> Rresearch shows that those who believe in a higher power (God), and live a spiritual life are healthier, live longer and are more content than those who do not.

did they control for non drinking and smoking?

http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2006/2006-1.html

http://kspark.kaist.ac.kr/Jesus/Inte...20religion.htm

I have to say I'm dubious... This is from the first study (for example)

> Pressing questions include the reasons, whether theistic or non-theistic, that the exceptionally wealthy U.S. is so inefficient that it is experiencing a much higher degree of societal distress than are less religious, less wealthy prosperous democracies. Conversely, how do the latter achieve superior societal health while having little in the way of the religious values or institutions? There is evidence that within the U.S. strong disparities in religious belief versus acceptance of evolution are correlated with similarly varying rates of societal dysfunction, the strongly theistic, anti-evolution south and mid-west having markedly worse homicide, mortality, STD, youth pregnancy, marital and related problems than the northeast where societal conditions, secularization, and acceptance of evolution approach European norms (Aral and Holmes; Beeghley, Doyle, 2002). It is the responsibility of the research community to address controversial issues and provide the information that the citizens of democracies need to chart their future courses.

And then there is the correlation between religious experience and temporal lobe epilepsy...