Religion and Spirituality

From Wikiprogress.org

Religion and Spirituality

Spirituality is defined as experiences and expressions of one’s spirit in a unique and dynamic process reflecting faith in God or a supreme being; it is connectedness with oneself, others, nature, or God; and an integration of the dimensions of mind, body, and spirit. ^[1] A religion is an organized approach to spirituality that is expressed through a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices such as prayer, medititation or music, that usually involves a reference to a high power or ultimate truth.^[2]

There are 19 major religions in the world which are subdivided into 270 large religious groups, and many smaller ones. The largest of these are Christianity, with over 2 billion followers, Islam with around 1.5 billion followers, and Hinduism, with over 900 million followers.^[3]

Religion and Well-being

Religion and spirituality feature in many quality of life and well-being studies, as the search for meaning in life is seen as important for improved quality of life. Recently, there has been a considerable amount of research into the benefits of practicing religion to the Well-being of individuals and society in such areas as creating stronger, more stable family structures, less crime and violence, and improving health.^[4] One study found that countries with a predominant cultural belief in "hell" and eternal punishment had lower levels of corruption and a higher per capita GDP.^[5] A study comparing Gallup Polls from 2005 and 2006 and World Health Organisation statistics showed that countries that are more religious tend to have lower suicide rates.^[6]

Studies

Peterson, M and Webb, D, (2006)  "Religion and Spirituality in Quality of Life Studies", The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) Applied Research in Quality of Life (2006) 1: 107–116

Meraviglia, M (1999) Critical Analysis of Spirituality and Its Empirical Indicators: Prayer and Meaning in Life Journal of Holistic Nursing, Vol. 17 No. 1, March 1999 18-33

Indicators

The Religiosity Index, produced by Gallup, is a measure of the importance of religion in respondent's everyday lives, their self-reported attendance of religious services, and their confidence in religious organisations in their countries.

See Also

Human Well-being

References

1. ↑ Meraviglia, M (1999) Critical Analysis of Spirituality and Its Empirical Indicators: Prayer and Meaning in Life Journal of Holistic Nursing, Vol. 17 No. 1, March 1999 18-33
2. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion
3. ↑ http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
4. ↑ http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
5. ↑ Peterson, M and Webb, D, (2006) "Religion and Spirituality in Quality of Life Studies", The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) Applied Research in Quality of Life (2006) 1: 107–116
6. ↑ http://www.gallup.com/poll/108625/More-Religious-Countries-Lower-Suicide-Rates.aspx

Websites

Relgion Facts

Religious Tolerance

Page created by --Sarahgregory 13:02, 5 June 2009 (UTC)