Sunday Sermon - part 2

 Part one is over on my channel.

Here is sermon part two......

Why You've Got to Have Faith

Believing in something bigger than yourself can be good for your mental health.

• Spirituality doesn’t have to mean religion—it also encompasses an array of other belief systems and practices.
• A Gallup study found that "religious" people tended to score higher on well-being indexes.
• Science can also lead to feelings of awe and transcendence not unlike a spiritual experience.

In fact, spirituality has been linked not only to lower rates of anxiety and depression but also to a reduction in other concerns, such as addiction.

Spirituality doesn’t necessarily mean adhering to a religion (although it can); it also encompasses an array of other belief systems and practices.

The Gallup study found that "religious" people tended to score higher than others on well-being indexes measuring five factors: positive coping and sense of purpose in life, faith-based social connections, community and civic engagement, structural stability, and workplace support of holistic well-being.

But fret not, ye atheists and agnostics: You can still partake in some faith-based well-being, albeit from a different source.

Researchers at Warwick University recently discovered that science can also lead to feelings of awe and transcendence not unlike those in spiritual experiences.

In the study, "Spirituality of Science: Implications for Meaning, Well-Being, and Learning," the authors found that meaning in life could be predicted in a group of atheists and agnostics via scientific sources, with the science providing similar psychological benefits as religion and spirituality.

It doesn’t matter whether you believe in a single god or a pantheon of gods and goddesses, or if you have devoted yourself to nature or science, or if you simply like to meditate once or twice a day—having faith in something larger than yourself is definitely good for you.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/keeping-an-even-keel/202310/you-gotta-have-faith