Each of these systematic reviews indicated more than 80 percent benefit, and none indicated more than 10 percent harm. Some 81 percent of the studies showed the positive benefit of religious practice, 15 percent showed neutral effects, and only 4 percent showed harm. The overall impact of religious practice is illustrated dramatically in the three most comprehensive systematic reviews of the field. Regular practice of religion is good for personal physical health: It increases longevity, improves one's chances of recovery from illness, and lessens the incidence of many killer diseases.In repairing damage caused by alcoholism, drug addiction, and marital breakdown, religious belief and practice are a major source of strength and recovery.The regular practice of religion also encourages such beneficial effects on mental health as less depression (a modern epidemic), more self-esteem, and greater family and marital happiness.Regular religious practice generally inoculates individuals against a host of social problems, including suicide, drug abuse, out-of-wedlock births, crime, and divorce.Religious belief and practice contribute substantially to the formation of personal moral criteria and sound moral judgment.Regular church attendance, for example, is particularly instrumental in helping young people to escape the poverty of inner-city life. The regular practice of religion helps poor persons move out of poverty.Church attendance is the most important predictor of marital stability and happiness.Churchgoers are more likely to be married, less likely to be divorced or single, and more likely to manifest high levels of satisfaction in marriage. The strength of the family unit is intertwined with the practice of religion.įor example, there is ample evidence that: When policymakers consider America's grave social problems, including violent crime and rising illegitimacy, substance abuse, and welfare dependency, they should heed the findings in the professional literature of the social sciences on the positive consequences that flow from the practice of religion. Even among the 13 percent of the population who call themselves agnostics or atheists, some 20 percent pray daily. Some 78 percent pray at least once per week, and 57 percent pray daily. According to a composite of surveys, 94 percent of blacks, 91 percent of women, 87 percent of whites, and 85 percent of men regard themselves as people who pray regularly. They saw themselves as active agents of divine providence." Today, he adds, "it is generally accepted that more than half the American people still attend a place of worship over a weekend, an index of religious practice unequaled anywhere in the world, certainly in a great and populous nation." Īt the heart of religious practice is prayer: Americans pray even more than they go to church. "In a way the first American settlers were like the ancient Israelites. "Its first Christian inhabitants were only too anxious to explain what they were doing and why," explains historian Paul Johnson. The time is ripe for a deeper dialogue on the contribution of religion to the welfare of the nation.Īmerica has always been a religious country. By extolling freedom of religion in the schools, President Bill Clinton has raised the level of debate on the importance of religion to American life.
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