• Study: Religion Plays a Role in Human Health

About 56 percent of all responding physicians concluded that religion and spirituality had a significant impact on health-related issues, even though only 6 percent of them believe that religion and spirituality can actually affect “hard medical outcomes.” In addition, 76 percent of physicians believe that religion and spirituality help patients to cope and a similar number feel that religion and spirituality help patients maintain a “positive state of mind.” More than half of the respondents cited the benefits of emotional and practical support provided by the religious community. Not surprisingly, roughly two-thirds of the doctors claim that illness itself can inspire an awakening of religious and spiritual issues in patients.