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Judaism is known to be good for the soul, but can it help with what else ails you? Dr. Jeff Levin, an epidemiologist at Baylor University, discusses the connection between Judaism and health. We discuss some of the historical links between the Jewish faith and health, the role of rabbis in sorting out bioethics, the importance of pastoral care to the sick, as well as the contemporary Jewish healing movement.

Note: Next week’s episode will air on Monday, January 6.

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Frequent guest and popular academic author Rodney Stark joins us to discuss his new book “America’s Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists.” We discuss whether or not spiritual life in the United States is actually on the decline, and then review how the activities of religious Americans have positive spillover effects for society as a whole in a wide range of areas including health, voluntarism, pro-social behavior, the economy, and intellectual life. We even talk about “s-e-x.” This is a wonderful “starter” podcast for new listeners as it covers a number of different themes we have addressed over the past three years.

Visit us on Facebook by searching for “Research on Religion with Anthony Gill.”

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Prof. Sung Joon Jang discusses his recent study on Eagle Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America, conducted by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion with Byron Johnson and Young Il-Kim. The report focused on the effect that Scouting has on developing the behavior and character of young men, particularly those who earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Prof. Jang details a list of pro-social behaviors that are associated with Eagle Scouts well into their adulthood and compares these traits with individuals who were in Scouting but never obtained Eagle and the general population. The results are fascinating and contain a few surprises. At the end of this podcast, Tony visits with Gene Sjoberg, one of his old buddies from his Scouting days, to discuss his experience being an Eagle. The interview closes with one of the most powerful and inspiring moments in the two year history of this podcast series. Don’t miss it.

To download this podcast, “right click” on the “download” button and select “Save Target As…” to the file folder of your choice.

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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently released a document on religious liberty that criticized a new regulatory provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a., Obamacare) requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs. Prof. Phillip Muñoz (Notre Dame) helps us wade through this controversy explaining the bishops’ argument, the politics surrounding this issue, and the various streams of Catholic social thought including the principle of subsidiarity. While primarily focused on health care (and specifically issues related to reproductive health), we take our discussion into other areas of religious freedom that the Catholic Church and others have considered important.

Explore our extensive archives, subscribe to us on iTunes, and stay up-to-date by “liking” our Facebook page.

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How does a small group of invididuals in a religiously-hostile environment build a sectarian movement of Judaism into the world’s largest faith tradition? Prof. Rodney Stark (Baylor) discusses the important sociological ingredients for Christianity’s success in the first three centuries of its existence. We examine the religious landscape at the time of Jesus’s birth (including both paganism and Judaism), as well as the sometimes surprising role of that mercy, persecution, wealthy individuals, and gender played in the growth of Christianity.

Search our archives for more great podcasts. This is free content courtesy of Baylor’s ISR, so please tell a friend about us with the social network links below. Thank you!

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Feeling down about the economy, crime rates or anything else? Cheer up because Bradley Wright joins us to summarize his new book “Upside: Surprising GOOD NEWS about the State of Our World.” Prof. Wright notes that over the past half century, nearly all measures of human well-being have improved (sometimes dramatically) even though we often feel things are getting worse. We discuss why we think this way in addition to highlighting the statistical trends that should give us hope. While stepping slightly outside of our specific focus on religion, this episode nonetheless brings the discussion back around to a number of Christian organizations that are making the world a better place.

Please tell a friend about out podcast! Connect with us on Facebook. And download us on iTunes.

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Prof. G. Alexander Ross of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences discusses the decline in female happiness over the past four decades and how it is related to declining religious partipation. Our interview features a general discussion of happiness, the non-religious factors affecting one’s happiness, the general decline in female happiness (relative to males) and how religion promotes general contentment and joy. Prof. Ross notes that recent declines among church attendance, particularly among women, have led to a steeper decline in happiness for females as compared to men. We conclude with a discussion of the role of religion in psychological counseling.

Visit our new Facebook fan page. Search under “Research on Religion with Anthony Gill.”

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Jay Hein of Baylor’s ISR and the Sagamore Institute talks about his tenure running the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the Bush Administration. Our discussion focuses on the history and workings of the Faith-Based Initiative, and the proper relationship between government and religious organizations.

You can now subscribe to our podcast by entering http://www.researchonreligion.org/podcast on iTunes or Zune.

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Epidemiologist Jeff Levin of Baylor University, reviews findings from the study of religion & health. Levin recounts how scholars were initially skeptical of the links between religious belief & practice and general health outcomes, and how this field has developed over the past three decades. Are religious adherents more healthy than the population at large? Does spirituality have an impact on the ability to heal? And are donuts “calorie free” if you buy them at church? Find out what Prof. Levin thinks! (To download, right click on the button to the right and choose “save target as….”)

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