Fast Food is Protestant
When I was young, I used to think I was quite deprived. We simply did not ever go to fast food restaurants. My father refused – stubbornly and steadfastly, we thought then – to eat what he considered was not “real food.” We ate together as a family, and we ate a home-cooked meal preceded by a salad or soup. Period.
Now, an Italian theologian has sparked controversy with theories remarkably similar to my father’s. With a new invasion of Europe by McDonalds and fast food eateries, Massimo Salani, professor of the Interdiocesan Center of Theology of Pisa, has responded with a harsh judgment on the fast food revolution in his book At the Table with the Religions.
“The style of fast-food completely ignores the sacred dimension of meals,” Salani told the Italian Catholic daily Avvenire on the occasion of his book launching this January. “At McDonalds you satisfy your hunger in a rushed way so that you can move on to do other things,” he lamented. Adding fuel to the fire, he insisted: “It lacks the communitarian or sharing aspect of a meal. Fast food is not Catholic. It is Protestant.”
I am glad a Catholic theologian finally said it. God forbid had some traditionalist dared to label fast food as “Protestant, even atheist,” as Prof. Salani did. His reasoning is not difficult to understand, since the man who eats by himself normally does not pay any attention to others. This would be analogous to the Protestant “free examination” where each one “assimilates the spiritual food” by himself unassisted by others. Fast food, he reasoned, would be the antithesis of receiving Communion, where we receive the Body of Our Lord, and should be spurned by Catholics. In fact, the fast-food mentality of eating quickly and alone would be better suited to the “Lutheran mentality of an individual relationship between man and God.”
Naturally, such bold accusations raised the ire of fast food establishments like McDonalds, who went so far as to issue a statement defending the compatibility of its products with the world faiths. The non-ecumenical tonus of the judgment also provoked responses from Rome’s Lutheran pastor who rallied to the defense of the heresiarch. Even the papal theologian entered the discussion. Although Fr. Georges Cottier, O.P. would not go so far as to call hamburgers Protestant or even non-Christian, he nonetheless admitted that “our civilization needs to reflect on this more. So does the Church. In the Christian vision there is a deeper meaning to meals, which we find in the Bible, where it speaks of special feasts and fasting periods, for example.”
We can not lose sight of one aspect of Cottier’s statement. With his attacks on the fast food chains, he is following the same line as the habitual attacks the present-day Vatican makes against Capitalism, since McDonalds are in many ways representative of it. Let me say that I emphatically disagree with this orientation of the Vatican. Nonetheless, in the important matter of a Catholic way of dining, I think he makes a very good point. A bit of reflection on the topic leads to more than one conclusion regarding the deleterious effects of the fast food revolution on Christian Civilization.
pictured: An inviting ambience in an Italian cantina propiates warm conversation and convivium.
How many families or individuals who order out for fast food only to devour its contents before the television? This is the death sentence to convivium, conversation, good manners and family life. The communal family meal is truly supposed to be an exercise in courtesy. It would be unimaginable that all should not share the prepared meal. No special orders to suit the whim of the moment: “I’ll have the cheeseburger and fries, no, make that onion rings.” “I think I’ll have Chinese food instead.” I know homes where families can order out at three different places in order to satisfy everyone’s particular tastes for the evening. Each one is permitted to choose his meal from the assorted items, just like everyone chooses his own interpretation of the Bible in the Protestant denominations. It all depends on personal taste.
Fast food meals are also producing a generation of young people who simply do not know how to eat well or understand the role of meals in a Christian culture. The fast food style of feeding nourishes tendencies that are fostering a downright tribal lifestyle. Table settings are eliminated. China and water glasses – much less the proper wine glasses – are replaced by throwaway wrappers and paper cups. Adults and children eat with their hands, not silverware. There is no leisurely savoring of the flavors of courses served with the appropriate wine, a Chablis with freshwater fish, a rich Burgundy with the meat, a sweet Sauterne accompanying dessert. It has reached the point where people eat anything, at any hour, in any way, next to – not together with – anyone. There is more ceremony among the nomadic desert Bedouins than among a family eating a typical fast food meal.
There is another more banal, but still weighty, consequence of the fast food revolution. Statistics show we are becoming a nation of fat people. It is not just the adults who are putting on pounds. Even our children are overweight. A recent study from the Center for Disease Control reported that 13% of children ages 6 to 11 are overweight, up from 4% in the ‘60s. A good share of the blame was laid on junk food snacks and fast food meals.
pictured:
"And to Catholic men that drink upon wine,
Are deep in water and frank and fine.
Wherever I travel, I find it so,
Benedicamus Domino!"
- from The Path to Rome, Hillaire Belloc
One of the first thing that strikes an American tourist in Paris is how the French can eat so much (four and five course meals), drink wine every day, and yet stay so thin. The answer is simple. Their diet and habits are healthful. They eat three meals a day. They don’t snack. They eat incredibly fresh food, especially the fruit and vegetables. The typical meal is enjoyed with leisure – a remnant of the customs of the Christian Civilization that made it great. Fast food is simply not what meals should be about. However, I am not so sure we can simply shift full blame of the fast food revolution and its consequences on the Protestants. It seems to me the burden of guilt can be spread more thinly, as Catholics blithely adopt the fast-food solution for reasons of time and convenience – or simply to please picky eaters whose appreciation for food no longer extends beyond burritos, fries, and pizza.
One thing for sure. Prof. Salani’s new work certainly vindicates the position of my father, who was, it seems, not so unreasonable or old fashioned after all. He was just being Catholic in his unwavering refusal to participate in the fast food revolution.
pictured: The organic food of France displays a richness that reflects the people's healthy psychology and traditions. The owner of this charcuterie in Lyons proudly displays a varied array of sausages and hams.
The United States of America, The World's Biggest Protestant Nation.
Obesity rates is highest among Mexicans.
Doesn't matter and they still eat fast food.
Yeah all those Mexicans in Alabama and Mississippi
That picture is from a restaurant, this is in no means something done very frequently.
French wine is overrated and their cheeses too.
I can guarantee you that France is almost completely dead in its culture.
Mass production foods have taken over all over North-West Europe, heck Spain and Italy are following up on this trend too.
t. European
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Sadly, this
Threads like these are 4ch/pol tier
Blacks
smugluther.png
Protestantism brought relativism and eventually modernity.
This is how crazy you sound.
Breaking news: Stalin was secretly a Protestant.
relativism is directly related and in line with Protestantism. it's literally "you can interpret this book any way you want". Protestantism is a direct rejection of Catholicism so it's not the same at all. relativism is a direct consequence and in like with Protestantism.
prots say you can read this book any way you want. that's exactly what relativism says you can interpret morality any way you want. if you ask a random prot what is the true church they'll say no denomination has the whole truth. same with relativists.
also I'm planning on grabbing a slice of pizza. is that fast food? do I need to convert? :(
In all honesty cut us some slack ok?
Hitler killed off all the Jews to blame them on our poisoned water wells these days and muslims tend to bite back 9quite literally).
Liberals say you can interpret scripture how you want.
Any Protestant worth his salt will tell you that the clearer passages help interpret the more difficult ones.
What you're saying is the equivalent of if I said "Catholics only listen to the pope and everything he says is binding."
That's clearly not true and a strawmam of the other side's position.
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This eventually devolves to a relativist position which goes hand in hand with modernity. If something is (T)ruth, then it is always true and there is really no room for change. The danger, in a sense, is one of confirmation bias. With time and ego, one comes to the text with assertions they want to prove and then reverse engineer/"back into" validations of those assertions.
As an ancillary matter, it gives preeminence to the text when the text actually post dates the beliefs of the church and the liturgy. The liturgy & with it the traditions are older than the codified texts itself and the interpretation of the text was always meant to be in the hands of the apostolic church. You kinda see this problem writ large with creation museums and people bending over backwards to explain that the earth is 5000 years old, etc.
Pretty much.
No, it doesn't. Literally no denomination says this, except by liberal subversion. You are being disingenuous.
You have no idea how the Bible works. Protestants do not say, "Oh, this says X but we say not-X". We say, "This says X and Y, and we take this to infer the principle Z." Not everybody agrees with Z, but they accept X and Y without question.
It's called exercising the mind the Lord graced you with and unpacking the complexities within the singular Truth. It's like how every readthrough of the Bible yields new wisdom and insights that you did not acquire in previous readings.
Have you ever had them? Sheesh, I hate the French but my memories of a wine-tasting in Paris last to this day…
I opened 2 bottles of red within the €15-20 price range and they were both shit.
Funny however I opened a €10 one few weeks bad and that was one of the better bottles opened in months.
Overall I'll just stick with Italian (not Chianti, which is overrated too), Portuguese and Spanish wines.
German ones aren't bad either but they are more sweet and that's not my thing.
Either pathetic bait or daily coke + cheeseburger eater.
It depends if it’s a Catholic (italian) or Protestant (american) pizza.
pic related
And murder, rape, and drugs too.
And Mariachi
I'll take the compliment, you can have your 'liberation theology' which keeps you all equally impoverished.
The thing is, you're getting too caught up in ceremony, in works of the flesh. It's futile. This is on par with people whom Paul rebuked for rebuking others regarding what they eat. You should be careful not to get caught up in man's traditions and ceremonies.
The irony of telling that to a Roman Catholic is thick.
Yeah, we're worlds apart, but I hope he can at least understand the reference.
I remember seeing this and thought it was a meme article, but then I spent 3 months working in France and found it was completely correct. Even if France is a shadow of its former self in regards to Faith, there is still some of the old culture left. 1/3 of the calendar was feast days at one point and it shows. Food is a big deal over there, quality is extremely important. Restaurants advertise that their food is homemade and locally sourced. Menus change with the seasons and restaurants serve fresh food, as opposed to America where people like chains and getting the exact same thing with the same taste no matter where they are and what time it is. In France people sit down for meals and socialize, lunch is a big deal and most people have a multi course sit down lunch with their colleagues or their family if they live close enough to work. Americans choke down their food as fast as possible to get back to work, hardly any time to relax or socialize never mind pay attention to the quality of what they're eating. In France restaurants are slower paced too. The diners aren't in a big rush to get back to work and the servers aren't worried about flipping tables and getting tips. Lunch is a time to relax and enjoy yourself, your company, and your food. When people in France go out for an evening they spend the entire evening at a restaurant. For Americans it's usually just a stop along the way to something else.
Americans tend to see food like filling up their gas tank, just something they have to do. In France food is more like an art, the chefs carefully select their ingredients for the day's specials and take their time to make something they're proud to serve.
I'm also speaking of traditional French bistros, they do have a lot of American chains and American style chains over there now unfortunately. Even those tend to be several steps above their counterparts, but fast food is still a problem since it's not a natural way to eat.
I haven't spent time in any other European protestant country so I can only compare with American culture.
Of course an unintentional troll is still a troll, but I think I never touched a burger in my life, maybe once when I was very very small and I quit soft drinks since I was 11.
It's a miracle if I down 5 liters in a year.
mais ça ne change rien de la qualite generale du vin
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Is this…is this a What's with Andy reference?
I love that article, funny seeing it here
I kek'ed so hard at this
that's why there are thousands upon thousands of contradicting protestant interpretations right? you guys can't even decide on whether the bread of life teaching is metaphorical or literal. you guys are totally lost and protestanism is 100% relativist. that's why you guys have lesbian trans leaders in your churches, because protestanism literally says interpret any way you like.
The good ol' "muh 33,000 denominations" meme.
Where do you get that number, bud? Unless you're blowing hot air, per usual.
It really depends on what you mean by "Real Presence".
Protestants of the Reformed variety agree that Christ is spiritual present (how we don't know), but that the bread and wine don't literally become His body and blood.
Lutherans say He's physically present, but the bread and wine don't change.
I can't really speak for other Protestants, but we can all agree that transubstantiation is a stretch.
so you just literally confirmed that protestants can't even decide of the bread of life is metaphorical or literal. they can't decide if you can baptise infants or not. they can't decide if there are sacraments or not. they can't decide if baptism is needed for salvation or not. i can go on forever.
and are you really that braindead you're using some idiotic stats about what the laity in the US are doing, as if it has any relevance to the teachings of the catholic church? imagine being this stupid.
i'm talking about the official doctrines of protestant churches, not just wacky people. and wow, here's the thing, it's because literally any wacky person can start their own church, and it literally happens. you can literally start your own e-church protestant denomination where you preach your own doctrine.
i'm not sure to reply to you in good faith or if you're just totally brain dead with arguments like what about james martin etc. it's a total strawman argument, no one is saying all so called catholics actually know or follow their faith. for protestants thats probably an issue because literally anyone can start their own version of some new denomination. for us the church teachings are the church teachings, that is the church. it's irrelevant if there are only 10 people who follow it or if literally no one follows it even. the church teachings don't change. there will never be gay marriage in the catholic church, but the protestant churches are overflowing with it. are they not protestants? are there not protestant denominations that officially teach it's okay to have gay sex and perform gay marriages? the answer is yes.
No, they are not protestants. Protestants follow sola scriptura. These people attack scripture, call it a fallible product of it's time, call Paul a misogynist and a closet case and say his words are just his opinion, etc.
and the Filet-O-Fish is catholic
5 splits in 2k years is a really good result.
Especially with the orientals officially agreeing with the rest they have the same christology, assyrians reconciling with Rome, and CC-EO Commission making breakthroughs every couple of years
makes sense to me.
Do you not eat food as if it is God's? Every single aspect of our life must be dedicated to God.
You say flesh like it's a bad thing. I personally don't hate the material world and neither does God.
I merely presented to you the different views found in different theological traditions.
The correct view is the Reformed view, btw.
I could demonstrate that these abominable views are found among your clergy, too. But hey, that just means that I'm "braindead" and "stupid". Boy, if only I had the Vicar of Christ to tell me what to think!
You haven't cited any confessional statements, any synodal declarations, or anything of the sort.
You are aware that there is a structure in most churches, right? That, quite literally, no one can just up and start a church without the approval of the elders.
I understand that you think Protestantism boils down to "me, my Bible, under a tree," but it's more organized than you give it credit for.
The Scriptures wouldn't have established the office of elder if any Tom, Dick, or Harry could just go and do whatever. And as for the "e-church" denominations, it goes back to why they founded it. If it was with the approval of the elders, then I'd wonder how they'd meet for the Lord's Day.
Otherwise, guaranteed to veer off the teachings of the Scriptures.
Is James Martin not a public figure? Is he not an ordained priest in your church?
Does he not have the authority to preach and teach?
See, in Protestant churches, elders would have no problem excommunicating him if he didn't stop teaching such blatant error. But Rome, for whatever reason, continues to let him do what he does.
Might want to tell Pope Francis about this, since he's deciding that capital punishment is now "inadmissible".
But hey, he's the Pontifex Maximus and Vicar of Christ, he surely can't be wrong!
No, they're not. They claim the title but don't follow the teachings.
Otherwise they wouldn't be such heretics.
It's a stretch to call them "Protestant", considering they usually have a low view of Scripture, allegorize almost everything, and ignore previous sub-Biblical credal statements that unambiguously decry sodomy as the wicked sin it is.
They consider Holy Writ to be fallible, historic products of fallible man without the charism of the Holy Spirit, so it's no surprise that they'll think they can ignore the clear condemnations from it.
I can tell by the way you're speaking and throwing around terms like "braindead" that you're a bit flustered.
Relax, breathe, drink some water. I understand it's difficult to be a Catholic these days, what with Francis doing his thing, the homosexual scandals in your clergy, and whatnot. Nonetheless, it's no reason to get so buttfrustrated.
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S I X M I L L I O N D E N O M I N A T I O N S
What then is Orthodox?
Street Gyros, obviously.
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Khlav Kalash
My protestant family has at least 5 denominations on its own which I cannot group with anything I know.
bump
Things are only different when they aren't the same. Which is exactly his point. You can't say "We have the same faith" when, demonstrably, you don't. You may share some parts of a faith, but you can't state you share the same faith.
Evidently, as above, this already happens. You can't say
That is, to the exclusion of physical presence. And also say
That is, not just spiritually present, and then claim neither group has veered from the teaching of scripture. They've reached a contradiction of faith, and only one group can be correct.
Unfortunately for you, you lack the authority to declare who is and is not protestant, and as demonstrated above, who is and is not correct on matters of biblical teaching. For another example, the contradiction in reformed and Lutheran baptismal teaching.
Luther's Large catechism:
>…also I can boast that Baptism is no human trifle, but instituted by God Himself, moreover, that it is most solemnly and strictly commanded that we must be baptized or we cannot be saved, lest any one regard it as a trifling matter, like putting on a new red coat…
Westminster confession of faith:
>Although it is a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance,[13] yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regenerated, or saved, without it:[14] or, that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated
Luther also believed baptism always regenerated, which is another unbridgeable gap between the two faiths. You cannot say that only certain issues, like gay marriage, decide whether a group is "protestant" or more importantly holds the faith while stating that an unbridgeable gap on the core tenets of the faith is "just a different view, a different tradition" and does not remove the offending group from claiming they have the faith. It's nonsensical, only done to deny that Protestantism not only has no true unity, but instantly dismisses itself as an institution of God for God has established but One Faith, and that one faith cannot have two contradictory beliefs inside it.
The other user was 100% correct when he stated
this
Surprising they could tear themselves away from excusing unending sex abuse and calling everything Gnostic to come up with this.
Can't wait for the upcoming claim that Protestants are the only ones who flush used toilet paper.
Atheism is unironically Protestant.
Which chain of fast food? Some aren't that bad.
This is the level papists are reduced to. Had I not known better, I would think this is satire.
Thank God apostates and Godlessness didn't exist till the day a letter detailing the RCC's corruption was nailed to a door of iniquity.
What is this junk? Are we being raided?
this
Nice arguments.
And all those churches (minus anglimemes) are the only churches that actually believe Jesus when his instituted the eucharist that it was his flesh and blood for us to eat and partake in
Ok sweety let's brake it down to the basics, we have these type of protestants that we can sometimes generally and I really stress generally lump together.
"nothing you do can save you, so get off my lawn you dirty mexican"
"Jesus wants me to get a divorce lol"
"dude what if we had women priests, everyone is so old that nobody in pews would notice"
"wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world? :^D"
"JESUS HAD A BUZZCUT, AND YOU'RE GOING TO HELL, ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED UNLESS YOU WEREN'T REALLY SAVED"
That's alright, France is the only one outside of Italy with decent cuisine anyway. Noone ever talks about the marvels of British or German cooking.
Now do Romishism.
giggled
Define denomination