Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

Religion & Health  Religion & Biopsychology Laura attends church but her sister Ashley does not. Who is likely to live longer? Jo announced her husband has been cancer free for two years! And she thanks God for healing in answer to prayer. Research suggests people who attend church live longer. And many offer testimonies of healing in response to prayer. Not surprisingly, the stories are enough to peak the interest of medical and psychological scientists. Is there more to faith than superstition? Are there measurable effects linked to religious or spiritual practices? I take a look at some of the evidence. And follow up on a previous post about prayer . We know there are some studies showing a relationship between biopsychology and spirituality. I like to use questions to carve out issues. 1. What biopsychological changes, if any, occur when people practice their faith? 2. What is the evidence for a link between spirituality and general health...

Relationship      Betrayal &  Barriers to  Forgiveness On 6 November, Sarah Pulliam Bailey of RNS posted a story about the resignation of Christian Leader, Doug Phillips following an extramarital relationship. From time to time we read about stories of prominent religious leaders and relationships that have gone awry. Using graphic language, biblical prophets refer to the Israelites acting like prostitutes in their betrayal of their relationship with God. In this post I consider several weapons that hurt relationships and six types of barriers to healthy relationships. BETRAYAL NINE Weapons of Relationship Destruction (WRD) I hope that as I list some WRD items -- barriers to forgiveness in relationships -- that you will recall other barriers from your own experience and share them as comments so we can all benefit.  Couples deal with a myriad of exchanges that they often overlook but some rise above others as ...