MARY, OUR MOTHER

Churchgoers Live Longer

A new study by LiveScience.com says:

There are many things you can do to increase your life expectancy: exercise, eat well, take your medication and ... go to church.

A new study finds people who attend religious services weekly live longer. Specifically, the research looked at how many years are added to life expectancy based on:

Regular physical exercise: 3.0-to-5.1 years Proven therapeutic regimens: 2.1-to-3.7 years Regular religious attendance: 1.8-to-3.1 years

The role of religion

The study, which is actually a review of existing research from the three categories, does not reveal what the link between faith and health might be.

"Religious attendance is not a mode of medical therapy," said study leader Daniel Hall, a resident in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "While this study was not intended for use in clinical decision making, these findings tell us that there is something to examine further."

"The significance of this finding may prove to be controversial," he said. "But at the very least, it shows that further research into the associations between religion and health might have implications for medical practice."

In a telephone interview, Hall speculated that the social aspect of religion could play a role in the results: "There is something about being knit into the type of community that religious communities embody that has a way of mediating a positive health effect," he told LiveScience. Perhaps, he said, being involved in a religion "can then decrease your level of stress in life or increase your ability to cope with stress."

Another possibility: "Being in a religious community helps you make meaning out of your life," Hall suggested.

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You should see the parishoners at the church I attend! 90% have grey hair, including me! Not only do we live longer, but we are happier, and know that there is a purpose in life. We offer up our sufferings for others, cause we know that Jesus suffered for us! We also realize that life is short, 70 or 80 years for most people, but our final destination is heaven, which we are approaching soon. That's when real happiness begins. Our joy on earth will be completed when we get to heaven!
See you there!!!