I said:
> > But the definitive review, for the moment, seems to be Sloan et al
> > (1999) in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet. They conclude
> > after considering the evidence, that "Even in the best studies, the
> > evidence of an association between religion, spirituality, and health
> > is weak and inconsistent...suggestions that religious activity will
> > promote health, that illness is the result of insufficient faith, are
> > unwarranted".
>
Jim Guinee responded:
> How do they define religion? spirituality?
> How do they define religious activity?
>
> Many studies on religion and well-being suffer from merely looking at a
> person's self-identification (e.g., "I'm a Baptist"), which tells you nothing
> about the person's actual beliefs, values, behaviors, etc. Anyone can give
> themselves a religious label, but labelling it and living it are two very different
> things.
>
Jim also said:
> I'd say that religion is something anyone can use or misuse. Religious
> skeptics are quick to point out that more wars are fought in God's name than
> anything else. Well, maybe, but did anyone ask God if it was ok to fight a
> war on behalf of the almighty?
And I say:
This discussion (for me, anyway) isn't about metaphysics or theology,
and I certainly don't presume to know what God wants or doesn't want.
But there seems to be a developing myth that science has proven that
religion is good for you. Instead, I believe that only two
propositions are supportable:
1) at present there is no acceptable evidence that practicing a
religion (of whatever kind, whatever way, or with whatever degree of
devoutness) will cause one to become healthier. The onus is on those
who claim otherwise to demonstrate it.
2) under many circumstances, practicing a religion can instead be
detrimental to your health.
-Stephen
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Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC
J1M 1Z7
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
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