A Connection Between Religion And Obesity?

[southern california guy]

I work as a local truck driver and I am starting to notice that a large number of the really religious people (People with many religious -- "Christian" -- stickers on their car) are obese...

 

I have done several searches on the internet and I have found several discussions about it.  People argue that part of the reason these people are so fat is that they are replacing things like coffee, tea, wine, cigarettes, and anything sexual (dancing, flirting, socializing with the opposite sex, trying to dress attractively, making love, etc.) -- with food.  

 

Other people argue that the people who are more religious are also more stressed -- and they are eating to deal with the stress.  They argue that many of the religious are poor.  I've noticed that wealthier people -- as a group -- tend to be slimmer.

 

Still other people argue that a religious person is not supposed to vain and focused on exercise and his/her appearance -- and they use this as an excuse to overeat and not bother with exercise -- or they might be criticized if they were caught exercising?

 

Here is a link from CBS news : http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obesity-battle-does-god-make-you-fat/

 

And another from ABC news: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/faith-fat-religious-youths-obese-mid-life/story?id=13204624

[NotreDame]

The ABC news report didn't control for location.  The CBS report didn't load.  It's also not clear how they define 'religious'.

 

Not granting the conclusions, some of the explanations sounded reasonable.   There are also other reasonable explanations that spring to mind that were not mentioned in the articles.  The most obvious that religious people get married and have kids sooner.   Don't make me explain why this causes people to gain weight vs being single.

[southern california guy]

The ABC news report didn't control for location.  The CBS report didn't load.  It's also not clear how they define 'religious'.

 

Not granting the conclusions, some of the explanations sounded reasonable.   There are also other reasonable explanations that spring to mind that were not mentioned in the articles.  The most obvious that religious people get married and have kids sooner.   Don't make me explain why this causes people to gain weight vs being single.

 

I didn't think about the getting married and having kids explanation.  That is a good point.

[Oremoose]

I work as a local truck driver and I am starting to notice that a large number of the really religious people (People with many religious -- "Christian" -- stickers on their car) are obese...

 

I have done several searches on the internet and I have found several discussions about it.  People argue that part of the reason these people are so fat is that they are replacing things like coffee, tea, wine, cigarettes, and anything sexual (dancing, flirting, socializing with the opposite sex, trying to dress attractively, making love, etc.) -- with food.  

 

Other people argue that the people who are more religious are also more stressed -- and they are eating to deal with the stress.  They argue that many of the religious are poor.  I've noticed that wealthier people -- as a group -- tend to be slimmer.

 

Still other people argue that a religious person is not supposed to vain and focused on exercise and his/her appearance -- and they use this as an excuse to overeat and not bother with exercise -- or they might be criticized if they were caught exercising?

 

I did not read the links. Yet I want to mention that just from your post alone, you seem to be making the logical Fallacy of Cause and effect. 

 

From my understanding your premise is

 

"From observation people that show their religious affiliation more (through bumper stickers) are also Obese therefore they are obese because of their religion.

 

My Rebuttal:

 

You said... 

"these people are so fat is that they are replacing things...with food."

 

 

But that can be said of any person Be Christian, muslim, Atheist. Americans are notorious for not eating healthy. So they may be obese because they are U.S. Citizens not  because they are Religious.

 

You said further

 

 

1. Other people argue that the people who are more religious are also more stressed -- and they are eating to deal with the stress.  2. They argue that many of the religious are poor.  I've noticed that wealthier people -- as a group -- tend to be slimmer.

 

Still other people argue that  3. a religious person is not supposed to vain and focused on exercise and his/her appearance -- and they use this as an excuse to overeat and not bother with exercise -- or they might be criticized if they were caught exercising?

 

 

 

1. People can be stressed over many things,  though their religion my be stressing them which is a different problem the fact that they eat to destress themselves is the root to the obesity not the fact that they are stressed.

 

2. the fact that they are poor goes in hand with what i said earlier in the united states unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food, also to say that religious peolpe are poor is a Generalization and is a Fallacy as well.

 

3. Yes vanity is a sin. Sloth and Gluttony are also. So to say they don't care about how they look they are not they are pointing out the fact that they are "not being vain" as a red herring to avoid being called out to being lazy and overeating. Because being lazy is easy and being fit is not. 

 

So there are many other reasons why people are obese and Religion is a weak reason why.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Oremoose

[Norseman82]

I remember my aunt once was ranting about how women nowadays are so fat because they are all on birth control...

[Socrates]

I work as a local truck driver and I am starting to notice that a large number of the really religious people (People with many religious -- "Christian" -- stickers on their car) are obese...

 

I have done several searches on the internet and I have found several discussions about it.  People argue that part of the reason these people are so fat is that they are replacing things like coffee, tea, wine, cigarettes, and anything sexual (dancing, flirting, socializing with the opposite sex, trying to dress attractively, making love, etc.) -- with food.  

 

Other people argue that the people who are more religious are also more stressed -- and they are eating to deal with the stress.  They argue that many of the religious are poor.  I've noticed that wealthier people -- as a group -- tend to be slimmer.

 

Still other people argue that a religious person is not supposed to vain and focused on exercise and his/her appearance -- and they use this as an excuse to overeat and not bother with exercise -- or they might be criticized if they were caught exercising?

 

Here is a link from CBS news : http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obesity-battle-does-god-make-you-fat/

 

And another from ABC news: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/faith-fat-religious-youths-obese-mid-life/story?id=13204624

 

Really, who the floopy cares?  Do CBS and ABC have no real news to report on?

 

It seems the liberal media is really desperate these days to find any stick it can to bash "religion."

 

 

People argue that part of the reason these people are so fat is that they are replacing things like coffee, tea, wine, cigarettes, and anything sexual (dancing, flirting, socializing with the opposite sex, trying to dress attractively, making love, etc.) -- with food.  

 

This line seems particularly nonsensical, as I've seen a number of studies cited elsewhere that actively religious, married people actually tend to report better, happier sex lives than single people, and that religious people on whole are both healthier and happier.

And only certain groups, such as Mormons, are against all caffiene, alcohol, etc,

 

But I think there's probably something to what someone else pointed out about religious people being more likely to be married and have lots of kids.  A lot of people put on pounds after marrying and having children.

 

 

Personally, I've known highly religious people who are fat, thin, buff, and everything in between, so I don't think there's any intrinsic relationship of religious faith to obesity.  If everyone took my pastor's advice on fasting seriously, though, we'd all be quite skinny.

[Ed Normile]

Maybe the fact that most people put on weight as they get older due to lack of exercise and a more sedentary lifestyle, that coupled with the fact that as people age many become more into religion as they think about their personal "end times" may be the reason that such a general observation could be made. I also think there is  credence in Socrates statement  about the media looking for any chance to bash religion as it just does not fly with their agenda.

 

ed