Study: Religious people live longer

[cho_pilo]

news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19990603&id=mw4iAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8n0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=2710,2909108

According to Bill Scanlon, a reporter for the Scripts Howard News Service, researchers from University of Colorado, the University of Texas, and Florida State University determined that twenty-year-olds who attend church at least once a week for a lifetime live on the average seven years longer than twenty-year-olds who never attend. The data came from a 1987 National Health Interview Survey that asked 28,000 people their income, age, church-attendance patterns, and other questions. The research focused on 2,000 of those surveyed who subsequently died between 1987 and 1995.

 

[Soldier_Of_God]

This is was already well known but it good to hear it, especially when so many people “think” that religion has no value or is even harmful.

 

[TheTrueCentrist]

This is was already well known but it good to hear it, especially when so many people “think” that religion has no value or is even harmful.

Careful, the benefit is seen across all denominations, and probably among non-christian religions as well.

 

[Soldier_Of_God]

Careful, the benefit is seen across all denominations, and probably among non-christian religions as well.

Why do I need to be careful? I didn’t specify a religion. You seem to be making assumptions about my comment without substantiation. Perhaps *you *shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

 

[TheTrueCentrist]

Why do I need to be careful? I didn’t specify a religion. You seem to be making assumptions about my comment without substantiation. Perhaps *you *shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

Because if your defense of religion is “it makes us live longer” and atheists demonstrate that a weekly non-religious church-esque meeting offers similar life extending benefits, then it potentially makes all defenses of religion seem weaker. Also, people might point to the identical benefits between mutually exclusive religions as evidence that it doesn’t matter what religion you are a part of.

 

[Soldier_Of_God]

Because if your defense of religion is “it makes us live longer” and atheists demonstrate that a weekly non-religious church-esque meeting offers similar life extending benefits, then it potentially makes all defenses of religion seem weaker. Also, people might point to the identical benefits between mutually exclusive religions as evidence that it doesn’t matter what religion you are a part of.

Again, I fail to see where your assertion can be gleaned from my comment. I think you’re projecting your sentiments. Now, you’re just trying to rationalize the misplay on your part.

 

[Whadyamean]

Careful, the benefit is seen across all denominations, and probably among non-christian religions as well.

I read a few of these, scanned some more. I saw only mention of attending church, and not of denominations, and inconclusiveness as to what the actual connection is. I’d be curious as to who might/not been included who meditate regularly, or do contemplation regularly who also have a rich family/social life. Connectivity seemed to figure as a theory in why this was so. In other words, I was a bit frustrated as to a lack of definition of what “religious” means in terms of the study, beyond what appears to be nominal church attendance.

 

[cho_pilo]

Thanks for the responses so far. I think the stat could be true. I find that churchgoers don’t drink or party as hard. Religion dictates some behaviors and prohibits some things we know to be bad for you.

 

[tonyrey]

There have been quite a few atheists who have lived to a very old age but I think the statistic does indicate that longevity is related to a person’s attitude to life. If you believe it is ultimately purposeless you have to invent your own purposes which may well be arbitrary and not correspond to your true nature. All religious people believe in the reality of good and evil. Even though they may not live up to their moral principles at least they have a definite motive for staying alive whereas the longer atheists live the more tempted they are to give up - especially when they are afflicted with a painful illness. We are all likely to be tempted but believers have definite reasons for not giving in whereas non-believers are left to their own devices. That is the price of their apparent freedom…

 

[Whadyamean]

There have been quite a few atheists who have lived to a very old age but I think the statistic does indicate that longevity is related to a person’s attitude to life. If you believe it is ultimately purposeless you have to invent your own purposes which may well be arbitrary and not correspond to your true nature. All religious people believe in the reality of good and evil. Even though they may not live up to their moral principles at least they have a definite motive for staying alive whereas the longer atheists live the more tempted they are to give up - especially when they are afflicted with a painful illness. We are all likely to be tempted but believers have definite reasons for not giving in whereas non-believers are left to their own devices. That is the price of their apparent freedom…

I agree, mostly, with this. I would add to the mix those who do not believe in the Christian “God” and yet are not atheists, and those who understand their life as actions having consequences as the Law of Reciprocity, the Great Commandment, or the Golden Rules.