Does Jesus make you healthy?

For years, I've heard the theory that being religious makes you a healthier individual. I think I may have even referred to this in a sermon or two. That's because studies were released by this and that organization, saying that people who go to church/temple/mosque (etc.) are by-and-large healthier than people who don't.

Well, that's now come under some question.

According to this article from Reuters, "Being religious may not make you healthier after all."

"The study, published in the journal Circulation, suggests that when it comes to heart disease and clogged arteries, attending religious services or having spiritual experiences may not protect against heart attacks and strokes."

The article notes that people who are religious tend not to smoke because most religions frown on tobacco use. However, that health benefit is lost because religious people are more likely to be fat. If you doubt that, look around your church this weekend.

"We're not sure whether it is that religious people are more likely to gain weight through activities they pursue, or maybe heavier people seek out religion as a result of stigmatization," said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, of the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, who led the study.

T-squared and the ad

Tim Tebow is the recently departed starting quarterback for the Florida Gators college football team. He's won trophies, national championships, fame, glory, and soon, he'll be rich (expected to be a top pick in the upcoming NFL draft... maybe).

Tim Tebow won't be playing at the Super Bowl this weekend in Miami, except for the advertisement he's in, sponsored by Focus on the Family, that the pundits say is decidedly anti-abortion.

Adelle Banks at Religion News Service has a great article about this mix of sports and religion (again). You can read it here.

It's only natural, in my humble opinion, that Tebow be on the side of anti-abortion. As I've heard on the radio, his mother, while pregnant, was faced with the decision of aborting the fetus (Tim) or not. The mother chose to keep the baby, and the rest is history.

The main point for me: the mother had a choice. Which ever way you fall on the abortion issue, the main point for me is that the mother had a choice. She made her choice and is living with the consequences of it.

Don't misunderstand me: I'm not advocating abortion... I've known women who've undergone them, and I've seen the pain it can cause. What I'm advocating is choice. It's a woman's body; it's their life; it's their decision. Don't take that away.