So, we have heard it said, time and time again, that religion is an evil thing. One person even went to the point of saying religion has done humanity no good. So, I come here to explain what exactly religion has done in the past to benefit both society and individuals in that society.
Note that I am not indicating that any specific religion is correct, nor am I suggesting that everyone be religious. I am merely saying that people should not say that religion has no benefits, or only has make-believe (the ‘good feeling’ of knowing there is something more to life) benefits, when that is historically inaccurate.
Let’s start with basic religion—no specific religion, just the act of being religious. A review of various hypotheses relating to religion and health indicates that those who attend some service (in church, synagogue, mosque, whatever) have a 25% lower risk of disease than those who do not.
Another study shows that women who leave a religious lifestyle behind as they age are 3 times more likely to suffer an anxiety disorder or alcohol/drug abuse than women who remained active in religious activities their entire lives. It’s fair to point out that this study also found an opposite effect in men, indicating that men who remain active in religious activities their entire lives are more likely to suffer from depression.
The practices of meditation and reflection common in Eastern religions are extremely helpful in protecting one’s mental health. In fact, for some, learning these practices can mean more scholarship money.
Now, let’s discuss Judaism (since I know the most about it). The Torah mandates several things that people now see as outdated. And while a number of the laws stated do not make any sense, a number have made perfect sense in the past.
The Sabbath calls for a cease of work on day per week (Exo. 20:8-11). Traditionally, this means no ‘fire’ (or electricity in modern times) can be lit, nothing can be written, nothing can be fully cooked… It is designed as a weekly celebration and as a way of resting from doing 6 days of work. So what, you’re thinking. Well, just using basic common sense, if you’re not allowed to work once a week and don’t have to worry about the mundane chores of life, you should be healthier. Interestingly enough, a study has found that adult Jews in Israel have the lowest mortality (death) rate on Saturday, during the hours of the Sabbath. (If you can access the article, it’s a very interesting read).
The concept of not having sex during menstruation and up to 7 days after the menstruation stops (Lev 15:19-28 and 18:19) is another aspect of Judaism that has been beneficial in the past. A woman ovulates around the middle of her cycle. In a 28 day cycle, that comes around day 14. Knowing that the start of the cycle is the first day of the menses and the ‘average’ menses is 7 days, waiting to have sex until 7 days after the menses would put this act right around the time of ovulation. Additionally, if a man does not have sex for long periods of time, his overall sperm count will be higher. Ovulation is the best time to have sex to have a child, so this act encouraged couples to have children, which was another commandment in Judaism.
Of course, we know that some foods are banned by certain religions. Pork is one example, banned in both Judaism and Islam (as well as some Christian sects). It has been speculated that this was because undercooked pork has a greater chance of containing trichinosis. Obviously, back before meat thermometers, it was more difficult to determine when meat was fully cooked, and so this prohibition protected many from the parasite. Similarly, other dietary laws in Judaism seem to protect against disease, as do those in Islam. More can be found here.
That’s all for now. Feel free to add anything. I apologize if I seem to be favoring a specific religion, as that was not my intention. I just know more about some than others. I am merely spreading the word about what I’ve found in my studies.
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It has been speculated that this was because undercooked pork has a greater chance of containing trichinosis.
I have never heard that before, and now I have learned something. Thank you for sharing. :-)
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof
"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-
Excellent blog, very informative! I couldn't get some of the links to work.
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Respectfully,
Adam L. Labonoski
PUAA Directors Assistant
How about now?
I had to type up this blog in MS word, cause I knew I couldn't write it all down in one sitting, and it kept messing with my HTML stuff. But I think I managed to fix all the links again.
~C
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Ahhh, there, now I can read them!
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Respectfully,
Adam L. Labonoski
PUAA Directors Assistant
Notepad for the win. Only drawback is you don't get spell check (but if you don't need it...).
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I don't completely disagree with anything you have said. I don't judge religious people for their want of community (I want it as well) or for their practice in numbers.
But the reason for such hostility, or for saying such things as "religions have never done any good", may stem from a question posed to me just today.
My boyfriend asked me: if the Bible hadn't been written, would the abominations mentioned in Leviticus be occurring on a daily basis? Would men habitually sleep with goats? Or their wives' mothers? Is religion the sole core of human morality?
And I believe that the answer is no, purely because of the Golden Rule, which was 'coined' so to speak, by a Chinese man. Any human is capable of noticing consequences. It is a highly debatable subject to suggest that morality only comes from holy texts. (A easily made point, for the sake of argument, is that I don't see the Old Testament as a moral book at all. There seems to have been a lot of stoning, killing, raping, and plain debauchery going on. If it were my book, I doubt I would implant gory details.)
But what organized religion does is gathers up believers, followers, and they all agree upon social issues. The strength in numbers philosophy comes into play, again. People tend not to voice their opinions if they know little to nothing on the topic, unless they happen to be a part of a religion that has a preconceived notion of, say, homosexuality, abortion, etc.
I am not against having faith or spirituality; what I don't see a need for is organized religion.
I never, at any point, said morality comes from religion. And I gave many examples of things that don't have to do with the Bible. I'm not only talking about being religious in the sense of following some Judeo-Christian practice, merely being religious.
Also, I pointed out many things that are somewhat unique to the Old Testament that are beneficial, and that following these specific practices can make you healthier. If the Old Testament hadn't been written, would those practices still have come to light? I'm not aware of any Eastern religion that has a day of rest, or that restricts sex to the time when both man and woman are most fertile, etc. I also don't know too many atheists who would do these things without being advised so by some medical professional (fertility clinic, for example), and the benefits of these were likely discovered because they are widespread religious practices.
Yes, there is some bad in religion, but to say that all religion is stupid because people interpret a text differently is ignoring quite a bit of good religion has done over the years.
~C
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I think you might want to reread her post. She was relating an experience she had and also differentiated between spirituality and organized religion.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
Her argument was that religions have done little good, because the good that have come from them would have come about without the religion being there in the first place. I argued that few people would have realized the benefits of some aspects of religion (such as resting one day a week for the Judeo-Christians) without the widespread prevalence of religion. In fact, despite the fact that most of America is Christian, many still don't rest one day a week. So, how would that have been brought about if it hadn't been for religion?
Additionally, organized religion sets up a feeling of community with a large number of people. That's why women have a lower rate of depression if they go to church (or some other worship service), because they feel they have that sense of community. Would that have happened without organized religion? Maybe in some cultures, but you can see how cohesive we feel as Americans now...
It isn't just spirituality that gives these benefits... it is the organized religion itself.
~C
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I don't know if the conversation between you two is a continuation from something else, but from my point of view, she said nothing to warrant the response you had given (which, from my point of view, seemed somewhat defensive).
It also seems you two have differing opinions of what "organized religion" actually means. From what I can tell, you see OR as a group of people that share the same religion/beliefs. On the other hand, she (and I, for that matter) views it as an institution with an established hierarchy that may have political power or influence.
You can have that community without having organized religion (in the sense that she and I define it). A good example of this is the neopagan movement. There is no hierarchy in the sense of district, state, or national/international leaders (like Christian bishops and the Pope), yet there are still a number of groups that are very active and provide that sense of community in which you find value. This can, however, also be accomplished in a secular environment (though some would argue that it's easier, because everyone has a similar base set of principles).
Do some customs originate from religion? Of course. We wouldn't celebrate most of our holidays if it weren't for one religious custom or another. However, the phenomena that you mention in regards to people working nearly every day of the week is a national/cultural thing, not a religious thing. You can see evidence of this by looking at quality of life vs number of working hours. The US isn't at the top by any means, but compared to the Samoan 30 hour week, we make more money, but the Samoan quality of life and standard of living are still fairly good. (This blog has more information on shorter workweeks and seems rather interesting.)
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I concede that you never said anything about morality. That is just one of the main arguments that I have heard and I felt the need to address it in this context.
If you haven't already, you should definitely read The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. It tells the story of Jacob's wives (Rachel and Leah) and his daughter Dinah (I'm sure you know the story). It is, of course, fictional, but the elaboration on the old classic is well done and it makes me proud to be a woman. Awesome book.
And this book also made me think heavily on the polytheistic cultures that existed before monotheism came to be. I obviously wasn't alive, but I get the sense that Ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Sumerian religions were much different than monotheism, quite possibly because of the lack of societal interaction at that point in time (such as America versus Iran in the late eighties). I believe that many of the wisdoms that are included in the Bible were the wives' tales or just plain tales to explain occurances, or maybe even an oracle's predictions. Perhaps midwives before Abraham learned of increased fertility by observance and, without the Bible, the stories would have been passed down anyway, by word-of-mouth.
And without Confucianism in China, I'm positive the rest of the world would still notice that to do bad things to another is bad. And I'm sure the Japanese would still pray for their ancestors without Shinto, as that has always been a facet of their culture, with or without the spirituality.
I think much of our lives and histories would be the same, in the sense of knowledge that you're talking about. I don't think the Bible did anything more than collect it neatly on pieces of paper.