Atheism and the fat acceptance movement

Obesity is primarily caused by poor dietary and exercise habits.^[1]

Two of the major risk factors for becoming obese according to the Mayo Clinic are poor dietary choices and inactivity.^[2] In the United States, most individuals are overweight due to their dietary and exercise habits.^[3] See also: Bariatric science

Currently, a significant portion of the atheist community is overweight/obese as can be seen by the articles cited below:

• Atheism and obesity

Atheist organizations/groups and obesity:

• New Atheism leadership's problem with excess weight

• American Atheists and obesity

China has the largest atheist population in the world.^[4] In 2014, the British medical journal Lancet reported that the Chinese now have the second highest obesity rate in the world.^[5][6] A recent study published in the Obesity Reviews journal, found that Chinese teenagers' rate of diabetes was four times that of their American peers.^[7] See: Atheism and obesity

Secular geographic areas and obesity:

• Atheistic China and obesity

• Secular Europe and obesity

Irreligion, age groups and obesity:

• Millennials, irreligion and obesity

• Generation X, irreligion and obesity

• Baby boom generation, irreligion and obesity

While there are many atheists who recognize the vast amount of medical data indicating the harmful effects of being overweight, there have been atheists who have engaged in denialism and have very much agreed with the fat acceptance movement. Furthermore, atheists have been interviewed by major news outlets and advocated the fat acceptance movement.^[8]

Greta Christina

Picture of Greta Christina in 2007. (photo from Flickr, see: license agreement)

Greta Christina is a popular atheist, feminist blogger at Freethought Blogs. In addition, she is an atheist speaker and author. She is in a same-sex marriage with a woman named Ingrid.^[9]

For years, Greta Christina was overweight and very much agreed with the fat acceptance movement and largely dismissed the abundant medical science data indicating the negative health effects of being overweight. Her fat acceptance beliefs were altered though when she had a serious knee problem which prompted her to lose her excess weight.^[10] However, in November of 2016 she was overweight again.^[11]

Within the feminist movement, there a branch of feminism called fat feminism.^[12] The lesbian population in the Western World has a significantly higher rate of obesity (see: Lesbianism and obesity).

Today, Christina has a more limited agreement with the fat acceptance movement, but still considers herself apart of it.^[10]

Greta Christina wrote in 2010:

As noted above, the lesbian population in the Western World has a significantly higher rate of obesity (see: Lesbianism and obesity). For example, In 2013, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that 75% of American lesbians are obese^[14][15] In April 2007, the American Journal of Public Health analyzed data from 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and the data suggested that American lesbian women were 2.69 times more likely to be overweight and 2.47 times more likely to be obese than all other female sexual orientation groups. ^[16] The abstract for this study indicated that "lesbians are at greater risk for morbidity and mortality linked to overweight and obesity." ^[16]

Skepchick writer and feminist Heina Dadabhoy

Skepchick writer and feminist Heina Dadabhoy has written about "fat phobia", fat-hating and also wrote about a television episode "What I did like was seeing a bad fatty positively represented on mainstream-enough television".^[17] She has written a number of fat acceptance blog posts.^[18]

The atheist fat acceptance website Fierce, Freethinking Fatties

A prominent atheist fat acceptance website is the website Fierce, Freethinking Fatties and the representatives of the website have been interviewed by major news outlets such as the BBC, NBC, Village Voice, China International Radio (see: China and obesity) and the Huffington Post.^[8][19]

The 20% of overweight people who are able to achieve permanent weight loss typically report doing it through engaging in high levels of physical activity, eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet, eating breakfast regularly, self-monitoring weight, and maintaining a consistent eating pattern across weekdays and weekends.^[20]

Since the majority of atheists are on the left side of the political spectrum (see: Atheism and politics), politically left leaning atheists (such as feminists) who subscribe to fat acceptance movement ideology typically subscribe to the fat acceptance movement's identity politics type complaints of "thin privilege".^[21][22][23] Rather than take responsibility for their health choices, they would rather wallow in self-pity and play the victim (As noted above, most individuals are overweight due to their dietary and exercise habits^[1]).

Atheists often champion mainstream medicine and disparage osteopathy, integrative medicine, chiropractic healthcare and other alternative medicine approaches.^[24][25]

Yet, despite the health risks of obesity and despite the fact that exercise science, nutritional science and medical science have a number of effective treatments for obesity, a significant amount of prominent atheists are obese/overweight (see: Atheism and obesity).

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines biology as "a branch of knowledge that deals with organisms and vital processes."^[26] One of the most basic vital processes relating to human biology is eating. Given that overweight atheists typically champion evolutionary pseudoscience, it is not surprising that many have not mastered regulating their daily food intake.

For more information on atheist hypocrisy, please see: Atheist hypocrisy

Two of the major risk factors for becoming obese according to the Mayo Clinic are poor dietary choices and inactivity.^[2]

The Bible declares that gluttony and sloth are sins.^[27][28] Furthermore, the Bible declares the physical body of Christians to be temples of the Holy Spirit.^[29] There have been no prominent Christian leaders in the world advocating the fat acceptance movement.

• Atheism and the suppression of science

• Atheism and irrationality

• Atheism and cryonics

• Atheism and hedonism

• Atheist hypocrisy

• Atheism and deception