• In 2001 Schnittker in the “Journal for the scientific study of religion” examined a data set of 2,836 adults from the general population and he found religious involvement had no significant relationship with depression. He also found that religiousness was a buffer against mental distress.
• In 2002 Smith, McCullough and Poll, in their journal “A meta analytic review of the religiousness-depression association: evidence for main effects and stress buffering effects” carried out an analysis of over 200 social studies and found that high religiousness predicts a rather lower risk of depression, drug abuse and fewer suicide attempts
• In 2002 Bryan Johnson and colleagues of the University of Pennsylvania Centre for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society reviewed 498 studies that had been published in peer reviewed journals. They concluded that a large majority of studies showed a positive correlation between religious commitment and higher levels of perceived well-being and self esteem, and lower levels of hypertension, depression and criminal delinquency.
• In the Handbook of Religion and Health, edited by Harold Koenig, Michael McCullough and David Larson. The authors reviewed 2,000 published experiments designed to test the relationship between religion and various medical conditions such as heart disease, cancer and depression. The overall results were that religious people tend to live longer and have physically healthier lives. Young people have significantly lower levels of drug and alcohol abuse, criminal delinquency and attempted suicide.
• Even in China an officially non-religious state. A recent study by Paul Badham and Xinzhong Yao for the Ian Ramsey Centre at Oxford University, reported that a majority of those felt religious experiences had a positive effect on their lives.
• In 2000, Political Scientist and Professor Robert Putnam surveyed 200 volunteer organisations and it showed that there was a positive correlation between religiosity and membership of volunteer organisations.
• The Index of Global Philanthropy, 2007 states: “Religious people are more charitable than non-religious not only in giving to their own congregations, but also – regardless of income, region, social class, and other demographic variables – significantly more charitable in their secular donations and informal giving.”
Ok so lets list what the research shows: Religious people are more charitable, live happier lives, commit less crimes, less drug and alcohol abuse, less suicide. Forget the afterlife, you will live a better this life.
Now, I am opening up a book from my college class "The process of Parenting" by Jane Brooks. "Family Rituals and routines bring family members closer together... preserved stability at times of stress... increases children's feeling of security... less likely to develop problems with alcohol... Organized rituals also increase children's academic competence... feel a sense of belonging." (Pg 119-120) This also includes secular routines and rituals but doesn't exclude religious. Praying 5 times a day, going to church, and thanking god are some of the most time efficient things you can do for your happiness and success at life.
The only counter that atheists can muster up to this is "oh living in illusion ok, I am not that stoopid I can't do that." Growing up the smartest people I know were usually religious. I live in Arizona so a lot of Mormons and they were usually among the smartest, along with Jews, Hindu's, Muslims. I think its an extremely arrogant thing to say that anyone of any faith is living in illusion. Any faith can potentially be right most people stick to the one that they think is most probably right (which is often their parents but lets not commit the genetic fallacy here). We can all agree that humans combined know far less then 1% of total knowledge. Something learned in the 99% of unknown knowledge can overthrow our whole world view. That's why I don't insult any religion (at least in real life, sometimes people in internet piss me off!!!!) There are modern scientists of every faith. True that there are more scientists then the general population that are atheist. However, this is not a very strong argument for me because all my friends that didn't get accepted into medical school became scientists. Doctors have more religiosity then the general population. If I did listen to people it would be the medical school acceptees rather then the medical school rejects
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