Americans are searching for an answer to the youth mental health crisis. While many experts rightfully scrutinize smartphones and social media as culprits, another profound shift deserves our attention: the dramatic retreat from religion in American life. As religious participation plummets, particularly among young people, we’re losing the profound social and psychological benefits once provided by religious communities. And our rapidly secularizing society has failed to offer compelling alternatives to replace religion’s protective effects on mental health.
Thousands of studies have shown that religious people are happier, more confident, more optimistic, and more satisfied with their lives. They are also less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression, commit suicide, or abuse alcohol or other drugs. While correlation doesn’t prove causation, longitudinal studies show that
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