1)Poloma. M. M., Pendleton, B. F. (1991). The effects of prayer and prayer experiences on measures of general well-being. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 1, 71-83. This study demonstrated that prayer and prayer experiences have a positive effect on the general health of those who practice it.
2) Laird, S. P., (1991). A preliminary investigation into the role of prayer as a coping technique for adult patients with arthritis (arthritis patients). (Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas, 1991). Laird found that in arthritis patients 1) having faith in prayer was positively related to better emotional adjustment, 2) praying more days per week was positively related to fewer health concerns, 3) engaging in confessional prayer was positively related to having more health concerns, 4) engaging in receptive prayer was positively related to greater social involvement with friends and relatives.
3) Highfield, M. (1992). Spiritual health of oncology patients: Nurse and patient perspectives. Cancer Nursing, 10, 1-8. Highfield demonstrates that faith is a significant aid for patients dealing with chronic pain.
4)Levin, J. (1994). Religion and health: Is there an association? Is it valid? Is it causal? Social Science and Medicine, v.38, n.11, 1475-82. This study documents how religious practice lessens the effects of sickle-cell anemia.
5) Backus, W. (1997). The healing power of a healthy mind. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers. Backus recounts studies showing how faith strengthens the immune system and gives bolstering weapons for patients battling AIDS.
6) Gardner, J., & Lyon, J. (1982). Cancer in Utah Mormon men by lay priesthood level. American Journal of Epidermiology, 116, 243-57. These researchers identified a correlation between regular public worship and lower cancer rates.
7) Enstrom, J. E. (1989). Health practices and cancer mortality among active California Mormons. Journal of National Cancer Institute, 81, 1807-14. This study discovered that for those who do contract cancer, faith is a significant factor in recovery.
8) Graham, T, B., Kaplan, J., Cornoni-Huntley, S., James, C., Becker, C., Hames, S., & Heydon, S. (1978). Frequency of church attendance and blood pressure elevation. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1, 37-43. They found that participation in some form of public worship is an effective deterrent against high blood pressure.
9)Comstock, G. & Partridge, K. (1972). Church attendance and health. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 25, 665-72. This study of 91,909 individuals in Maryland found that those who attended church once or more per week had significantly lower death rate from heart disease (50% reduction), emphysema (56% reduction), and cirrhosis of the liver (74% reduction).
10) Cerrato, Paul L. (1998). Spirituality and healing. RN, 2, 49. Cerrato found that faith elevated the general health of patients.
11) 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.
12) 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
13) 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.
14) 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.
15) 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.
16) 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.
17) 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.”
Here are 17 quick resources which show the benefits of praying and religion including giving more charity not only to religious organizations but to secular ones, health beneifts such as resistence to disease and prolonged life, social benefits and happiness.
In addition there is a book called "Who Really Cares" by Arthur Brooks and it showed something very surprising.
He broke down people into 4 groups
1) Conservative religious people
2) Liberal religious people
3) Conservative irreligious people
4) Liberal irreligious people
To his surprise he found that by far group 1 gave the most charity followed by 2, 3, and then 4. What surprised him even more is that on average the poor southern family gives more not only in percent income but in overall money then the rich liberal secular family in San Francisco.
It is no surprise that the atheist Karl Marx himself said that religious gives unique benefits that are irreplaceable. When a Jewish Colleague of his asked if he should raise his son Jewish, Karl Marx insisted that he should.
God Bless.
. Pay my taxes, obey the laws, volunteer a lot, donate money for charities ( not for churches though! )
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