and cooperate with abortion, gay marriage, and contraception, and after the city bans religious groups from using public property, lawmakers are getting moralistic about food. It’s a good thing if people eat less fat and sugar, to be sure, but let’s put first things first.

To see all of Br. Sebastian’s blog posts, see his page on the First Thoughts blog or follow his  RSS Feed.