Richard P. Sloan, Emilia Bagiella, and Tia Powell

In the following viewpoint Richard P. Sloan, Emilia Bagiella, and Tia Powell contend that research claiming a link between religion and good health is misleading. The authors allege that most studies finding a faith-health link have failed to control for important variables, such as the age, sex, and health status of the participants. Thus, they contend that attending church has no proven health benefits. Sloan is the director of the Behavioral Medicine Program at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. Bagiella is an assistant professor of clinical biostatistics at Columbia University, and Powell is the director of clinical ethics at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the authors, why do Roman Catholic priests have lower rates of morbidity and mortality than...