A recent study published in the journal
“Social Psychological and Personality Science” found that people who are
religious live an average of four years longer than people who have no ties to
religion.
A smart-aleck friend of mine made this
comment: “Religious people don’t live longer; it just SEEMS that way because
church is so boring.” Ha ha, very funny.
The researchers at Ohio State University
were quite surprised at the findings, and they were not sure exactly why
average lifespans increased so much for folks who are involved in their
churches.
Maybe religious believers live longer
because faith in God helps people cope better with the stresses of life. Or
maybe it’s because if a person knows he’s going to church on Sunday morning it
makes him less likely to stay out until the wee hours carousing on Saturday
night. Or maybe the reason religious people live longer is because church
potluck suppers serve only health food. Um, wait a minute. The church potluck
suppers I attend serve the greasiest and fattiest—and tastiest!—food
imaginable. So, it can’t be that.
Well, whatever the reason, it’s nice to
know that faith in God and regular church attendance can increase a person’s
longevity.
The government passes many laws and
imposes countless regulations, which are designed to improve the health and
safety of citizens. Some examples include seat belt laws, prohibitions against
smoking in public areas, outlawing the use of certain toxic chemicals, and laws
that prohibit the sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors.
Maybe it’s time for our politicians to
pass a law that requires everyone to attend church each week. After all, if it
adds an average of four years to people’s lifespans, it seems like the perfect
opportunity for legislators to improve the health of the American public.
I think I’ll contact Senators Blumenthal
and Murphy and demand they propose a bill that forces people—in the name of
health and safety—to go to church every week.
OK, OK, I’m kidding. I would never do
that. Our poor secular senators would probably have nervous breakdowns.
You see, I’m a big fan of the First
Amendment’s freedom of religion, which of course, gives people the freedom not
to practice religion if they choose. Throughout history, whenever societies
forced people to get involved with religion, bad things usually occurred.
Besides, faith is not the kind of thing
you can force a person to have. Faith in God is a lot like falling in love. It
happens because of a powerful attraction, along with much hope and joy. Also,
God is a gentleman who never forces Himself on us. He longs to be in a loving
relationship with us, but ultimately, we must decide if we will enter into the
relationship.
In addition to the benefit of living on
average four years longer, faith in God can give us the most awesome benefit of
all: eternal life in Heaven. That’s the real reason religion exists, to help us
enter into a faithful relationship with the Lord, which is the path to eternal
life. To paraphrase what St. Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, if Christ
has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is in vain and Christians are
the most pitiful people of all.
However, Christ did rise, and He
promised that if we put our faith in Him, we too can rise to eternal life. So,
the four extra years of life here on this earth are a bonus. But dwelling in
God’s heavenly kingdom forever is the real prize. In the meantime, feel free to
indulge during those yummy church potluck suppers. Apparently, no matter how
greasy the sausage and peppers are, we’re still going to live longer because we
have faith!
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