We have been discussing in the last few blogs (click here for a review) about what causes pain in our personal lives and in the world
around us. We have concluded that though it is impossible to have a “perfect”
life without any troubles or difficulties, life is better when we have a strong
faith in God.
Though I think the majority of people would agree with me
that life is better when faith is present, every so often I meet a person who
wants to argue the point. I recall an Internet-based debate I had once with a
group of spiritual skeptics from Arizona State University. They asserted that people
who are religious are emotionally unhappy and mentally unhealthy because of the
great sense of guilt religion unfairly places on people. They thought all this
talk of sin and Satan is proof that faith is more harmful to people than
helpful. I challenged their assumptions based on my own life experiences and on
Scripture, but they insisted they were right. They said they had facts to prove
their claim was correct. I asked them to produce their evidence. Despite their
adamant insistence, they were unable to cite a single scientific study or survey
that backed up their outrageous claim that faith hurts instead of helps. Most
of the arguments those students made came from Christopher Hitchens’ book, God
Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Hitchens has become a hero to
many young people who want to blame God for all the pain in their own lives and
in the world around them. Since those ASU students had no facts to support
their claim that faith hurts instead of helps, I decided to do my own research
on the subject. I was amazed at how much evidence exists to verify that faith is
a positive influence in our lives.
Consider this:
WebMD.com reports: People
who attend religious services, or who feel they are spiritual, experience lower
levels of depression and anxiety; display signs of better health, such as lower
blood pressure and fewer strokes; and say they generally feel healthier.
That same website revealed that not only are religious
people healthier, but they also live longer. In a study of over four thousand people,
Dr. Harold G. Koenig, of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North
Carolina, reported, “People who attend religious services at least once a week
are less likely to die in a given period of time than people who attend
services less often.”
Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz reported similar
findings in a recent article entitled “Feel the Spirit.” In that article, the
doctors reference a “study of 6,534 older Chicago residents, who said they have
spiritual experiences every single day.”
The study revealed that going to church “can protect against age-related
memory loss and thinking problems.” The article went on to say, “People who go
to services more than once a week have
half the risk of major depression as those who attend less often.”
Researchers at Florida State University found that
“regular prayer increases your concern for other people … that could help you
make your part of the world a brighter, better place.” A number of other
studies made similar conclusions, and a simple Google search will reveal them
to anyone interested in checking out those claims on their own.
The research clearly shows that religious people are
healthier and live longer, but are they actually happier? In 2009 Professor Andrew
Clark, from the Paris School of Economics, and co-author Dr. Orsolya Lelkes,
from the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, examined
numerous surveys and scientific studies done in Europe and concluded that deeply
religious people have higher levels of life satisfaction than nonreligious
ones. Clark and Lelkes concluded that religion in general acts as a buffer that protects people from
life’s disappointments.
The connection between happiness and faith is not just
true for our European friends. The highly respected Pew Research Center discovered
that in America:
People who attend religious services weekly or more are
happier than those who attend monthly or less; or seldom or never.
This correlation between happiness and frequency of
church attendance has been a consistent finding for years. Two studies led by
psychology professor Michael Inzlicht at the University of Toronto reveal that
believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress. In October 2010, three researchers from
Princeton, New Jersey, reported:
A new analysis of more than 550,000 Gallup-Healthways
Well Being Index interviews conducted over the last year and a half finds that
Americans who are the most religious also have the highest levels of wellbeing.
For those who may think that the link between faith and wellbeing
is just a coincidence, researchers report, “The difference in wellbeing between
the religious and nonreligious populations is highly statistically significant
given the large sample size this research uses.”
The bottom line is that faith simply makes people
happier. Faith can help us deal with the pain in our lives, regardless of the source
of that pain. People who are deeply religious do not need a survey to tell them
they are happier than their unbelieving friends. They already know this
because they witness it on a regular basis. That does not mean that religious
people do not have bad days or have periods of time in which they may feel
depressed, but it does mean that as a general rule, they live happier lives
than those who are not religious.
This may not be politically correct in today’s pluralistic
culture, but it is scientifically accurate. Though some people may not like religious
faith, there is simply no denying that faith improves people’s quality of life.
We may all be entitled to our own opinion on the subject, but we are not
entitled to our own facts. The facts are clear: religious faith makes us
healthier and happier and increases longevity.
When postmodern people find themselves involved in
unhealthy activities and poor lifestyle choices that lead them to significant amounts
of personal pain, they need someone to show them a better way to live.
This means that churches need to find ways to gently connect
sinful behaviors that cause the pain that naturally results from those
behaviors. In the past, people just took the church’s word that certain actions
or behaviors were sinful and tried to steer clear of those things to the best
of their ability. But since postmodern people decide what truth is based on
their own research and experiences, they are likely to have to learn about the
consequences of sin by experiencing them personally. Though this will take time
and effort, it is worth doing because the next generation is in great pain and
the best way out of that pain is to find a meaningful faith in Jesus Christ.
