Religion can be a critical source of spiritual and social support for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, new research indicates. What also matters is that it be the right type of spiritual support. Veterans who are able to find a resource in faith in a loving God who cares for them appear to be better able to work through the stresses of combat. Those who continue to struggle with images of a judgmental God who is responsible for senseless suffering may be more likely to take their own lives.

Tragedies such as the recent Haiti earthquake that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocents call into fundamental question the idea that the world is overseen by a just and loving God. As individuals who lose loved ones navigate the stages of grief, including for many feeling anger at God, social and communal pressure for quick healing and avoidance of the difficult struggle to understand why terrible things happen to good people can add to their burdens.