Religion as a Healing Practice.
Religion develops and changes over time and is composed of people’s beliefs, atti-
tudes, and patterns of behavior that relate to the supernatural—God, the Divine
One, the Great Spirit, Creator, and so on. Religion usually includes a group of people
who hold similar beliefs and participate in shared traditions. A community of reli-
gious people may or may not have a formal organizational structure.
The U.S. population would seem to be religious, with 95 percent of the general pub-
lic expressing a belief in God and more than two-thirds claiming that they base their
entire approach to life on their religious beliefs. For decades, surveys have found
that more than 90% of Americans reportedly pray. Recently both Time and Newsweek
devoted cover stories to the popular and sometimes controversial topic of prayer and
religious healing. The Newsweekpoll found that 54% of Americans pray daily, with
29% reporting that they pray more than once a day.The History of Medicine and Religion
Until the last 200 years, medicine and religion were so thoroughly united that heal-
ers and priests were often the same individuals. The first hospitals were in monaster-
ies, founded by physicians who were usually monks. Today, many cultures
throughout the world continue to regard their healers as a source for guidance in
matters of faith and wellness. In the West, religion and medicine were fused until the
end of the Middle Ages in the mid-1400s. Philosophers such as Descartes
(1596–1650), Locke (1632–1704), and Hume (1711–1766) promoted the scientific
basis of knowledge, believing that truth could only be realized through the exami-
nation of empirical data and the rational, scientific method. Centuries later, Western
societies continue to experience the consequences of this split between religion and
medicine. Western physicians are educated to think primarily in terms of what can
be empirically proven in the laboratory. Discussions of spirituality and religion are
considered by many physicians to be “off limits,” with such discussion belonging to
spiritual or religious leaders. In the past, when arguments arose between religion
and medicine, religion usually did not fare well. Thus, many religious leaders today
are cautious about what science is beginning to say about their faith.
Research has shown that religious practices such as worship attendance and prayer
have significant health and survival implications. People’s religiousness not only
influences healthy behaviors but also influences how individuals view and define ill-
ness. A study of elderly inpatients found that one-third of those surveyed believed
that sickness was a punishment from God, and nearly four-fifths felt that good
health was a blessing from God. A study of hospitalized psychiatric patients found
that nearly half of those surveyed believed that leading a moral life could protect270 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE