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Open Access 01-02-2017 | Original Paper

Faith Moves Mountains—Mountains Move Faith: Two Opposite Epidemiological Forces in Research on Religion and Health

Authors: N. C. Hvidt, D. Hvidtjørn, K. Christensen, J. B. Nielsen, J. Søndergaard

Published in: Journal of Religion and Health | Issue 1/2017

Abstract

Research suggests opposite epidemiological forces in religion and health: (1). Faith seems to move mountains in the sense that religion is associated with positive health outcomes. (2). Mountains of bad health seem to move faith. We reflected on these forces in a population of 3000 young Danish twins in which all religiosity measures were associated with severe disease. We believe the reason for this novel finding is that the sample presents as a particularly secular population-based study and that the second epidemiological force has gained the upper hand in this sample. We suggest that all cross-sectional research on religion and health should be interpreted in light of such opposite epidemiological forces potentially diluting each other.

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Title: Faith Moves Mountains—Mountains Move Faith: Two Opposite Epidemiological Forces in Research on Religion and Health
Authors: N. C. Hvidt
D. Hvidtjørn
K. Christensen
J. B. Nielsen
J. Søndergaard
Publication date: 01-02-2017
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Religion and Health / Issue 1/2017
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0300-1

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Faith Moves Mountains—Mountains Move Faith: Two Opposite Epidemiological Forces in Research on Religion and Health

Abstract

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