In light of numerous sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church and across Southern Baptist churches, many Americans are questioning whether to remain in the church, according to recent national surveys.
In a March 21, 2019 USA Today op-ed, Tyler VanderWeele, John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, suggested that people who are considering leaving their church, or stopping their children from attending services, should weigh the potential long-term health and well-being benefits that are associated with a religious upbringing.
VanderWeele’s previous research has found that children who were raised in religious or spiritual environments were at lower risk for depression, drug use, and risky sexual behavior, and were more likely to have higher levels of happiness and a sense of purpose later in life.
Read the USA Today op-ed: Religion’s health effects should make doubting parishioners reconsider leaving
Learn more
Religious upbringing linked to better health and well-being during early adulthood (Harvard Chan School news)
Frequent religious service attendance linked with decreased mortality risk among women (Harvard Chan School news)