Afflicted And Comforted

Healing has long been an accepted outcome of faith. Indeed, the Bible often addresses the relationship between spirituality and health. It recognizes that we as God's people will be afflicted, but as God's people will also be comforted. But it is time to consider a complementary perspective; what does science say about spirituality and health? Unlike prior books on this topic, we will not just review series of studies; we will consider input from Scripture (and its Hebrew language) and include relevant studies of my own as well as sharing brief medical cases that highlight some of the issues we consider. After framing the spirituality-health investigation, the research literature is reviewed globally and in-depth, seeking to identify the true nature of the spirituality-health relationship, how spirituality may indeed create better health, and whether this relationship had an evolutionary impact. Further, with most faiths including doctrines on prayer, hope and forgiveness, we seek evidence for their medical value. Finally, faith traditions and spiritual problems can affect health care, raising the issue of how the health care system should respond.