Healthy faith leads to healthy life

Similarly, a Dartmouth Medical Center study found that o­ne of the best survival predictors among 232 heart surgery patients was "the degree to which they drew comfort and strength from religious faith and prayer." A study of AIDS patients at the University of Miami linked long-term survival to prayer and volunteering. A University of Pennsylvania physician has documented changes in blood flow in the brain during prayer and meditation. Other studies have shown connections between spirituality and the prevention of illness, recovery from illness and coping during illness. If we were made for relationship with God, it makes sense that alienation from our Creator can at times lead to a soul-sickness that often is intimately related to physical illness. Joanne Coyle, a European researcher, has sifted through these various studies to argue that three main dimensions of spirituality are showing a positive impact o­n human health. I would restate these dimensions as transcendence, values and community.Transcendence, the first dimension, means both connectedness with God and development of the potential of the self. Studies are showing that patients who experience such transcendence find meaning and purpose in life and can thus find meaning in illness and in battling it. They enjoy higher levels of motivation to get healthy or recover from illness. And they are more likely to find peace and serenity amid their condition, often rooted in a sense of trust in God's provision.Second, we have values. Values establish and motivate conformity with rules, principles and goals that affect behavior in health-enhancing ways. Studies routinely show that participation in religious communities reinforces values beneficial to human health, such as prohibitions against drug use, smoking and the abuse of alcohol. More broadly, a religious emphasis o­n stewardship of the human body and its ultimate "ownership" by the divine Creator reinforces a sense of responsibility to treat it right.The third dimension is community. Here spirituality aids health by connecting people to religious congregations whose practices provide structure to life and offer love and support. Prayer, attendance in worship, involvement in small groups and organized volunteer activities all have been correlated with enhanced health. Conversely, various studies have found a relationship between lack of emotional support and religious involvement and higher risk of life-threatening illness.By David GusheeDavid Gushee is the Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. His column is distributed by Religion News Servicejordans for sale grey