How Religion Benefits Us All

Christopher Hitchens has recently published a book which typifies the undercurrent of American beliefs about religion. The title, God is Not Great, immediately grabs your attention, but it’s the subtitle, How Religion Poisons Everything, that expresses Hitchens’ belief about religion in the public sphere. In his book, Hitchens relentlessly attacks religion and all of its effects, focusing primarily on Judeo- Christian and Islamic beliefs. He charges intelligent design with being outmoded and criticizes the moral censures common to all religious belief. In brief, Hitchens charges that religion—all religion—is a social menace. But is it?

Christopher Hitchens’ book God is Not Great relentlessly challenges the value of religion in society.

Hitchens and those like him have not gone unnoticed or unchallenged. In a recent conference hosted by the Heritage Foundation, a group of academics came together to present research that they believe contradicts these vehement anti-religious themes. Entitled, ‘Religious Practice and Civic Life’, the conference gathered prominent intellectuals and university faculty from all over the United States to share and discuss recent research on how religion benefits all of society.

The Conference focused primarily on the practices of Protestants and Catholics in America and did not analyze Muslims or those of Eastern Religions. Among the areas of focus was a demographic analysis of Americans over the last thirty-five years showing that while certain groups, such as young people, are less religious, religious involvement in general is associated with increases in civic involvement. The study traced these religious trends across age, race and gender and notes that they produce an increased likelihood to vote, to volunteer and to participate in other altruistic activities. The research also noted that civic involvement does not change for those associated with different Protestant and Catholic backgrounds.

Religion gives us a broad moral mandate that requires us to abstain from sin and love our neighbors. This religious morality takes different forms, but research showed that, in general, religious involvement produces moral behavior. Specifically, types of “negative societal behavior” are less likely for the religiously active. This was attributed to the fact that religious institutions not only condemn the abuse of drugs and alcohol, but also educate their adherents and promote individual self-control. The study also showed that the positive trend operates in a negative direction as well, once someone has used illicit drugs, their affinity to the church and to morality decreases.

Beyond simply denouncing vices, the Church also encourages service in the community. Research indicated that those involved in the church are more likely to volunteer within their congregations and to a somewhat lesser extent within their communities at large. Ultimately, the research confirmed what most of us have already assumed—that there is a direct link between religion and a better society.

The keynote speaker, Robert Wuthnow, capped off the conference with a discussion of five myths about American religion. Wuthnow serves as chair of the Sociology Department at Princeton University while also teaching sociology of religion and cultural sociology. His recent book, After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty and Thirty Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion analyzes the changes in the church in America today.
The myths that Wuthnow addressed at the conference were largely, in his mind, a result of the portrayal of religion in the media. The first myth is that American religion is in the midst of an awakening. Contrary to this perception, Wuthnow states that there has been no percentage growth in American churches over the past fifty years.

Secondly, there is a converse claim that American culture is actually secularizing. Research shows that this is not really the case either. Over the past generation, the percentage of regular church attendees has been relatively stable, decreasing only a little.

Thirdly, there is a perception that politics is driving people away from the church. Some believe that the advent of religious organizations with a political agenda such as the Moral Majority has had a negative effect on all religious institutions. Wuthnow, however, tries to show that demographics rather than politics is the primary influence on religious involvement.

Fourthly, is the myth that Evangelical churches are growing. In some respects, this seems to be true, however, Wuthnow believes that the term ‘Evangelical’ is often as poorly defined as the group. There is a great deal of debate about who is actually an Evangelical, making conclusive statements about the group inherently suspect.

Finally, Wuthnow contends with the notion that American culture wars are a thing of the past. While some believe that the prolific cultural conflicts of the past few decades are subsiding, research shows that the American public is becoming increasingly polarized on certain religious and political issues, something that we at the IRD have certainly observed.

Christopher Hitchen’s ‘New Atheism’ may be the growing trend in the American intellectual community, but the data disagrees and now offers a strong body of evidence in opposition to those who believe that religion is ultimately false and a detriment to society.

Dan Anderson is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, and is currently an intern at IRD.