Here\u2019s what the science says about the links between religion and health:\u00a0<\/span>Scientists say stress levels, healthy habits and community support could be key to beating the virus<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
And, continuing in that spirit, I offer a few more items from Paul McFate, 52 Good Reasons to Go to Church, Besides the Obvious Ones<\/em> (Chicago: ACTA Publications, 2004). \u00a0All of them, plus the Deseret News<\/em> article above, are board-certified as appropriate for inclusion in your Christopher Hitchens Memorial \u201cHow Religion Poisons Everything\u201d File<\/em>:<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n- Healthier Behaviors for Teens (page 46) \u2014<\/strong> A 1991 survey found that religious behavior was correlated not only with fewer illnesses and less smoking, less drinking, and less drug abuse but with increased use of seat belts by religious adolescents. \u00a0[W. A. Oleckno and M. J. Blacconiere, \u201cRelationship of Religiosity to Wellness and Other Health-Related Behaviors and Outcomes,\u201d Psychological Reports<\/em> 68 (1991): 819-826]<\/li>\n
- Caring for the Nation\u2019s Poor (page 47) \u2014<\/strong> Religious organizations and the religious people who fund and populate them bear a significant proportion of the American social burden, including the provision of financial assistance and clothing to the poor, shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, elderly housing, child daycare, tutoring, substance abuse counseling, psychological help for emotional illness and other social problems, and so forth. \u00a0[D. Roozen and C. Dudley, \u201cFaith Communities Today (FACT),\u201d Hartford Institute for Religion Research (2001)]<\/li>\n
- More Affectionate Parents (page 48) \u2014<\/strong> A 2001 review of research showed that conservative Christian parents tend to hug their children more often and to give more positive reinforcement to their children than do parents in general. \u00a0[J. P. Bartowski, W. B. Wilcox, and C. G. Ellison, \u201cParenting and Evangelical Families,\u201d Hartford Institute for Religion Research (2001)]<\/li>\n
- More Good Samaritans (page 49) \u2014<\/strong> A study from 1976 indicated that religious devotion predicted seventy-five percent of ordinary daily \u201chelping behavior\u201d and that church attendance consistently indicated an increased likelihood of providing emergency assistance. [L. D. Nelson and R. R. Dynes, \u201cThe Impact of Devotionalism and Attendance on Ordinary and Emergency Helping Behavior,\u201d Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion<\/em> 15 (1976): 47-59]<\/li>\n
- Less Alcohol Abuse Among Men (page 50) \u2014<\/strong> A number of studies, including one connected with a large random sample of 2,746 men, have shown that churchgoing men are far less likely to abuse alcohol than are non-churchgoing men \u2014 which has a large impact on spousal and child abuse, child neglect, broken marriages, driving safety, and innumerable other matters. \u00a0[D. Calahan, I. H. Cisin, and H. M. Crossley, American Drinking Practices<\/em> (New York: United Printing Services, 1969); D. Calahan and R. Room, \u201cProblem Drinking Among American Men Aged 21-59,\u201d American Journal of Public Health<\/em> 62 (1972): 1473-1482]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 From the Deseret News: \u00a0\u201cHere\u2019s what the science says about the links between religion and health:\u00a0Scientists say stress levels, healthy habits and community support could be key to beating the virus\u201d \u00a0 And, continuing in that spirit, I offer a few more items from Paul McFate, 52 Good Reasons to Go to Church, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2145,3199,8963,4735,8031,9108,9101,909,2412,9104,6546,12575,743,12577],"class_list":["post-85861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-alcohol","tag-attendance","tag-benefit","tag-church","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-epidemic","tag-faith","tag-health","tag-pandemic","tag-poor","tag-recovery","tag-religion","tag-social-support"],"yoast_head":"\n
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