It’s time to get back to church and I don’t mean online or chat groups. I mean in person at a local church. We were never meant to be alone in this world, Even when God created man He realized that Man needed someone else to share life with so God created Woman.
Genesis 1:27(KJV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
- God created Man and Woman in Genesis 2:4-25(KJV)
Genesis 2:18(KJV) Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
We are a people that need each other in every aspect of life. We are a Church community caring for one another, praying for one another, and living life together with one another.
Jim Nelles a Fox News writer states some facts about the decline in people not returning to their religious community.
The COVID pandemic was devastating to the collective religious community, with one in three practicing Christians dropping out of church completely and one in five Americans saying they now attend in person less often than they did before the pandemic.
when people leave their religious community, they are often left to face the world alone, or worse, they develop an unhealthy “online” addiction, as they look to replace their religious community with any community. People are less and less able to turn to close friendships for support. In 1990, 27% of Americans reported having three or fewer close friends. Today, that number is 49%. Nearly 40% of Americans report only having online friendships, while 12% of Americans report having no friends at all.
In addition, suicide has increased in correlation with people leaving the church. “Suicide rates increased 37% between 2000-2018 and decreased by 5% between 2018-2020. However, rates nearly returned to their peak in 2021.” When people lose hope and consider suicide, not having a priest, rabbi, or iman to talk with facilitates the taking of one’s own life.
There is not just a downside to the decrease in religious affiliation, there is a loss to society. Participation in organized religion, no matter what the religion, has several benefits. People who are active in religious congregations tend to be “happier and more civically engaged than either religiously unaffiliated adults or inactive members of religious groups,” per Pew Research. These people also volunteer to a greater extent and donate more money to charities.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have concluded, “Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life; less anxiety, depression, and suicide.”
Final Note:
Let us all get back to our faith and church community.
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