Religion and Health – 2 hour public television documentary

For most of the 20th century, religion & health remained isolated from one another, separate spheres for two distinct elements of the human being: soul and body. By the end of the 20th century and into the 21st, the separation between religion and health no longer holds. The boundaries are increasingly porous and permeable. The documentary highlights profound, often intimate, connections between religion & health that are increasingly common in contemporary society and will continue to intersect into the future. Religion is pervasive in health care today; sacred concerns are common in research labs, doctor's offices, hospitals and in the public square. This program will not be part of usual polemical debates around religion and science, but shows in accessible stories the realities of religious peoples struggling with health. We expect the impact to include raising people's awareness of the intricacies of the intersection of religion & health; opening up new avenues of discourse and action for patients, doctors, and others associated with health. Viewers will better understand how religion affects health, and how health can encompass spirituality, and therefore make an impact on current public attitudes as well as visions about how to envision the future.