A growing body of scientific research highlights numerous benefits of religious practice. Well-known psychiatrist Professor Patricia Casey has written for The Iona Institute a paper [1] called ‘The Psycho-Social Benefits of Religious Practice [1]’.
The paper examines the various scientific studies done in this area and these show that religious practice is associated, on average, with:
– Lower levels of depression
– Lower levels of marital breakdown
– Lower levels of alcohol and drug abuse
– Lower levels of pregnancy among teenagers
– Faster recovery from bereavement
– Faster recovery from illness
– Longer life expectancy, etc.