CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
A Religious Life
Religion Impacting Growth and Development
Yeager
2014
Religion Impacting Growth and Development
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A Religious Life
Debra Yeager
Concordia University
Leading a religious life is important to many people. To them it is a re-assurance that life is
worth living, that there is something better on the other side. Today I will share the information that is
out there on leading a religious life and the benefits it gives to people’s growth and development. I will
share my opinions as well and why I agree or do not agree with the research presented.
For many people religion it is how they get through life. When things are hard they can speak to
God or read their bible. It is a feeling of doing something when they have no control over what happens.
“Religious and spiritual beliefs are an important part of how many people deal with life’s joys and
hardships.” (Kids Health, 2011). This is true to many, and even though this doesn’t prove that these
people live religious lifestyles, 40% of Americans are attending church, that is about 118 million people
in church every Sunday. (Hartford Seminary, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2006, para.3)
Many people think that church goers and religious individuals have stronger morals and make
better choices, “but religious people aren’t always more moral or righteous than nonbelievers…” (Wood,
2012). This shares that just because a woman attends church or lives a religious lifestyle does not mean
that she has stronger morals then someone who doesn’t attend church or have a religious way of living,
but it doesn’t hurt to attend church if that is what people feel the need to do. Wood does share that
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“…actively religious people are much more likely to say they are “very happy” with their lives than their
secular counterparts,” (Wood, 2012). This information is sharing that happiness is a key component that
may not be necessarily living a religious lifestyle, but definitely a happier one.
When it comes to living longer, do people that are religious live longer? Psychology today
shares that “With economic development, health improves, but religion declines” which shares that
religion is important, but more so in countries that are struggling and do not have the fast pace
economic growth like America. Psychology Today also shares that “countries with very low life
expectancy are mostly very religious.” (Barber, 2013)
Another interesting point made by Barber is that people who attend church are healthier. “They
lead longer lives; have more robust immune systems, lower blood pressure, and better recovery times
from operations…” (Barber, 2012). With that said, most people would mention that religious people
have a more optimistic view of life, and that is why they heal faster , have less problems medically and
live longer. The facts that show that religion is the case for all this are not agreed on by all. The truth is,
even non-religious people are healthy, and it really depends on the lifestyle of the individual.
What does religion do for people? “Religion has the benefit of empowering the individual
through connecting him/her to a community, and to a superior force, that might in turn give
psychological stability.”(Basu-Zharku, 2011).Psychological stability is very important, especially when
discussing health and development. They are tied together and impact each other. Without
psychological stability it is much harder for individuals to make good moral choices, as well as healthy
choices for their lives.
The psychological stability does impact individual’s health choices. “Very religious Americans
make healthier choices than their moderately religious and nonreligious counterparts …” (Newport,
Agrawal, Witters, 2010) and there is only about 14% of very religious individuals that smoke, 68% eat
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healthy all day, 61% that have five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, and 53% that exercise at
least three times a week. (Newport, Agrawal, Witters, 2010). These statistics show that even though
religious individuals may not be the only healthy choice makers in America, they are definitely good at
making healthy choices, which could be because of their religious beliefs.
Some of these good healthy choices that the religious individuals make could be because of
their religion and the rules within it. It is common knowledge that some religions do not allow certain
behaviors. Many religions refrain from addictions, such as tobacco and alcohol use. Others also refrain
from coffee and tea. Most Mormon individuals refrain from going out on Sundays and use the day to be
with the family. On Sundays Mormon folks attempt to refrain from working, “they are also asked to not
shop on Sunday because this is encouraging employers to have their employees work on Sunday.
Exercise and manual labor is best reserved for the other six days of the work [week].” (Mormon Youth
Beliefs, 2014).
Even though many people do not agree, it is true that religion impacts an individual’s life, but to
say it is superior to just having a healthy lifestyle isn’t really accurate. There are many people that are
very happy and healthy but are not religious individuals. Many people can be positive within and make
good healthy and moral choices for their lives with other items in their lives such as working out. I do
believe that leading a religious or spiritual life is beneficial enough to ones growth and development of
their lifespan, but I do not think it is significant enough to take on the commitment of living a religious
life just for the healthier life. Religion is sacred, and when individuals chose this lifestyle they are
making a choice to live a better way of life to be more giving and to let their wonderful and terrible
things go into the hands of their creator.
In order to really take the plunge, individuals most go all in to religion and dedicate their lives to
it. Not only will this change the people they spend time with, it will also change the influences they have
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and the experiences that they get from those people. When people surround themselves with positive
people better choices are made and happier individuals are created. Unhappy people tend to impact
others negatively and if you want to lead a healthier lifestyle and are not ready for the commitment of a
religion, then it is best to do a check on yourself, your friends, and the activities you partake in.
I have shared the research on religion and the effects it has on people’s lives as well as the
choices made by those people. The research definitely suggests that living a religious lifestyle is
beneficial to an individual’s growth and development over a lifespan. The research does not share that
it is the only reason that people are making healthier choices, but the statistics are there to state that
very religious people are making good choices. I shared my thoughts on religion impacting growth and
development as well as the commitment it requires.
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References
Barber, N. (2012, December 22). Are Religious People Healthier? | Psychology Today.
Retrieved June 5, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-humanbeast/201212/are-religious-people-healthier
Barber, N. (2013, February 27). Do Religious People Really Live Longer? | Psychology Today.
Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-humanbeast/201302/do-religious-people-really-live-longer
Basu-Zharku, J. (2011). The Influence of Religion on Health - Student Pulse. Retrieved June 5,
2014, from http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/367/the-influence-of-religion-on-health
Hartford Seminary, Hartford Institute for Religion Research (2006). Fast Facts about American
Religion. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from
http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html#attend
Kids Health (2011). How Can Spirituality Affect Your Family's Health? Retrieved June 4, 2014,
from http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/spirituality.html
Mormon Youth Beliefs (2014). Why Does My Mormon Friend Stay Home on Sundays? –
Mormon Youth Beliefs. Retrieved June 5, 2014, from http://mormonyouth.org/teenlife/sundays
Religion Impacting Growth and Development
Newport, F., Agrawal, S., & Witters, D. (2010, December 23). Very Religious Americans Lead
Healthier Lives. Retrieved June 5, 2014, from
http://www.gallup.com/poll/145379/religious-americans-lead-healthier-lives.aspx
Wood, C. (2012, June 12). Does religion make us moral? Retrieved June 4, 2014, from
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/scienceonreligion/2012/06/does-religion-make-us-moral/
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