You Want to be Healthy and Happy?

I was reviewing research on religion and health early this morning and a couple of patterns emerged. If you want to be healthy and happy just do a couple of things. It is not money or sex that counts but marriage and faith. In fact, marriage and faith are positively correlated with good sex and more money so it is the reverse of what we so often hear from Hollywood.

1. Get married to one person and stay married and stay active in your marriage and you will be healthier, wealthier and wiser.
2. Go to church and stay active in the church and you will be healthier, wealthier and wiser.

These two things go together. Good marriages are not guaranteed by church involvement but the risks of a bad marriage and poor health are certainly higher when we sleep in on Sundays.

Wealth is not guaranteed if we go to church but incomes, savings and all that accompany them are much more likely when we take our kids to church not send them. This is especially true for folks from lower Socio-economic backgrounds who are much more financially assisted by faith than the rich.

Not only is going to church make going to heaven more likely it also makes going from better homes, to better restaurants in better cars more likely. Friendships are better, sex is better and healthy bodies are better so what is there to lose? (Maybe being my own god or goddess.)

Just look at the pitifully inept Hollywood crowd for lessons in what not to do. Marry rarely or often, sex with many and anonymously and wealth beyond all need to see what misery looks like. Obviously that kind of sex is bad, the money is worthless and addictive substances rampant. When we try to replace God with things and acts of passion nobody is satisfied.

However, when we choose God we choose life abundant. God said, "I have set before you death or life. Choose life!"