Researchers Stepping Up Study of Health And Religiosity

Small Field Devoted To Exploring Possible Link Is Expanding Despite Criticism, Lack of Funding
By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 6, 2008

To critics, the few dozen researchers who met this week for a Washington conference are part of an ideological crusade, a modern-day sham meant to infect science with religious belief.

To participants, they are studying what they say is becoming increasingly obvious: the link between a person's religion or spirituality and their health.

The meeting Wednesday at the Reagan Building represented the growth of a research field that has existed on a small scale for decades but has expanded significantly in the past few years. The researchers include psychologists, sociologists, philosophers, statisticians and others who believe being religious or spiritual has health benefits.
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