Religion and Health: Religion, Health
The word "Religion" refers to a body of belief and value systems, practices, affiliations and moral values, unique to a particular group of people, which define their understanding of life, relations and humanity.
There are many world religions, but the common ones include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Jainism, Shinto, and Confucianism. These are associated with unique symbols, such as the Bible and Koran among Christians and Muslims respectively, the church and Mosque (places of worship) for Christians and Muslims respectively, and so forth. Interestingly, almost all of the world's major religions seem to consent to the fact that there is a supreme being, whom the respective believers worship and offer prayers. They believe that the Supreme Being to be the giver of life and health. Perhaps, the reason why there are different religions is the fact that they differ in their teachings on the origin of life or universe, death and who the Supreme Being is (Carson and Koenig 35).
[...] Bible stories, also cement this belief of healing from God (FBH). For example, it is written that: Jesus restored sight to a blind man, cured a man suffering from leprosy, and so forth (Carson and Koenig 66). Secondly, the claim that scientific evidence showed that Americans who, at least once-a-week, attended religious services, enjoyed lower rates of illness, and better than average health including depression, as reported by Kevin Helliker in the Health Journal, is another point worth debating (Helliker 12-13). [...]
[...] Works Cited Carson, Viena and Harold Koenig. Handbook of Religion and Health. New York: Oxford University Press Print. Helliker, Kevin. "Religion and Health." Health Journal (2005): 15-16. Print. Kalb, Claudia. "Health & Religion." Newsweek (2003): 17.Print. Oman, Daniel. [...]
[...] Therefore, we can see the critical role played religion in improving health and prolonging life. Most religions teach such values as love and care, which are important in healthcare. Surely, it is true that encouragement, coupled with good care and treatment, improves a sick person's condition significantly. Even though these victims were not healed, their health improved, and they lived longer, and much credit should be given to religion. Again, the fact that religion encourages the sick and provides moral support, can be said to lower stress levels and despair in such victims, who would otherwise have been depressed due to discrimination, worsening their conditions, as in these scientific research findings. [...]
[...] They believe that the Supreme Being to be the giver of life and health. Perhaps, the reason why there are different religions is the fact that they differ in their teachings on the origin of life or universe, death and who the Supreme Being is (Carson and Koenig 35). Discussion The believers have faith in Him and pray to Him for healing. They believe he can heal both disease and disability. This kind of healing is now known as Faith Based Healing by scientists (FBH). [...]
[...] There are many factors unique to these religions that cannot be found in these other settings and activities. For example, one can choose to ride a bicycle, in place of a weekly religious service, but this will not necessarily stop him from smoking, taking alcohol, or watching pornography later. The important role played by religion, in improving health, is probably why much more scientific study needs to be done, so as to effectively integrate the two, to further improve health. [...]
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