From: Robert Wasley (rpwasley@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Tue Jul 10 2001 - 22:10:02 MDT
Of the notes I have read on this issue, I think people here are really
missing the point.
People who have strong beliefs in religion live longer because they have
established a
sense of emotional fulfillment in terms of their place in existence, a value
system, and a community. Religious belief is only one expression of this
phenomena.
Three other examples approached from different angles support this
contention.
First, women's life expectancy in developed western nations is longer
than men's. That is because women are more capable of developing deeper,
more satisfying emotional relationships. This gives them greater longevity
whether they have been married or always single. Of the group, the never
been married
single man has the lowest life expectancy. This fact has also been
demonstrated
in many survival situations. One example
being the Donner party, being trapped by winter snows in the Sierra Nevada,
the unattached single men were the first to die. Lastly, in the
Nazi concentration camps those who were best able to psychologically survive
the
experience were those who held a strong belief system giving them the tools
to
deal with the situation. This included, Catholics, Jews, communists, etc.
Robert Wasley
****************************************************************
> J. R. Molloy wrote,
> > This resembles the old cause-and-effect-reversal that "married people
live
> > longer" used as an argument for getting married. Actually, people who
live
> > longer (because they're healthy and able-bodied) are more likely to
marry.
>
> Definitely! Whenever I see a statistical study, I always try
> cause-and-effect reversal and independent causal analysis to see if they
> make more sense.
>
> If the assertion is that church-goers live longer, I ask if people who
live
> longer (i.e., are old) go to church more. This seems a more likely
> explanation.
>
> Also, it could be an independent cause. Maybe the same belief system that
> causes church-going also causes a safer environment: No drinking, no sex,
> no driving fast, no staying up late, no partying, no gluttony, etc. Or it
> may be that the extreme conservativism of the church to do everything the
> old way and never try anything new helps protect people from exposure to
any
> new risks throughout their lives. Independent cause analysis usually is a
> better explanation than the cause-and-effect reversal.
>
> --
> Harvey Newstrom <http://HarveyNewstrom.com> <http://Newstaff.com>
>
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