For the ‘spirituality’ thing, may I refer to this thread?

GdB

Edit: typo

A case of attempting to discuss a rather ill-defined term: spirituality. I believe that ‘self-awareness’ is a less emotionally loaded and neater term, but it’s not very easy to define either. We often link meditation to religion or ‘spirituality’, but it can stand on it’s own as an individual personal process which can enhance one’s self-awareness, and the awareness of things not oneself. This is just one of many concepts that we culturally attach to religion. These concepts are very prone to be hard to define, and so discussions wander about aimlessly.

omnibus09 - 19 February 2009 11:05 AM

A case of attempting to discuss a rather ill-defined term: spirituality. I believe that ‘self-awareness’ is a less emotionally loaded and neater term, but it’s not very easy to define either. We often link meditation to religion or ‘spirituality’, but it can stand on it’s own as an individual personal process which can enhance one’s self-awareness, and the awareness of things not oneself. This is just one of many concepts that we culturally attach to religion. These concepts are very prone to be hard to define, and so discussions wander about aimlessly.

i don’t consider “spirituality” and “self-awareness” to be equivalent constructs really.  “spirituality” has been defined as “set of meaningful metaphors”, encompassing but not limited to religious belief.

on another note… at what point does “self-awareness” cross the line to “self-involvement”?

It wasn’t my intention to suggest that spirituality and self-awareness are equivalent, or have the same meaning, but I do see how my post might have implied that. I must confess that I don’t really understand what a ‘meaningful metaphor’ might be. Some might define ‘spirit’ as a body/mind awareness, and not something ghost-like…

In any event, it appears that these somewhat metaphorical terms are open to various interpretations. I certainly believe that you can be a ‘spiritual’ person and still be an atheist, so attaching spirituality to religion might be problematical.

skuld - 16 February 2009 10:24 AM

i’m in the middle of writing a lit review on the issues and concerns w/ extending the religion-health research to nontheistic minorities. 

so far the literature supporting the religion/spirituality-health connection is full of methodological gaps that imho seriously undermine the validity of the claim - esp. when it comes to differentiating the “affirmatively nonspiritual/secularist” from those whose beliefs are vague, uncommitted or transitional, or those who are experiencing a spiritual crisis as a result of some external trauma.

Two quick comments:

1. A former grad student of mine did a fairly extensive lit review on religiosity, anxiety, and anxiety disorders for my course on research synthesis; she also did a preliminary meta-analysis.  I’d be glad to put you in touch with her if you’d like; just send me a private message.

2. If you plan to do any meta-analysis along the lines of a quantitative systematic review or research synthesis and would like help with the stats, let me know and I might be able to make some time.  In fact, I just got the effect-size data from the following article and am going to re-analyze them when I have a chance (they’re messier than the reported article lets on, as is often the case with meta-analytic data):

      Masters, K.S., Spielmans, G.I., & Goodson, J.T. (2006). Are there demonstrable effects of distant intercessory prayer? A meta-analytic review. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 32, 21-26.

Good luck!

Yeah, this could be true. Sometimes, a little spiritual would hurt our system.

It is said that you can take away from man all his precious possession, money and love ones.
Its religion that still holds his sanity and still can face the coming tomorrows with a smile on his eyes.

(Yes Prozac can also do this)

rafaelapolinario - 24 March 2009 01:46 AM

Yeah, this could be true. Sometimes, a little spiritual would hurt our system.

It is said that you can take away from man all his precious possession, money and love ones.
Its religion that still holds his sanity and still can face the coming tomorrows with a smile on his eyes.

(Yes Prozac can also do this)

Should someone take Prozac if they’re not interested in obtaining all the benefits that a religion has to offer?

I’m quite sure there are inmates in mental facilities who have no family, no belongings, yet feel quite happy (even without Prozac) because of their delusions.  Sorry, but even if I have nothing else I’d rather have reality than the delusion of religion.

Occam

Yes, I also believe so. Hey don’t take it against me. I have nothing against religion or any spiritual beliefs. Cuz I also have a strong faith on all the things I try to believe in. I quote Prozac for pun for science. I’m against it, too. And am against using it to get a “spiritual high”.

I was agreeing with you, just taking a little different example of the their dumbness. 

Occam

rafaelapolinario - 24 March 2009 06:05 PM

Yes, I also believe so. Hey don’t take it against me. I have nothing against religion or any spiritual beliefs. Cuz I also have a strong faith on all the things I try to believe in. I quote Prozac for pun for science. I’m against it, too. And am against using it to get a “spiritual high”.

I’m with ya.

Wis. mom found guilty of letting sick daughter die

By ROBERT IMRIE – May 22, 2009

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin jury has found a mother guilty of second-degree reckless homicide for praying while her sick daughter died instead of seeking medical help.

A Marathon County jury on Friday convicted 41-year-old Leilani Neumann of Weston in the death of her 11-year-old daughter Madeline. The girl died from untreated diabetes at their rural home on March 23, 2008. . . .

Also:

Jehovah’s witnesses face increased risk of death during childbirth

Science Centric | 10 June 2009 11:45 GMT
http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/article.php?
q=09061083-jehovah-witnesses-face-increased-risk-death-during-childbirth

New research to be published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has found that women who are Jehovah’s witnesses face a significantly increased risk of death during childbirth. The study found that women in this group are six times more likely to die, and three times more likely to have morbidity (serious complications), than average (compared to the general Dutch population). This increase includes a 130 fold increased risk of death from major obstetric haemorrhage. . . .

An interesting study I learned of taking Anatomy in college was that the body actually produces more antibodies from an innoculation/immunization when administered by someone dressed as a doctor than the same shot administered by a medical worker in casual attire (such as shorts and a t-shirt). That’s one heck of a placebo effect that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with conciousness. Just thought this was a neat thing to share.

simssearch165 - 11 June 2009 01:22 PM

An interesting study I learned of taking Anatomy in college was that the body actually produces more antibodies from an innoculation/immunization when administered by someone dressed as a doctor than the same shot administered by a medical worker in casual attire (such as shorts and a t-shirt). That’s one heck of a placebo effect that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with conciousness. Just thought this was a neat thing to share.

Sounds odd. Do you have any access to that study? It sounds like the sort of thing that Dr. Mark Crislip of Quackcast should take a look at. (He being an infectious disease specialist and all ...)