In his book The
Future of an Illusion (1927) the father of psychiatry, Sigmund Freud,
argued that religion is a false belief system. He likened the various religions
of the world to “childhood neuroses” and “wishful illusions” that can only lead
to a “disavowal of reality.”
Like other atheists of his day, his words were
particularly rancorous against the Christian faith. He believed human beings
created the God-concept as a means of wish-fulfillment, nothing more.
Clearly for Freud, no real truth could be found in
the Christian faith, nor in any other religion, for that matter. On the
contrary, Freud believed that only science can lead us into reality.
These truth assertions, however, were never tested scientifically through rigorous
experimentation and research. Therefore, they were faith-assertions and mere
opinions, nothing more! And yet, they were almost blindly accepted on the basis
of Freud’s reputation as a physician and theoretician.
But now, 85 years later, these claims have been
tested! And Freud has been proven wrong in his own arena, the arena of science.
In the past 40 years, mountains of research have
been published seeking to answer this one simple question: Does active
adherence to the Christian faith provide any measurable results in terms of
wellness – both physical and mental?
The Bible clearly indicates that adhering to its
precepts and commands should indeed
lead to significant patterns of mental wellness.
· In the Old Testament, Psalm 16:11 is a case in point: “In your presence is fullness of joy at your
right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
· In the New Testament the fruit of the Spirit is a vibrant picture mental
health: “But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is no law.”
But does adhering to the Christian faith also
produce clear patterns of physical wellness?
When Dr. Jeff Levin began to research this emerging
field in 1982, he was surprised as he noticed a pattern: Frequency of
attendance in weekly worship services was associated with diverse patterns of
physical wellness, including better cardio-vascular functioning, lower blood
pressure, faster wound healing and better recovery from surgery.
One
study even examined the relationship between church attendance and mortality
rate. The study tracked over 21,000 people from the ages of 18-65 over a 9-year
period. The found that non-attenders lived to an average of 55.3 years beyond
the age of 20, but attenders lived for an average of 61.9 years after the age
of 20. That’s nearly seven years longer!
One
possible explanation for this was that religious people follow healthier
habits. And yet, in one study, religious adherence had marked benefits, even if
the person did not necessarily engage in healthy eating habits.
So radical were these emerging claims that
researchers subjected them to very stringent testing protocols, and yet in each
new study the pattern was clear: adhering to the precepts presented in the
Bible was a predictor of overall wellness.
Today the most published researcher in this field is
Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University Medical School. He is professor of psychiatry
& behavioral sciences and the director for the Center for Spirituality,
Theology and Health. Other scholars in this field include the epidemiologist
Jeff Levin and practicing physician Dr. Dale Matthews.
At Teleios we too have actively sought to add to
this growing body of literature. We are
not only passionately convinced that the Bible is God’s Word – we believe that
adhering to its precepts increases the health and vitality of the whole person.
This is an exciting field because it leads us back to a statement that Jesus
made on the night before he was crucified: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
For more information on specific Teleios’ research
articles please check out our Publications (http://stage.teleiosresearch.com/index.php/research-initiatives/publications/).
Thank you,
Rod
Rod MacIlvaine
- Director of Faith-Based Research - W. Rodman
MacIlvaine, III, DMin is on the adjunct faculties of both Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He
is the founding senior pastor of Grace
Community Church in Northeastern, Oklahoma – a church that has
worked extensively to serve educational needs in the Spanish Speaking
Caribbean. A Gallup-Certified
Strengths Coach, Dr. MacIlvaine works with men and women in transition,
especially those who are shifting into second careers. Dr. MacIlvaine
specializes in apologetics from an historical and theological perspective. His
emphasis is in showing how adhering to God’s word has generated many benefits
to societies, cultures and individuals.
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