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Coffee!! Atheism as a major cause of obesity?

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Man demonstrates the ease of proving the existence of French fries.
Photo by James Heilman, MD

Along the lines of religion and health, a friend absolutely insists that I write about this:

From a medical perspective, an obese person has accumulated enough body fat that it can have a negative effect on their health. If a person’s weight is at least 20% higher than it should be, he/she is generally considered obese. If your Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered overweight. If your BMI is 30 or over you are considered obese.[6] The term obese can also used in a more general way to indicate someone who is overweight.[7]

Two of the major risk factors for becoming obese according to the Mayo Clinic are poor dietary choices and inactivity, thus given the above cited Gallup research, it appears as if non-religious are more prone to becoming obese than very religious individuals.[8] The Bible declares that gluttony is a sin.[9] Furthermore, the Bible declares the physical body of Christians to be temples of the Holy Spirit.[10] Therefore, it is not surprising that many very religious Christians would leave healthy lives.

Well, … you heard it here first.

I hope the ID controversy won’t degenerate into a “Who’s a tub of lard?” war, a temptation to which my friend may have just possibly given way …

Seriously, more on religion and health here.

Comments
How do you get around the fact that the US, which is the most religious western democracy also has the most problems with obesity? In my little secular liberal democracy the US is used as a touchstone in obesity surveys for when things are getting really bad. And Tonga, one of our neighbouring countries probably the most Christian nation on earth (can't even drive a car there on Sunday - nearly as many churches as houses) is (I think) also the most obese nation on earth.zeroseven
February 2, 2011
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Perhaps the key point in this discussion might be what a theist and an atheist believe their bodies are; the first viewing it as a temple and the latter as the end result of non-intelligently directed genetic mutations. If the universe itself has no ultimate purpose, who cares about one's body? Think Madalyn Murray O'Hair for example. "If, billions of years in the future, there is to be no life, no intelligence, no memory of the struggles of humanity, what point is there to existence?" -James Trefilgleaner63
February 1, 2011
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I'm sorry, but I can't help myself; did PZ Myers pose for those photographs? :)gleaner63
February 1, 2011
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Spurious? Oh, not more so than global links between religion and violence. Like Jehovah's Witnesses are just as violence at Islamic fascists? Shake me out some goose sauce, will you, I got a gander to cook. Big fat one, lots of sauce please.O'Leary
February 1, 2011
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Unfortunately I can't view Conservapedia (have they blocked people in Germany? Or is there another problem? I hope the latter). Can someone summarise what's said in the links, please. I want to know if I should convert.Heinrich
February 1, 2011
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I remember reading this section of Conservapedia and wondering what they were smoking when they added it to their wiki. Like Berceuse above, I'd like to see some numbers. I live in Florida, and there are quite a few religious people down here who qualify as obese. Suggesting a correlation between obesity and atheism is spurious, at best.Barb
February 1, 2011
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Hahah, I'm not sure how to react to this post. The link to conservapedia is funny but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be. It's a little ridiculous. I don't know how "major" we can call atheism as a cause of obesity. America's epidemic of obesity is well known, but it is not a predominantly atheist country. However, I'd like to see some numbers on this. I do think that spiritual people are more respectful of their bodies.Berceuse
February 1, 2011
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Conservapedia is always a source of fun and amusement: everyone should read the whole "article" on atheism: it's either satire well done, or the most unconnected gathering of quotations you have ever seen...DiEb
February 1, 2011
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"Malaise" may also have a bearing. My dictionary defines it as: a vague or unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness, lassitude, lethargy, or discomfort.Timothy V Reeves
February 1, 2011
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