Faith linked to better health, research suggests

As Christians and other people of faith join the debate over health care, many may not realize they already have a leg up when it comes to good health. It doesn’t obviate the need for a reasoned discussion of health care reform, but a growing body of research suggests that religious belief and practice leads to better physical health.

Interest has grown so much in this new field of science that the Heritage Foundation, a leading conservative think-tank, focused on the link between religion and health in a conference titled Religion and Health: What the Research Says held on December 3, 2008. Part of a religion research conference series called “Religious Practice in America,” the conference saw some of the nation’s leading scientists in the field present new data detailing the positive health effects of faith.

“Religious involvement can buffer stress, reduce depression, and enhance quality of life,” said Dr. Harold G. Koenig, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center.

From cancer to cardiac surgery, Koenig ticked off a lengthy list of ailments made better through religious belief.

In a research paper Koenig submitted to the conference, he wrote, “Religious involvement and spiritual activities are associated with lower rates of a whole host of stress-related medical conditions, including less cardiovascular disease, improved outcomes following cardiac surgery, lower rates of stroke, lower cardiovascular reactivity, lower blood pressure, and fewer metabolic problems (related to blood sugar, etc.)”

Koenig noted that the religious have less chance of developing cancer and more favorable outcomes to treatment, specifically mentioning a study in Italy that showed the strongly religious responded better to chemotherapy.

Religious involvement has also been linked to greater longevity, slower progression of cognitive impairments like Alzheimer’s disease, and less functional disability with aging, Koenig said.

Dr. Robert A. Hummer, professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, focused specifically on the link between religious involvement and lower mortality risk. Hummer noted a study that tracked individuals aged 51 to 61 for eight years to document survival rates. The study found that those who did not attend religious services at all suffered a 64 percent higher risk of mortality compared to those who attended services frequently.

The data presented at the Heritage Foundation conference is not the only research to show the positive effects of faith on health.

For example, the American Journal of Health Promotion concluded in a 2005 study that those who pray had “more favorable health-related behaviors, preventive service use, and satisfaction with care.” A study in the February 25, 2006 edition of the British Medical Journal found that recent attendance at a religious event was linked to a reduced risk of contracting meningococcal disease.

Koenig, while expressing surprise that news of such studies had not been spread from church pulpits, said he understood the concerns of pastors and theologians who do not want to promote faith as a means to health.

“There is also concern about the utilitarian use of religion for health, where people say, ‘Well, I’m going to be religious or spiritual and I’ll be healthier,’” said Koenig. “It’s not religion or spirituality they’re interested in. For them, health is the ultimate goal, the ultimate god. But what we are finding is that with religious involvement, health benefits seem to be an unintended consequence of it, not the goal of people who become religious to be healthier.”

Although Koenig presented a large amount of research showing the positive health effects of religion, he also warned against attempting to use science to measure the workings of God.

“I believe that prayer works, but it doesn’t work in a way we can scientifically pin it down and predict it,” he said. “There is no scientific or theological rationale for any effect that you can study and document, as if God were part of the created universe and could be predicted. Science was not designed to prove the supernatural.”

90.9 Event and Reflections on Music

I attended the 90.9 radio event tonight, and greatly enjoyed myself. The celebrity judges were marvelous, including Chuck Norris, and Ryan Seacrest. The event was to promote the new lineup of radio shows and artists on the radio station, and I think it did a good job of putting them on the map.

The thing i enjoyed most about the Battle of the Bands was that it was not confined to purely religious music, but rather opened up to all local bands, whether or not they had any religious affiliations. As in most things in life, I think that Christianity is best used as an example than as an abrupt message in music.

I am a huge fan of music, but any music that is overly pushy with a message, regardless of what it is, i do not appreciate. I like to think that the best music relates to every day life, without any political or religious undertones.

This being said, bands that let people know that they are Christians but do not push a message i really appreciate. Haste the Day (in the video below) plays neutral music that anyone can relate to, and tours with secular bands, but does not say anything about their faith until after their set. When they do bring it up, it is just to mention that they have made this decision, and to encourage others to seek Christ if they were impressed with what they saw.



This being said, I was really happy with the fact that the band that won the competition, Alaska, was not an overly religious band, but one that played mellow jazz music with no lyrics. This style of music attracts a multitude of listeners, not just people resigned to one style of music.

The universality of the bands playing brought people from all over town, and in the long run helped promote the radio station alot more than a campus series would have. Well done Liberty, it was a great night of music, celebrities, and equality!

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Argument for R rated movies

As a student at Liberty University, I am forbidden from watching R rated movies. The penalty as stated in the Liberty Way is 12 reprimands, or a 50 dollar fine. This is obviously entirely and utterly ridiculous. As an adult, and a student who pays all his own bills, I feel like I should be able to reserve the right to police myself on what movies I view. The vast inconsistencies presented when you place such a broad mandate in place are immediately obvious. Movies can achieve the "R" rating for an abundance of things, from violence to nudity.

The biggest inconsistency in this rule is the one allowance made: The Passion of the Christ. This movie, while sending a positive message, is gratuitously violent, and focuses on the most perverse and horrifying portion of Christ's life on earth. While this is obviously an important part of the Christian message, should we not be able to read about it and understand? I feel that this objectifies Christ to one portion of His ministry, and takes away from the good He performed previously.

More importantly, the films director, Mel Gibson has been totally and utterly disgraced, and has lost all credibility as a believer. In a series of phone recordings, Mel repeatedly called his wife a

"f****ing whore"

 Gibson has been involved in numerous police incidents recently as well. His charges include speeding, and driving under the influence of Alcohol.

While this film is allowed at a conservative school, films that are equally moving, such as Saving Private Ryan or Shawshank Redemption are forbidden to be shown. These films send a message much less graphic than that of the Passion, and both tell stories of humans overcoming massive adversity. Stories like this mature and enrich the human psyche, yet are banned.

My suggestion to the writers and board of the university: why not enforce the same rules to R-rated movies that you do with PG-13 and PG? These movies are fine to view, providing that they do not contain graphic sexual content, or other offensive materials. If the school administrators or RAs can take the time to look at the back of a box to check the rating, wouldnt it be just as easy to check for why the rating is there? This would give back students a modicum of our dignity as adults, and provide a more open-minded environment for learning and enrichment.