Religion and Health

Introduction

Religion is a human activity system, composed of beliefs and practices about what is considered divine or sacred, existential type, moral and spiritual. We talk about "religions" to refer to specific forms of manifestation of the religious phenomenon, shared by the different groups. It is an integral part of life for many people, determines how they behave in society, but its impact on our health, if one exists, is unclear. Some studies show the benefits of religious practice, while others including most of the studies on prayer, do not really provide evidence of its health value. The paper will discuss the impact on religion on health and highlight rational finding for the same.

Discussion

Religion plays an important role in the U.S. especially in the elderly with 60% of people are more than 75 have a practice of worship on atleast weekly basis. If patients confront not only unpleasant physical symptoms but also a sense of lack of control of events, religious or spiritual beliefs can help them cope with these stressful experiences (Davis, 14). There are three important dimensions of religious practice;

Structured activities such as attending church or temple, and participation in prayer.

Unstructured activities that correspond to religious behavior more private and personal (meditation, followed by TV or radio religious programs, book readings).

The inner religion of a person.

There are various influences on people's beliefs on issues related to the disease and the remedy; of transcendent importance are the culture and religion. Religious beliefs can positively influence health by acting as a source of inspiration, or a negative way when there are references to guilt and punishment.. They can also engender a sense of fatalism, the belief that something or someone is in control. This may impact on health-related behaviors. Beliefs about health and disease affect individual decisions on your treatment ...