All posts tagged: Religious

Religious people handled COVID better than those without faith, studies conclude

Published by

A study conducted by England’s University of Cambridge reported that people of faith in Britain handle COVID-19 better than those who weren’t, Study Finds report. In its news release, Cambridge professors, Sriya Iyer, Dr Po-Wen and Prof Shaun Larcom, stated they came to this conclusion after comparing the results of surveys taken before the pandemic with those taken during COVID-19’s peak years, 2020 and 2021. The researchers noted that because the pandemic impacted every aspect of society equally, it offered a unique opportunity to study if faith helps people deal with a national crisis. While the pandemic resulted in an overall drop in happiness across society, it found that people of faith experienced a 29% less drop, when compared to those who did not have faith. Study Finds reports that this falls in line with other studies which have come to similar conclusions. Research, conducted in February and March 2021 of Americans, found that people of faith in that country also fared better mentally during COVID. For those who were impacted mentally by the COVID-19 …

Church on Lake Bled, Slovenia Credit: Alex Krivec/Flickr/Creative Commons

Spiritual but not Religious? Yes

Published by

Have you heard about SBNR or SBNA? That means “Spiritual But Not Religious” and “Spiritual But Not Affiliated.” The Internet is full of blogs and videos about this, and it seems to be most popular with young adults today “Millennials.” RELATED: Spiritual but not religious So is this good for us? Should we run away from it? Is it the enemy of Christianity? Yes, No, and Maybe. I believe, if we want to talk about something, we should invest some intelligent thought. Emotional storms just generate destructive arguments. So let’s be careful and rational. True spirituality is not … 1) Dishonest Manipulation. We all know there are religious cults in the world that are controlling and dangerous. Imagine a person telling you that they are ‘Spiritual’ when they are not. They are lying to make you do what they want. That person is a religious sociopath, and someone we should avoid. 2) Ignorance. We might use a word like “spiritual’ to win an argument with someone, maybe our parents. I have been guilty of that …

What is pure religion? Photo: josulivan-59/Flickr

Pure Religion?

Published by

Even a cultural neophyte can spot major world religions by their outward forms, ceremonies and liturgies. A group of Buddhist monks in yellow robes and shaved heads or a yogi with a long beard sitting cross-legged on a cushion while meditating are easily identifiable. Even within the Christian faith one can easily spot the difference between Roman Catholics and Protestants. The style of cross used will indicate whether it is Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. So what’s my point? First, as a disclaimer, I am not making a judgment on any particular religion, the point I am making is that the world’s main religions are easily identifiable by their external forms and ceremonies. Within Christianity this is also true, whether Catholic or Protestant. But as followers of Christ, what should our public liturgy and forms look like? Should they be similar to any other world religion? Is it the shape of our cross or our robes that are important?  Old hymns, no hymns, or rock and roll for Jesus – does it matter that much? …