As is my custom, I conducted some interviews before writing my response to the question, “Do you believe that faith can affect your health or is that a lot of new age nonsense?”

“A no-brainer,” said a World War II med-vet. “How could anybody imagine that faith can’t affect your health?”

“It depends on what the faith is in,” said a hospice chaplain. “If you believe more in God’s judgment than in his mercy, your faith can have a negative effect on your health.”

“Faith can help your inner health when your outer health, health of body, does not have a hopeful prognosis,” said a man on permanent disability.

“Regular church-going correlates with better health except in the case of church secretaries,” said a church secretary. (She was ruefully remarking the strainfulness of this occupation, not commenting on “church-going” as public worship.)

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