I M Probulos.com

Some research suggests that churchgoers are happier than those who do not.

One is that there is no official or formal organization in most cities for non-church goers including atheists, agnostics and secular humanists. As more freethought societies form across the nation, I think the sense of community will be essentially the same.

It is difficult to determine cause and effect here. Generally any social activity is good. Did they use a control group of card or bingo players or groups that are entirely secular who meet regularly?

Another factor could be that those who cannot attend church are not mobile, elderly or have other conditions (mental illness) and their unhappy state would preclude them from any social activity.

The Benson study showed that medication had beneficial effects even if the word “one” was used. In other words, the act of meditating and calming the mind is what is beneficial. It does matter if it is Yahweh, Krishna, Buddha, or Allah.

Secular societies like Denmark, Norway and Estonia, show high levels of happiness and contentment as well as superior health-care and many other factors.

Non-believers in the US are made to feel inferior, strange or are considered heathens and amoral hedonists. So being in the closet and wondering why you don’t have the “faith gene” as I suggest in my book also is not good for mental health.

Finally, for one, most religious people clearly don’t think they believe a lie. They are picking and choosing their scripture, morality the guidelines by which they lead their lives. Some might suspect but the estrangement from their family and friends would be too difficult. Also, our species has a natural predilection toward the supernatural and superstition in general. We see ghosts and spirits and agenticity in everything. We see patterns where they don’t exist. It helped us get out of the Savannah and general does not hurt us – unless we decide to fly planes into buildings. For most people having a celestial sky-daddy is comforting. After all, why improve your life or your personality when God loves you? (even if everyone else thinks you’re an ignorant asshole)

I am sure I could add more but that is my humble opinion.

I. M. Probulos