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Spirituality is the senses that there is an entity that is bigger than us. Spirituality centers around the entity the individuals’ focus their faith on such as a God and furthermore, spirituality centers around the act by which the individual tries to make a connection to, such as praying. Faith is a strong belief and trust in an entity. Religion is like a community of like-minded individuals who believe in the same principles. These principles are practiced through rituals and the use of sacred texts in order to form the deepest connection to which their faith is directed towards. The similarity between all three concepts is that they require a strong sense of belief in something. The concepts are also interchangeable because spirituality and religion require faith as a foundation (Newman, 2004).

An example of religious factors that influenced health positively is discouraging bad behavior such as smoking and the abuse of alcoholic beverages such as the Jehovah’s Witness (JW). Jehovah’s Witnesses are vegetarians, they are abstinent from drinking alcohol and smoking since 1973. This promotes good health and helps prevent respiratory cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and liver damages, etc., (Basu-Zharku, 2011). However, the second example is a negative influence on health; Jehovah’s Witness do not partake in blood transfusion (it is taboo), it is a religious act that is made up of their beliefs and values. This act is dangerous because if they are in a medical situation where a blood transfusion is necessary for survival, they would reject it, which results in health deterioration or death (Chand et al., 2014).

Example three is a positive influence on health through the relationship between religion and mental health (Basu-Zharku, 2011). Religion, spirituality, and faith tend to give people a sense of hope, something to believe in, a form of structure that can have a large positive impact on mental health. For example, someone who is sick with a rare illness where the chance of survival is 0.01% would be devastated, but a spiritual or religious person who has a strong sense of faith would have hope they will beat the odds would prevent stress (stress causes worsening effects) and give them the will to continue to live.

Based on the religious and moral values I was raised on, it has shaped my mindset, my spirituality, and health behavior. Health behavior-wise, I do not partake in overindulgence of alcoholic beverages, I do not smoke, which is ironic, because I am Jamaican, and smoking is a stereotype and stigma for my culture. Additionally, because of my spirituality and faith, I do not partake in recreational drugs; therefore, these positive healthy behaviors prevent me from developing chronic diseases.

Reference

Basu-Zharku, I. (2011). The Influence of Religion on Health. Inquires Journals, Social Science, Arts, & Humanities, 3(1), 1-31. Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/367/the-influence-of-religion-on-health

Chand, N. K., Subramanya, H. B., & Rao, G. V. (2014). Management of patients who refuse blood transfusion, Indian Journal of Anesthesia, 58(5), 658-664. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4260316/#__ffn_sectitle

Newman, L. L. (2004). Faith, Spirituality, and Religion: A Model for Understanding the Differences. College Student Affairs Journal, 23(2), 102-111. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ956981

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