Does anybody actually find life to be easy? Does everybody feel like that have a purpose in their lives? Everybody struggles with something in life. Some struggles may be harder to get through than others. These struggles can be from small homework assignments to clinical depression. To counter or battle these struggles, people need to find an outlet to help relieve some of these hardships. Some people find very unhealthy outlets such as over excessive drinking and heavy drug use. These outlets eventually just worsen the original struggles. Today, I have a healthier option to bear these hardships: participating in a religious institution. There are many forms of religious institutions, but all of them have some positive health behaviors. If more people begin attending a religious institution, there would also be a healthier society overall. Attending a religious institution will help increase personal wellness, decrease crime rates, and decrease the rates of depression and suicide.
One can result with an increase in personal wellness by attending a religious institution. Many find that when they attend, they feel relaxed and overall better about themselves. According to L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology, in his Religious Influence in Society, attending a service of an institution can strengthen one’s “own basic spiritual nature, self-respect, and peace of mindset.” Being able to release some of the everyday tensions can be very helpful to focus on the hardships at hand. There has even been research done on the stress levels of a sample of people who attend a house of worship. According to Anxiety Centre’s Want To Reduce Stress And Live Longer? Go To Church!, people who go to a religious institution “…had lower stress overall. And as attendance increased, so did the benefits of better health.” So the more times one goes, the higher the health benefits for them. If more people decide to go to a house of worship, then the higher the health benefits and the lower the rates of illness for the community as a whole.
Another way involvement with a religious institution improves the society is by the decrease in crime rates. Many issues within our society could be resolved if there was higher attendance in religious areas. People lose their lives daily due to crimes. According to L. Ron Hubbard’s article, Religious Influence in Society, “the lowering of church attendance in the United States coincided with a rise in pornography and general immorality, and an increase in crime…” If attendance goes up, then crime rates will decrease, and lives will be saved. Even if one isn’t into developing a religious life, one should work on meditation and focusing on their morals.
One final way that religious institutions can affect the society would be how it decreases the rates of depression and suicide. This is the most important factor that is a result of attendance of religious institutions. According to Mr. Patrick Fagan’s article, Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability, church “…attendance predicts the suicide rate better than any other factor.” The article also described how the previous study also included unemployment, which is another major factor for suicide. Depression is also decreased from attendance of religious institutions. According to the same article from Mr. Patrick Fagan, Texas high schoolers found to have “…religious beliefs gave meaning to their lives and reduced the incidence of depression among them.” So from having religious beliefs, people find meaning in their lives, which helps them realize their impact on others. That person who commits or thinks about committing suicide could be the next Albert Einstein, the next MLK, or the person who only influences that one person in a minor way. Though without that person, their impact would never lay its print on the Earth.
Even after explaining the pros of attending religious institutions, I know there are still some who believe that the cons outweigh the pros. One of the top excuses people use for not going to or participating in religious practices is that it takes up too much time. If that is an excuse you have at mind, please think back to the following question: Do you truly have a purpose to live in your life? Do you live for somebody-your significant other, your parents, your siblings, your friends, your community? As humans, we long for hope. We are always looking for something more. Even if you don’t want to participate in the religious aspects of the institution, at least spend the time in reflection of the people who mean the most to you in your life. If you don’t attend or participate in any religious practices, what if your current purpose for living dies or leaves? Where would you place your hope then? Wouldn’t you think spending time in reflection for hope in your life is important? It sounds fairly important to me. Please consider spending time in reflection for all of the people you have encountered in your life and how much they mean to you.
Through the impactful changes of wellness, crime rates, and suicide and depression; the society will heal over time. Our world struggles more and more every day as hardships become harder and harder to get through each day. If we can heal the pain little by little by focusing more on our own morals and taking time out of the day to think of others, our world will heal.