How Healthy Is Your Religion? - A Checklist.

Your body is a temple- but what kind of temple may well depend on your religion: is that incense coming out of your mouth or are you just smoking a cigarette? Religion can have a big impact on lifestyle, what with religious traditions, customs, laws, and practices, but do these have a positive or negative effect on your health? At Pacific Prime we think of this kind of thing. Here is a checklist, alphabetized for your convenience, of things to bear in mind when considering whether your religion is beneficial to your overall health.

Afterlife

Why worry too much about the health of your mortal body if there is the prospect of eternal life? Most religions take a stand against this sort of attitude by emphasizing that mortal life is sacred. Something to bear in mind though, eh?

Alcohol, Cigarettes, Caffeine, Drugs

Some religions don’t allow one or all of these substances. Many forms of Islam forbid alcohol, and many Christian groups also avoid drinking, such as Seventh Day Adventists. Mormons, or Latter Day Saints, are supposed to avoid more or less all of these things: many think Joseph Smith meant caffeinated drinks such as Tea and Coffee when he advised against ‘Hot Drinks’: Could this be why Mormons have such a high life expectancy? More on that later.
On the other hand, some religions positively encourage the use of certain substances- Marijuana is an important component of Rastafarianism. Peyote is used in the ceremonies of some Native Americans, as well as having medicinal properties. And don’t forget the altar wine- grape alcohol/blood is an important component of the Catholic mass. With so many people sharing a cup, you have to hope that the alcohol is having a sterilizing effect- though some services don’t give everybody wine. Priests may risk becoming addicted to alcohol because of the amounts of altar wine they are called upon to drink. (All that kneeling can’t be good for the old knees either.)
Is giving up these substances a good or bad thing? We often hear about studies into the health benefits of a glass of red wine a day, or drinking tea, and how these may contain ‘anti-oxidants’. This book - ‘Mon Docteur Le Vin’ - goes a little further, saying that wine is good for more or less everything, including making you stronger, curing diseases, and increasing longevity.

Armageddon

Is your religion looking forward to the imminent end of the world? If so, you should make sure you are not in a cult (don’t drink the fruit punch!) as these groups frequently mistime the end of the world, and can be fatal.

Cannibalism.

If your religion leads you to practice cannibalism, you are at a greatly increased risk of catching certain brain diseases. Some are spread by contact with uncooked brain products - don’t let your children lick the bowl – but, cooked or uncooked, say no to religions that involve the eating of human brains, or you will end up with Creutzfeld Jakob’s Disease or Kuru.

Circumcision

Is it more hygienic for men to be circumcised? Perhaps- certainly when the idea was first introduced it probably had an impact on reducing infections. Does it lead to a reduction in, er, stimulation? Who knows. When it comes to male circumcision, nowadays it is more a question of taste than health. As for female circumcision, that is a definite no-no. Avoid any religion that involves female circumcision as this is a barbaric practice as well as being extremely medically unsound.

Clothing

“What? How can clothing affect your health?” you may ask. Well, some have argued that certain forms of Hijab worn by Muslim women, such as the Burqa, can lead to Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D can be obtained from certain foods, but normally your body can produce sufficient if you expose some of your skin to sunlight for a little while every day. This can be difficult for Muslim women in some countries. Darker skin and weaker sunlight meands you need more time in the sun; could Muslim dress be a factor in rickets cases among Muslim communities in England?
Other headgear which now has a religious connotation, such as the Turban, may have originally come about to keep cool in hot weather. Today it can entail serious health risks- there is some evidence that in the post 9/11 world a turban can be a magnet for physical violence against the wearer, whatever their religion.

Dietary Rules

Man cannot live on bread alone. But what does your religion allow you to eat? Kosher/Kashrut; Halal – does following religious dietary rules make you any healthier? People have tried to look for medical reasons behind some rules of Kashrut- for example the use of separate utensils for cooking dairy and meat makes sense from a hygiene perspective, as do the requirements if you want to ‘sterilize’ any utensils.
Is it because pigs don’t redigest their food (chew cud) that they are seen as slipshod meat producers, or does the fact that they roll around in mud and poo- making them prone to parasites- and eat more or less anything- suggest that they are not the healthy choice? Shellfish are also notorious for absorbing all kinds of chemicals- e.g. mercury and heavy metals – thought they are not the only ones – and so you should probably avoid them if you are pregnant. However many of the rules are somewhat obscure. It seems the compilers of the rules took a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach.
One major benefit of following such rules is that you will look closely of the ingredients of processed foods, for example those that use pork gelatin or enzymes derived from pigs. It’s always good to know what you are eating. Unfortunately even Halal or Kosher standards will not protect adherents from the dangers of junk food for long, with McDonalds introducing Kosher or Halal meals in different countries.
Are Halal and Kosher slaughtering techniques healthy? If an animal is stressed when it dies it will release toxins, and as such an animal that was unhappy when it died may not be Kosher. Traditional slaughtering methods, namely slitting a conscious animal’s throat with a knife, quick as you like, and draining its blood, are tried and tested and probably do not cause any more suffering to an animal than more convoluted industrial methods- they may even be more humane. Let’s face it, there’s no particularly friendly way to kill things. Kosher and Halal slaughering rules share many similarities- avoid the spinal chord, check the animal didn’t have any health problems or defects before certifying it, and, tellingly, the slaughter should be performed by an adult who is not insane.
In general you are better off eating foods that humans have been eating for a long time, as the body has become more accustomed to eating these and offsetting their risks. As such, perhaps, the older the religious dietary laws you are following the better.

Fasting

Does fasting have health benefits? Some would argue yes- at least for mice. Certainly fasting or a constricted diet of some form features in a great many religions. Just think of Ramadan, Lent, Passover, or even fasting before Mass, or the special diet of the Jewish Sabbath. Fasting can be bad for some groups of people, such as pregnant women or diabetics- who are therefore exempt from fasting during Ramadan. (Just to clarify, you don’t stop eating altogether; you just only eat at certain times and eat less - stopping eating altogether can lead to death). Non-religious fasting is sometimes termed ‘dieting’ or ‘detox’.

Festivals

There’s nothing like a holiday to perk up the spirits- and refresh the body. Try choosing a religion with plenty of days off. A weekly rest day is always good, if you don’t mind following certain rules, for example for a Jewish or Christian Sabbath, but if you want a religion with plenty of festivals, try something polytheistic like Hinduism.

Human Sacrifice

Not so common nowadays, human sacrifice was a showstopping component of ancient religions in several parts of the world, from the temples of Central America to the marshes of Northern Germany to the Colosseum at Rome. While the sacrificee would of course not benefit, the successful harvests that followed were good for the overall health of the population.

In-breeding

Inbreeding is always a risk when a religious population is small, isolated, or opposed to intermarriage with non-adherents. As such, genetic pecularities which may lead to hereditary diseases are more common in certain religious groups, such as the Amish. The Druze in the Middle East also have distinctive genetic features. If you want to avoid this kind of thing, then choose a more missionary or more accessible religion.

Incense

Some recent studies have indicated that over-exposure to burning incense can put you at increased risk of developing certain types of cancer. Make sure that if your religion involves lots of incense it also involves good ventilation.

Insurance

“Jesus is my health insurance” is, one would hope, not too common a sentiment, although with health insurance costs in the US nowadays, you never know. If you are Amish you are unlikely to have private medical insurance. The Amish also don’t usually take part in schemes like Medicare or Medicaid, instead relying on community support and the church in order to pay for expensive medical treatment. Hospitals in Mexico are therefore often preferred, but there are some US hospitals with special arrangements for the Amish.

Life Expectancy

Most religions are spread over such a wide area and range of people that it is hard to tell what effect they have on life expectancy. Not so with the Mormons, who have longest life expectancy of any religious group in the US- in fact, a higher life expectancy than Japan. So there’s your answer right there. Become a Mormon.

Medical Care

Does your religion allow blood transfusions? Jehovah’s Witnesses are opposed to most, if not all, forms of blood transfusion. This can be a problem if you lose a lot of blood suddenly.
The Amish avoid excessive use of modern technology, but they are not against seeking modern healthcare if necessary- and a higher than usual frequency of some genetic diseases can make it necessary. They often do choose to receive vaccinations, but on the other hand there have been cases of Rubella, and other diseases that are easily vaccinated against, breaking out in Amish communities.
The rules of Kosher do not prohibit Jews from using insulin made out of pork- though of course nowadays you can get synthesised human insulin.

Meditation

The regular practice of meditation is widely believed to have health benefits, and this has occasioned scientific studies on Buddhist monks. Certainly, meditation is a good way to relax the body, lower the heart rate, and help the brain to chillax, and that can’t be bad for you. Of course, much greater claims have been made for meditation’s health benefits- mind over matter. Whether this is more than an elaborate placebo effect is a topic of hot debate.

Miracles

Some religions have more miracles than others. Catholicism is well known for them. There are many reports of miracles curing terminal or incurable diseases after prayers for intercession by a saint or a respected Christian who has passed away- in fact, miracles are an important factor in becoming a saint, and John Paul II canonized a record number of saints (in the hundreds). That’s a lot of miracles. It may depend somewhat on the definition of a miracle, but the promise of something is a big draw.
It is estimated that 200 million people have visited Lourdes since 1858, during which time 67 miracle healings have been officially recognised by the Catholic Church, as well as around 7,000 other inexplicable happenings. Some American Pentecostal movements may claim a higher success rate for ‘faith healings’, but without such strict standards of certification.

Reincarnation

You may come back as another animal, or even a person. This is the message of religions that believe in re-incarnation. So you don’t need to worry about your health too much, right? Wrong! You usually have to live a good life so as not to be reincarnated as some sort of slug, which means you shouldn’t just fling your body around willy-nilly. Also bear in mind that if you are a Buddhist in China you may need permission to reincarnate.
A religion that is overly into reincarnation may have adverse effects on the health of some adherents, especially in Hinduism, where it arguably helps to perpetuate the caste system. You may only be a lowly labourer in this life but if you live a good life you may be lucky and come back as… a priest.
However, Hindu scholars argue that the caste system is an anachronistic social practice, not an integral part of the Hindu religion- and in fact, it is also a feature among other religious groups in India and nearby regions, not just Hindus.

Sex

Not allowed to use barrier contraception? This puts you at a vastly greater risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Not being allowed to use contraception at all also greatly increases the risk of the other major sexually transmitted disease- ‘life’. Not naming any names *cough Catholicism *cough. The health benefits of sex should not be underestimated - perhaps choose a religion accordingly.

Spiritual Wellbeing

For many, this is in fact the most important factor when choosing a religion. It is hard to say which religion offers the most spiritual wellbeing, as a prerequisite of its being effective is that usually you have to believe in the religion- as such it is usually difficult to try more than one religion in a life-time. In other words, consider which religion will be best for your spiritual as well as physical health.

Sport

Regular exercise is important for your health. Is your religion associated with any sports? If not, you might want to consider Taoism or Buddhism – think tai-chi in the park, or kung fu at your local Shaolin monastery. Also, Hinduism: Yoga anybody?
Shinto might be one to avoid; while there are plenty of sports in Japan that do benefit the health, Sumo wrestling is not one of them. It can often lead to health issues such as Diabetes or Arthritis, and the life expectancy of a Sumo wrestler is less than 60.

Thetan related issues

As a Scientologist, you may encounter the worrying revelation that your body is covered with alien souls known as body thetans which are leeching off your energy and suppressing your potential. These little buggers can only be dissuaded by following a strict regimen of, well, scientology. This can be expensive, but if you are lucky enough to reach the third ‘operating thetan’ level then you may well have the opportunity to telepathically communicate with them and tell them to go away. However, exorcism of imaginary demons or space creatures is often cheaper and easier in other religions.

Vegetarianism

Hindus don’t eat beef. In fact, they sometimes don’t eat meat at all. The health benefits/disadvantages of a vegetarian diet are very debatable, and, Hindus would probably say, irrelevant, compared to the sanctity of life. Vegetarianism is not for everybody - I guess I’ll just have to hope I don’t get reincarnated as a tasty animal.

This checklist is not exhaustive, but hopefully it will give you some points to bear in mind when weighing up how healthy is your religion. See you next time!

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September 29, 2008 | Filed Under Health Care, Health Issues, Religion 

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