THE NUANCE

Is Religion Worthwhile Even If You Don’t Believe In God?

Atheism is linked to well-being deficits. Experts say religion offers psychological bulwarks that can be hard to find elsewhere.

Karl Marx famously called religion “the opium of the people.” So what happens when the people stop taking their opium?

According to data from the Pew Research Center and the Public Religion Research Institute, nearly a quarter of Americans now claim no religious affiliation. That represents a steep jump in religious non-participation since the early 2000s.

I’m one of those religious non-participants. I grew up Catholic, but I no longer attend services or consider myself a member of that faith. I wouldn’t call myself an atheist; I probably fall into the “spiritual but not religious” bucket that catches so many Americans.

Some researchers have examined how the country’s shift away from organized religion has affected the health and well-being of people like me. They’ve found that atheists and agnostics may not be faring as well as their religious counterparts on some measures of psychological health and happiness.

For example, a 2016 study in the Journal of Religion and Health found that, compared to religious group members, atheists and agnostics scored lower on measures of happiness, positive affect, and self-esteem. They were also more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression.

‘If you go through the sacred texts of all the major world religions, you find that they all share common virtues and lessons.’

A single study doesn’t tell the whole story. Other researchers have found that the association between “religiosity” and mental health is complicated, and that spiritual fervor can in some cases contribute to psychological instability. But those who have studied these relationships say that religious participation may offer mental health benefits and resources and that are hard to come by in the modern secular world.

“Most major religions are really all about getting along with other people and forming close social connections and support systems,” says Neal Krause, PhD, one of the authors of that 2016 study and a professor of public health at the University of Michigan. “Religion gives you this readymade plan for how to interact with others, and I think having something like that can be very helpful.”

Of course, faith in one or more gods is central to many religions — and also a big deterrent to non-believers. But Krause says that when you break down the major religions into their component parts and you strip out the mystical elements, there’s still a lot there to like.

I look back now at my own Catholic upbringing, and I can see his point. Gathering together once a week with other people from my community. Volunteering time or money to help those in need. Setting aside the work, school, chores, and entertainments that normally occupy daily life, and exchanging all that for an hour of music, reflection, and a guided examination of life’s Big Questions. That’s all good stuff, and most religions offer something similar.

Thomas Jefferson cut up copies of the Christian New Testament, systematically removing all the passages that had to do with miracles or divine powers.

Many of the world’s religions also act as repositories for collected human wisdom.

“If you go through the sacred texts of all the major world religions, you find that they all share common virtues and lessons,” Krause says. “The stories are different, but the teachings themselves have a lot of striking similarities.”

Whether you’re Buddhist or Methodist, you’re going to encounter many of the same themes and lessons. Both religions offer roadmaps for how to live your life, which, compared to drawing your own map, can make the whole project of living feel less chaotic and effortful.

Krause says religion offers something else that research shows we all strive to find — and that is crucial to our well-being: a sense of meaning.

“Everyone wants to find a sense of meaning in life, and religion can provide that,” he says. So too can other pursuits. But not all of them may be as psychologically enriching or rewarding. (One Pew Center survey found that atheists and agonistics were much more likely than practicing Christians to answer “money” when asked what gives their life a sense of meaning.)

I mentioned to Krause that a lot of people, myself included, may shy away from organized religion because we can’t commit to the faith-based aspects. He told me that Thomas Jefferson famously cut apart copies of the Christian New Testament, systematically removing all the passages that had to do with miracles or divine powers and leaving only the rational parts about the life and teachings of Jesus.

“He took out the parts about Jesus walking on water and all that,” Krause said. “What Jefferson wanted was a set of precepts on how to live.”

To many Christians, Jefferson’s act was heretical. But in some ways it may be instructive for atheists, agnostics, and others who find it hard to subscribe to the spiritual or supernatural elements of organized religion.

Even if you cut out all the God stuff (which Jefferson did, literally), there’s arguably a lot more to organized religion that makes participation worthwhile.

Thanks for reading THE NUANCE. If you’re interested in mental well-being, check out my recent pieces on spending time alone, the psychological benefits of nostalgic music, and psychiatry’s shifting ideas about mental illness. Also, please consider sharing this article with others or tipping me one dollar. These are the best ways to support what I’m doing here.