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This article presents an attempt to explore the religiosity-health association while differentiating between the collective, the belonging to a religious community, and the individual aspects of religiosity. The health behaviour, health status, and illness behaviour of a sample of members of a secular kibbutz (n = 125) and a religious kibbutz (n = 105), were studied. The religious kibbutz members reported more health behaviour, better mental and physical health status, and less illness behaviour. Private praying, however, was adversely related to health status and psychological well-being. Other measures of individual religiosity either overlapped community membership or were not related to health and health related behaviour. It seems that the regulative and integrative function of belonging to a religious community makes for a healthier life-style and promotes health status. At times of suffering people turn to religion, in private praying, seeking comfort and help.

While recent life events (RLE) cause ill health and psychological distress, religiosity is positively associated with health. The adverse effect of RLE on health is usually explained in terms of stress theory; the positive religiosity-health association is explained by the nature of the religious network, or by the effect of religiosity on the internal environment of the individual. Using data collected from a sample (n = 230) of two Israeli kibbutzim, one religious and one non-religious, with similar ecology, demography, and social structure, the stress-deterrent effect of religiosity is studied. Self-administered questionnaires, including a list of RLE, five health measures, and five religiosity measures, were randomly distributed. Our findings show that whereas RLE adversely relate to health, belonging to a religious community counterbalances the negative health consequences of RLE. Individual religiosity (private praying, theodicity, and religious commitment) do not have the same stress-deterrent effect.