Two new studies show that Israeli Jewish adults who attend synagogue regularly, pray often, and consider themselves religious are significantly healthier and happier than their non-religious counterparts.  They also report greater satisfaction with life.  According to Jeff Levin of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, commitment to Jewish religious belief and practice is strongly [...]

Can the faith-based community play a significant role in public health, in the U.S. and globally?  Yes, says Jeff Levin of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.  In an article just published in the Journal of Religion and Health, Levin outlines how partnerships between the faith-based and public health sectors have long contributed to [...]

By Madison Ferril Baylor Lariat Reporter For many Americans, thinking of Kuwait may spark thoughts of the First Gulf War. However Dr. Alessandra Gonzalez, an alumna and research fellow with the Baylor Institute for the Study of Religion, thinks of feminism. Gonzalez is the author of the book ­ “Islamic Feminism in Kuwait: The Politics [...]

Is Jewish religious observance an influence on health?  According to Jeff Levin of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, the answer appears to be yes.  In a paper published in the October issue of the Israel Medical Association Journal, adult Israelis who attend synagogue at least monthly do significantly better according to several measures [...]

Recent years have seen thousands of studies published on the impact of spirituality and faith on physical and mental health, often with positive results.  But what do these findings mean?  These studies are typically conducted by scientists with no background or expertise in religious studies or theology, and the resulting research reads as if written [...]

Does participation in Jewish religious life show a benefit for mental health?  Yes, says Jeff Levin of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.  In a paper published online in Social Indicators Research, a leading international journal for social research on the quality of life, Levin presents findings from Israeli data collected in 2005-6 as [...]

Baylor professor Rodney Stark’s The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion (HarperOne) provides long-term perspective. It is WORLD’s 2012 Book of the Year. This is WORLD’s fifth year of honoring a book published during the past 12 months. Our first two times we chose works that directly explained Scripture: [...]

If the U.S. government ever announced that it had prior contact with extraterrestrials, as many people believe, would this cause a crisis of faith that would threaten the authority of religious institutions?  Unlikely, says Jeff Levin of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.  In a paper published in the latest issue of Journal of [...]

With repeal or modification of the Obamacare legislation looming, the healthcare reform debate is not over.  Faith-based organizations weighed in on the original discussion a couple of years ago, and promise to renew their efforts again.  What do distinctively Jewish religious voices have to contribute to this discussion?  Quite a lot, says Jeff Levin of [...]

WACO, Texas (May 8, 2012) – Hindu and Buddhist groups have grown steadily in the United States since changes in immigration laws in 1965 and 1992, with particularly high concentrations in Texas, California, the New York Metropolitan Area, Illinois and Georgia, according to a Baylor University professor who helped compile the newly released 2010 U.S. [...]