Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
Is there any correlation between religion and health?
Lavelle1980
Posts: 367 Member
in Debate Club
Why are the unhealthiest states, cities, countries are the most religious? Example: The bible belt (states) etc.. The healthiest countries are the least religious. What's the correlation between the two? Your thoughts. Simple dialogue!
5
Replies
-
I googled least religious countries. China, sweeden, czhech republic.
I googled healthiest countries. Italy, Switzerland, Iceland
No correlation b/t religion and health.14 -
This paper, which I found too long to bother reading, seems to explore the subject.
http://ish-tmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Miller-Spiritualtiy-health-overview-AmPsy-2003.pdf2 -
If the correlation holds up (I will look at the paper Need2 cited), my suspicion is that there are other factors that perhaps relate to both.
States with a younger population seem to be less obese, and states that are better off economically, same. I'm sure there are many other such possible factors.5 -
I have two thoughts, Maybe look at the correlation of wealth vs. health. I venture to guess that a larger % of those in poverty or low income are religious compared to affluent. My understanding is that lower income individuals tend to have more health concerns. So it could be due to income, not religion.
Only other thought on what it could be, though I don't buy into this, is that people that are more religious may think "god" will take care of them so don't bother taking care of themselves.
12 -
It doesn't hold for the rest of the world, but man if you look at those obesity/religion/education/income statistics for places like Mississippi and West Virginia, you'd definitely start drawing some conclusions.9
-
Anyone who has ever been to a church pot luck supper, church picnic, church barbecue or prayer breakfast knows there is definitely a correlation between religion and eating. (from a southern baptist preacher's daughter) :-)
Other aspects of religion that can influence health are admonitions not to abuse substances, like cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, etc., the social aspect which can stimulate mental health and well-being, faith in God which can create a sense of optimism and gratefulness which also creates a sense of mental well-being and possibly, a supernatural "energy" that is not yet understood by science that is experienced by the religious.
I do know there have been several studies that have linked church attendance to living longer. But I found another study which breaks it down by denomination and found that the health effects of regular church attendance were actually only found in Evangelical Protestants, probably due to the fact that they tend to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes less than the general population. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3035005/
It's an interesting topic. Thanks for starting the discussion!13 -
Iamnotasenior wrote: »Anyone who has ever been to a church pot luck supper, church picnic, church barbecue or prayer breakfast knows there is definitely a correlation between religion and eating. (from a southern baptist preacher's daughter) :-)
As the son of a former deacon who married into another family, I can certainly vouch this...and every member of that family looked exactly like they ate: biscuits.6 -
can't make one statement regarding religious practice and health. Some religious practice involves refraining from particular foods that might contribute to health; some religious practice involves regular fasting; some religious practice self-denial; some religious practice does the opposite - carpe diem, treat your body however feels best, the purpose of life is to get to death and heaven, etc. Some religious practice teaches gluttony as sinful; some doesn't. Some religious practice values the physical body as a temple, some religious practice writes off the physical body as a temporary nuisance. Some religious communities feast together a lot. I'm thinking Bible Belt is both the birthplace of the Standard American Diet, and those faith communities share abundant meals together a lot, and show love with food. That's common in many American churches - Coffee and desserts for every occasion; potlucks with a bigger dessert table than entrees. But the widening girth of middle America I wouldn't tie directly with religion. Tradition, local diet, economics, living in areas where car is used to get everywhere, etc.6
-
I usually only lurk, but since I'm into religious studies that deal with things like this (the things people don't often think about) and since I was raised in a very strict fundamentalist atmosphere, I felt like chiming in.
I think that economics is definitely a huge factor. Especially if we're considering the bible belt specifically.
It would be interesting to compare the health/weight of religious people (in this case, probably specifically Christians) residing in one of the least religious states to those residing in one of the most to see if it's more or less a factor of regional culture, economics, etc. or if there's something to do with the specific religious mindset (e.g. a fundamentalist church's attendees in California vs. a fundamentalist church's attendees in Alabama).
Since I know of no study off the top of my hand, if it were to turn out there's a correlation, I think it's many different factors attributing to the overall problem. From my own personal experience (growing up in the bible belt, in a very strict religious home/church, and having dealt with obesity along with many others I knew), a few possibilities:
1. Gluttony just isn't that big of a deal. When you are trying to avoid all of the other vices that will supposedly send you straight to hell, food is just safe.
2. Speaking of safe, if you are part of a social church that is also morally strict, food is the safe go-to for activities. Pot lucks, pitch-ins, picnics, bake-sells, going out to restaurants as a large group after a service, only hanging out with friends and family in eating places because you can't really go to other places (like bars, etc.)
3. Food is an easy coping mechanism for a LOT of people, regardless of religious beliefs. There are a lot of studies about strict religion and depression. If one is from a strict religion and can't turn to alcohol, sex, etc. to deal with their depression, and they can't seem to "pray it away" or get healed, then food is an easy go to. I know it was for me.
So, when you add all of the factors together - socioeconomics, culture (e.g. strict morality, internalized fears, etc.) and regional factors (e.g. heavily landlocked) - I think it just makes it a lot easier for ill health (in more areas than one). In fact, looking back at my own upbringing, the thinnest people in my church were typically the ones that weren't as strict in their morality (as far as I could tell anyhow) and/or were the ones who cared most about appearances (think the pretty pastor family sort) and were often a little wealthier to help sustain that.26 -
I'm not sure about health, but the data seems to support faith leading to happiness.
Random selection of two articles. No, I haven't woo checked them!
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/02/02/office-for-national-statistics-well-being-data_n_9138076.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/more-mortal/201212/are-religious-people-happier-non-religious-people
Maybe it's the start of a virtuous cycle of general happiness/life satisfaction leading to a greater propensity to take care of yourself, leading to better health, but that seems a bit tenuous to me.
There are also other angles where religious or cultural views venerate the, um, larger form as an indicator of wealth, fertility and so on.1 -
rashadlc1980 wrote: »Why are the unhealthiest states, cities, countries are the most religious? Example: The bible belt (states) etc.. The healthiest countries are the least religious. What's the correlation between the two? Your thoughts. Simple dialogue!
Off the top of my head I know of one Blue Zone group that's deeply religious and their way of eating is directly tied to their religious convictions, (the Seventh Day Adventist community in Loma Linda CA). As a group they experience exceptionally long life and good health, making them one of only 5 groups in the world who achieve this. It would be interesting to see if there was a similar religious adherance with the other 4 groups.4 -
rashadlc1980 wrote: »Why are the unhealthiest states, cities, countries are the most religious? Example: The bible belt (states) etc.. The healthiest countries are the least religious. What's the correlation between the two? Your thoughts. Simple dialogue!
I think there is a lot more to compare than religion when it come to the health of an area. Also have you compare different religious groups for health?
I'd say that things like availability of health care, clean water, availibility of food, walk or bikeability or outdoor recreation of the area, age of population, income level, education level, drug or alcohol issues, customary diet of the area, work hours.2 -
As an atheist fat woman, I question your hypothesis. LOL22
-
I'm not sure about health, but the data seems to support faith leading to happiness.
Random selection of two articles. No, I haven't woo checked them!
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/02/02/office-for-national-statistics-well-being-data_n_9138076.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/more-mortal/201212/are-religious-people-happier-non-religious-people
Maybe it's the start of a virtuous cycle of general happiness/life satisfaction leading to a greater propensity to take care of yourself, leading to better health, but that seems a bit tenuous to me.
There are also other angles where religious or cultural views venerate the, um, larger form as an indicator of wealth, fertility and so on.
Reminds me of: ignorance is bliss.7 -
Too many church potlucks!5
-
Which religious belief? Just Christianity or ?
Seems to be too many different factors to say that "religious" = unhealthy.
Local economy, cultural influences, ease of food availability, religious practices where dietary restrictions, etc. are in place, and other "stuff" but I'm done thinking so hard about it.
3 -
Which religious belief? Just Christianity or ?
Seems to be too many different factors to say that "religious" = unhealthy.
Local economy, cultural influences, ease of food availability, religious practices where dietary restrictions, etc. are in place, and other "stuff" but I'm done thinking so hard about it.
The primary religion I would assume would be Christianity, since it's the main religion in the so called "Bible Belt" .1 -
sotellmedarling wrote: »I usually only lurk, but since I'm into religious studies that deal with things like this (the things people don't often think about) and since I was raised in a very strict fundamentalist atmosphere, I felt like chiming in.
I think that economics is definitely a huge factor. Especially if we're considering the bible belt specifically.
It would be interesting to compare the health/weight of religious people (in this case, probably specifically Christians) residing in one of the least religious states to those residing in one of the most to see if it's more or less a factor of regional culture, economics, etc. or if there's something to do with the specific religious mindset (e.g. a fundamentalist church's attendees in California vs. a fundamentalist church's attendees in Alabama).
Since I know of no study off the top of my hand, if it were to turn out there's a correlation, I think it's many different factors attributing to the overall problem. From my own personal experience (growing up in the bible belt, in a very strict religious home/church, and having dealt with obesity along with many others I knew), a few possibilities:
1. Gluttony just isn't that big of a deal. When you are trying to avoid all of the other vices that will supposedly send you straight to hell, food is just safe.
2. Speaking of safe, if you are part of a social church that is also morally strict, food is the safe go-to for activities. Pot lucks, pitch-ins, picnics, bake-sells, going out to restaurants as a large group after a service, only hanging out with friends and family in eating places because you can't really go to other places (like bars, etc.)
3. Food is an easy coping mechanism for a LOT of people, regardless of religious beliefs. There are a lot of studies about strict religion and depression. If one is from a strict religion and can't turn to alcohol, sex, etc. to deal with their depression, and they can't seem to "pray it away" or get healed, then food is an easy go to. I know it was for me.
So, when you add all of the factors together - socioeconomics, culture (e.g. strict morality, internalized fears, etc.) and regional factors (e.g. heavily landlocked) - I think it just makes it a lot easier for ill health (in more areas than one). In fact, looking back at my own upbringing, the thinnest people in my church were typically the ones that weren't as strict in their morality (as far as I could tell anyhow) and/or were the ones who cared most about appearances (think the pretty pastor family sort) and were often a little wealthier to help sustain that.
Wow, you make a very valid point. Bottom line: gluttony is just not a fear in church!
4 -
rashadlc1980 wrote: »Which religious belief? Just Christianity or ?
Seems to be too many different factors to say that "religious" = unhealthy.
Local economy, cultural influences, ease of food availability, religious practices where dietary restrictions, etc. are in place, and other "stuff" but I'm done thinking so hard about it.
The primary religion I would assume would be Christianity, since it's the main religion in the so called "Bible Belt" .
I don't think you can make an argument about religion and weight when it's that specific to a particular religion and region.
There are many other things distinctive about areas that have higher levels of obesity.
I also don't think you can generalize about "Christianity" based on specific regions or types of Christianity.4
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 897 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions