Vinod+Raman+RP+Post+7


 * The question of religion**

The Psychological and Physical Benefits of Spiritual/Religious Practices
 * Source Title:**
 * Author:** Ellen Idler

In her post, //The Psychological and Physical Benefits of Spiritual/Religious Practices,// Ellen Idler attempts to reveal the unknown benefits of religion in order to persuade her readers into taking up the practice of spirituality. She begins her peace by demonstrating the diverse nature of religious practice and emphasizes its omnipresence. She state that religion discourage"self indulgent behaviors and promote moderation in all things." She delves into her claim and reveals the lower amount of smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use for students who attend religious services frequently. She continues to create an virtuous character for religion as she contrasts the ills by stating the higher rates of seat belt use, eating fruits, vegetable, and breakfast. She effectively utilizes ethos as she refers to the study by Alameda County, California that has shown that religious practice has shown to make people "less likely to smoke cigarettes in the first place." She extends the health benefits of spirituality to a new level when she states that those who participate in religious services have an overall lower mortality rate. The author departs from her focus on health to religions ability to create a community. She deems that religious congregations form "social circles that provide support and reduce stress in people's lives. She substantiate her claim that community provides her healthier life, by revealing that the most isolated people with the fewest social ties have the highest death rate. She continues her praises and deems that religious congregations "offer rich social resources with a strong sense of ethics. In a study done by Christopher Ellison, in which he posed the question “are religious people nice people?” and collected and analyzed interview data, it was clear that religion made one more open, friendly, and less suspicious than those who do not practice religion. The author concludes her speech by explaining the "sacred time" that religious gives us, emphasizing that rest and respite from work reduce stress, which she deems is the fundamental cause of chronic diseases. Transcendent spiritual and religious experiences, she deems, "have a positive, healing, restorative effect."