Christian Life While the Human

¶ … Christian Life

While the human spirit may be one of the most difficult things to define, it is not something that can be neglected. More evidence points to the importance of a spiritual life and how it is beneficial. Religion provides a solid foundation from which prayer, faith, and peace stem. Christianity, the largest religion in the United States, offers believers many benefits that are obvious and many that are not so obvious. The not so obvious benefits are what make Christianity so interesting to scientists and physicians - partly because they are not part of the medical and psychological domain and partly because they cannot be touched by these professions. Whether or not Christianity can be touched or not, it definitely touches those who profess it.

The obvious benefits of Christianity are what people see when they look upon Christians. These include strong relationships with other people and support in times of trouble. Christians believe the Bible to be God's holy word and turn to it for moral guidance. As a result, Christians live lives that, while not blameless, are well. The obvious benefits are worth mentioning but the intangible benefits become the most fascinating.

What we cannot see regarding Christianity becomes the most interesting. Mental health and stability are proof of the positive, yet unseen aspects of Christianity. For example, prayer is more than tossing words into the air. Studies indicate that prayer is something much more that can only be identified as positive. David Elkins, in an article published in Psychology Today, notes that 99% of physicians found that prayer, meditation, and other spiritual exercises "can be helpful in medical treatment" (Elkins). The article cites a survey of 269 family doctors for over five years. Elkins writes, "Contemplation, meditation, prayer, rituals and other spiritual practices have the power to release the 'life force' in the deepest levels of the human psyche, levels that secular interventions cannot reach. Indeed, new evidence shows that religious and spiritual interventions can help when everything else has failed" (Elkins). Elkins puts his finger on the most intriguing fact, which is that spirituality produces benefits that are unseen but evident.