This past year, an 11 year old child died of treatable diabetic complication because her parents chose prayer over medical treatment. In Oregon, one family lost two daughters (15 and 16 months old) believing prayer was the better course (see also here).
Other examples of choosing to defend beliefs over life and health are easily found (Sept 11th, any war). But if people are so driven to keep themselves and their loved ones alive, why does this occur?
Four studies (in press, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) headed by Matthew Vess, a graduate student in social psychology at The University of Missouri, experimentally tested one answer to this question. Specifically, he wanted to see if thinking about death would cause people to choose religion (prayer) over medical treatment.
To do this, he had half of his participants write about their own death, and half write about another anxiety inducing topic (severe pain, failure). Then, they were asked to imagine they had a certain medical condition and if they had this, what they would choose and trust: Prayer based methods or medical treatment.
Not surprisingly, people who were low in religious fundamentalism (how much someone thinks their religious beliefs are right and all others are wrong) chose medical treatment more after being reminded of death. However, people that were high in religious fundamentalism were more likely to choose prayer over medical treatment when they first wrote about death.
These studies are consistent with a model of health behavior recently put forward by psychology professors Jamie Goldenberg and Jamie Arndt. According to this model, after a short delay, reminders of death often have the opposite effect that doctors and health messages intend.
These studies show that some people are willing to forego their health and life to stick to their religious beliefs and, ironically, that death increases this tendency.
An interesting moral question arises from this: Are certain forms of religious faith suicidal? And, when it comes to the care of an innocent child, is it murder to choose faith over medical treatment? I vote yes.
Edit: On reflection like two months later, I suppose it is silly to say it is suicide if the person believes they will live on in another life.
