Felt like popping in and contributing my $0.02 (CDN), as I just got off a telephone "visit" with my family doctor. (TL;DR version: Touch of bursitis but won't be hard to fix; bloodwork fine; getting blood pressure machine to monitor numbers at home; talk to you in a few months, bye!)
I wouldn't say that religious belief or non-belief informs my attitude towards my body, other than that I don't believe in "miracle" fixes and don't expect a god to save me from my own miscues. If I want it, I have to work for it -- and I do. In better shape now, at 63, than ten years ago. I walk to and from work (about 12-13 miles a week), and walk a lot when I travel. (In fact, I managed to fix a wonky right knee on a trip to Iceland two years ago, just by walking up and down some rather steep streets in 101 Reykjavik for five days.)
Cultivating and maintaining good health does benefit if you are able to face the reality of your situation. Beyond that, it can go either way regarding belief: A cancer patient may use religious faith to summon the courage for another round of chemotherapy, and a non-believer may find that same courage in other ways. Both may indulge in unhealthy things for the sake of short-term pleasure. Ultimately, it's what we do that matters, not what we believe.
I wouldn't say that religious belief or non-belief informs my attitude towards my body, other than that I don't believe in "miracle" fixes and don't expect a god to save me from my own miscues. If I want it, I have to work for it -- and I do. In better shape now, at 63, than ten years ago. I walk to and from work (about 12-13 miles a week), and walk a lot when I travel. (In fact, I managed to fix a wonky right knee on a trip to Iceland two years ago, just by walking up and down some rather steep streets in 101 Reykjavik for five days.)
Cultivating and maintaining good health does benefit if you are able to face the reality of your situation. Beyond that, it can go either way regarding belief: A cancer patient may use religious faith to summon the courage for another round of chemotherapy, and a non-believer may find that same courage in other ways. Both may indulge in unhealthy things for the sake of short-term pleasure. Ultimately, it's what we do that matters, not what we believe.
