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Have Faith, You'll Live (At Least A Little) Longer
By Altaf Husain
29/11/2001
On September 10, 2001, no one could have imagined that so many people would have turned back to God during this season of Ramadan, Christmas and the Hanukkah. But that is exactly what happened following the 9-11 attacks. Some felt that God had let down humanity by not intervening and protecting those 5,000 innocent lives. Others, like the Reverend Jerry Falwell, thought that God was in fact very much in control and caused that attacks to happen in order to punish those who led evil (read non-Christian) lives. For Muslims, the loss of life was tragic, but Allah has already decreed what will happen and thus no one could have either prevented or worsened the nature of the attacks on 9-11.
Amidst the massive loss of innocent life - and speculations about who hates America, Americans, and why, whether the war was on terrorism or Islam, and new definitions of good and evil - Americans found themselves wondering about their own faith. President Bush, admittedly under pressure to retaliate against the attackers made a blundering reference to this new war on terrorism, calling it a "crusade". Thanks to the work of his advisers, some fast-thinking Muslims, and the news-hungry press, his repent-full visit to the Islamic Center in Washington on September 18, 2001 helped do some massive damage control. But the President did not stop there, he continues even to this day to make references to good and evil, stopping short of saying that basically if you do not support his new "war on terrorism" you are from among the "evil-ones". Indeed, people who might not have thought about God for most of 2001 found themselves much more concerned with God, faith, and religion. There were many reports of churches, synagogues,
masajid (mosques), and temples overflowing with worshippers.
Research on religious beliefs of Americans has ranged from simple polls around Christmas and Easter time about the existence of God to more complex studies such as Harvard sponsored studies centered around the role of faith in healing. When President Bush started talking about funding religious organizations that provided social services, supporters and critics of the plan once again were forced to discuss God, faith, and religion.
Now more than before, there is an increasing interest among researchers to explore the impact of a strong religious outlook on general well-being. The University of Pennsylvania's Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society (CRRUCS) has painstakingly analyzed more than 700 studies and will release the results in the upcoming weeks.
The Philadelphia Inquirer (11/4/01) reported on a preview of the findings that was given recently by Center Director, Byron Johnson. Not only does having a strong religious outlook help a person through their daily life, it can also actually help them live longer. Here are some samples of the amazing findings from comparisons of religious and non-religious people:
· Strong religious beliefs help a person shield off hypertension and depression;
· Strong religious beliefs promote higher self-esteem and educational achievement;
· Caucasian Americans with strong faith lived 7 years longer than their non-religious counterparts;
· African Americans with strong faith actually lived 14 years longer than their non-religious counterparts.
The findings suggest that "people with strong faith are less likely to be involved in crime, become drug addicts and commit suicide, and they live longer by startling margins" (Holmes, B5). In addition to shedding light on religious beliefs of Americans, the study will also have an impact on President Bush's faith-based initiative. The study is a break-through for supporters of federal funding for religious organizations who provide social services. While critics of the initiative will continue to argue their points focused mostly around the separation of church and state, this study helps those people who have known all along, perhaps anecdotally, that having faith does work miracles. Summarizing the key findings of this study, Johnson excitedly states that "simply put, religion protects people from harmful outcomes and religion promotes well-being. Pow! It's an amazing one-two punch" (Holmes, B5).
Muslim social service organizations should take heed of this study and debate whether or not to join coalitions of other religious groups who support the faith-based initiative. In this supportive climate where people are turning to God for answers, Muslims could serve America well by articulating a plan of action that uplifts the downtrodden and gives a better hope for the future. Moving away from reactionary measures, Muslims could conduct studies similar to the CRRUCS study and present findings that further support the need for a strong religious outlook.
Sources:
Kristen E. Holmes, "A Finding That Faith Has Many Blessings." The Philadelphia
Inquirer, 11/04/01, B5.
University of Pennsylvania, www.upenn.edu (Johnson Bio).
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