A guest blog from Dr. W. Rod
MacIlvaine…
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, Galatians 5:22-23‘s 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 a 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).
About 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.
For
questions or to view more of our research…
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