Pew has released another study that adds to the well-established claim that people who are actively religious report higher levels of happiness overall. It also shows that actively religious people tend to be far more engaged in civil society through volunteering and voting.

What sets this study apart is that it sought to control for the difference between those who affiliate with a religion and those who participate in a religion. Those who affiliate with a religion claim that religion as part of their self-description, but do not engage regularly in corporate religious activities (denoted as “inactive” in the Pew report). Those who participate engage in a corporate religious activity (e.g., worship, classes, or service) at least once a month (denoted as “active” in the Pew report).

The study shows that this difference matters, as it is those who are religiously active who are happier and who participate more readily in civil society. People who are religiously affiliated, but inactive, often show only marginal gains over those who are completely unaffiliated with religion.

While the information provided above focuses on the United States, the study considered the same statistics in twenty-six different countries and found a statistically significant improvement in happiness for those who were actively religious in thirteen of them, greater voluntarism by the religiously active in fourteen of them, and greater voter turnout by the actively religious in sixteen of them. These patterns persisted even after adjusting for other demographic factors (such as age and sex of the national populations) that were in the survey.

This is neither shocking nor new information. Usually, religious organizations claim it with an air of triumph, pointing to the statistics as undisputed evidence that joining them is worthwhile. Far from being just about metaphysical claims and promises about what happens after death, they offer benefits in the world now.

If that is the case, though, the report offers a splash of cold water for religious officials by reminding readers that

The exact nature of the connections between religious participation, happiness, civic engagement and health remains unclear and needs further study. While the data presented in this report indicate that there are links between religious activity and certain measures of well-being in many countries, the numbers do not prove that going to religious services is directly responsible for improving people’s lives. Rather, it could be that certain kinds of people tend to be active in multiple types of activities (secular as well as religious), many of which may provide physical or psychological benefits. Moreover, such people may be more active partly because they are happier and healthier, rather than the other way around.¹

Furthermore, in addition to being unclear if religious activity is the cause or the result of this happiness and engagement, numerous reports seem to suggest that very few people seem persuaded that what religious activity is worth the trouble. Pew itself has shown that from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, the number of people in the United States claiming no affiliation with any religion rose by 7% of the population, while the number that are affiliated (much less active) dropped by 6%.

This is a genuine point for religious leaders to ponder. If there is so much evidence linking what they offer to a greater sense of well-being, why are so many people walking away from religion?

If there is so much evidence linking what they offer to a greater sense of well-being, why are so many people walking away from religion?

I cannot speak for all religions, but I would hazard one answer for mainline Protestantism, in which I make my home: there is little joy promoted in their congregations.

A primary reason that most researchers think that people who are active in religion have a greater sense of happiness is because they are surrounded by a community.² Bryan Stone, in his new book Finding Faith Today (which I have endorsed), shows that being welcomed by communities is a primary reason that people choose to enter the Christian faith.

However, this information is a double-edged sword. It suggests that those who are already in mainline Protestant congregations or who are prone to enjoy relating to the people who are already within those congregations are the most likely to become religiously active. Yet, many congregations are now in a tailspin of seeking to survive. This institutional fear shuts down the ability to enjoy relating to one another as well as to offer people an authentic and warm experience of happiness when they visit.

Even if it turns out that religion is the cause of this greater happiness and civic engagement, it seems that the mainline Protestants neither are inclined to believe it nor take advantage of it.

I have been in two congregations recently, one a non-denominational church recovering from a scandal and one a local mainline Protestant church facing a major budget shortfall. Both were painful to visit because so much time was spent discussing the fears and problems the congregations were facing. I also have been listening to the extreme fear and agitation of United Methodists who, as I write, are massing in St. Louis to determine if their denomination will split.

In this situation, when mainline Protestantism is wracked by divisions, moral collapse, and institutional failure, it is little wonder that no one takes seriously the statistics about the well-being religion offers those who are active in it. Even if it turns out that religion is the cause of this greater happiness and civic engagement, it seems that the mainline Protestants neither are inclined to believe it nor take advantage of it.