Editor's note: This commentary by Brigham Young University professors W. Gibb Dyer and Justin Dyer is part of an ongoing Deseret News opinion series exploring ideas and issues at the intersection of Faith and Thought.
On Saturday, President Russell M. Nelson, the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is set to address an audience of thousands at Seattle’s Safeco Field, a facility that holds nearly 48,000 and is known to baseball fans as the home field of the Seattle Mariners.
In an age of digital distractions and seemingly endless streams of entertainment, why do thousands still flock to see a religious leader speak? In an age in which religious participation is increasingly a choice rather than a pervasive cultural norm, what continues to draw people to carve out time from their weekend to worship? These questions are unlikely to be fully answered by social science alone; but, research suggests that in the United States, religion continues to improve our lives.
Of course, not everyone feels this way. Recent comments by celebrities and others have criticized religion in general (and often The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in particular), claiming that religious devotion has a negative impact on the mental health of today’s youths. Some have argued that religious beliefs may contribute to teen suicide. It is very important to recognize that individuals can have painful and even traumatic experiences associated with their religion. Sadly, from the workplace to schools and even to families, no organization or group of people is immune from potential harms. We all have an obligation to act responsibly and intervene to help when difficulties arise.
But as many believe, would the world be better if, as John Lennon imagines, “there were no religion, too?”
There is overwhelming evidence that involvement in a religion in the United States has a positive impact on one’s family, one’s physical and mental health, one’s educational attainment and one’s contributions to society. These studies of religiosity tend to consider religious devotion to include things such as attending church regularly, praying regularly and reading the scriptures of one’s faith on a regular basis. Below are just some of the benefits of religious participation, and some strong "secular" reasons for still flocking to faith.
There is overwhelming evidence that involvement in a religion in the United States has a positive impact on one’s family, one’s physical and mental health, one’s educational attainment and one’s contributions to society.
Family and relationship benefits
Worshiping couples, according to researchers, have higher levels of marital happiness and stability and lower levels of divorce than couples who aren’t religious. Furthermore, individuals who live a chaste life before marriage divorce significantly less than other couples, and those who are religious experience stronger parent–child relationships.
Health benefits
Ample studies have demonstrated that religious people tend to experience greater longevity and physical health than those who eschew religion. Religious persons, on average, live seven years longer than nonreligious persons. Moreover, those who are religious experience less abuse of alcohol and drugs and are less susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 110 million Americans currently have a sexually transmitted disease. Religious people also tend to experience lower rates of suicide, suicide ideation and depression.
Social and educational benefits
Studies also have reported that religious persons have greater educational aspirations and attainment than do the nonreligious. They also experience higher levels of community involvement and social support and have higher rates of charitable giving and volunteering. Religious families also experience less domestic violence.
Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith’s landmark study of American youths compared religious teens to nonreligious teenagers in the U.S. and reported the following: Religious youths don’t drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs as much as their nonreligious counterparts. They watch less TV, X-rated movies, play fewer video games and are less sexually active. They are also more willing to help others and have better relationships with their parents and siblings. Smith also notes that Latter-day Saint youths, in general, are particularly advantaged compared to teens of other faiths.
Some may argue that the better life outcomes for more religious people are simply a matter of selection; that is, people who are doing better in life are more likely to be religious than those who are not. Although causal links are difficult to establish in research, in general, longitudinal studies are consistent with the hypothesis that religion leads to positive life outcomes. There is also plenty of anecdotal evidence that religious conversion leads to a better life. For example, Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner from the U.S. and the subject of the best-selling book "Unbroken," credited his Christian conversion to saving his marriage and helping him deal with the trauma he suffered in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.
Given the benefits people often receive from religion, we might expect that religious affiliation would be popular today. The truth is the opposite: Americans are less religiously inclined than ever before with 23 percent saying they have no religious affiliation. Moreover, the findings of a Pew Research Center survey released in 2015 noted that 67 percent of those individuals born between 1928 and 1945 said that “religion was important in their lives” while only 38 percent of “younger millennials” who were born between 1990 and 1996 reported the same.
Professor Smith, in his study of religiosity among teens in America, came to the following conclusion: 1) Most teens don’t know much about religion or religious beliefs, even if they are nominally a member of a church; and 2) They don’t care. Religion isn’t even on their radar screen in terms of things that are important to them. These data do not bode well for individuals and society if they choose to forgo the benefits of a religious life. Those who criticize religion often want religions to change their basic values and beliefs from which these benefits flow. Moreover, they often “cherry pick” examples where religions can cause harm.
But there is overwhelming evidence that those who choose to live a religious life and affiliate with an established religion will live longer, happier lives. We believe that these benefits are worth preserving.