Archive for the 'Atheism' Category
The Contented Atheist
March 19th, 2008
Does believing in a god, or in any supernatural system of belief (that is, a “religion”), lead to a more contented, happier life? BBC News recently reported that, according to a study conducted by Professor Andrew Clark from the Paris School of Economics and Dr. Orsolya Lelkes from the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research—pause for breath—yes, “Religious people are better able to cope with shocks such as losing a job or divorce,” and that “religion could offer a ‘buffer’ which protected from life’s disappointments.”
As noted in the BBC article, this is not the first study linking religion with happiness or contentment, and that many psychologists recognize “some factor in either belief, or its observance, offering benefits.”
Professor Clark qualifies his conclusions, however, by nothing that “the nature of the surveys used [to collect the data for the study] meant that undetected factors, perhaps in the lifestyle or upbringing of religious people, such as stable family life and relationships, could be the cause of this increased satisfaction” (emphasis added).
Later in the article, Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society describes Clark’s and Lelkes’ conclusions as “meaningless,” stating that
Non-believers can’t just turn on a faith in order to be happy. If you find religious claims incredible, then you won’t believe them, whatever the supposed rewards in terms of personal fulfilment.
Happiness is an elusive concept, anyway - I find listening to classical music blissful and watching football repulsive.
Other people feel exactly the opposite. In the end, it comes down to the individual and, to an extent, their genetic predispositions.
I quote Sanderson at length because, oddly enough, considering my own hardcore atheist stance, I find his denunciation of the study’s content as being rather ineffective—or, at least, not very thorough.
As Clark has noted, it’s possible that the supposed “greater contentment” of religious believers could stem from lifestyle and upbringing rather than belief itself, and this I believe to be the core truth of his surveys’ data.
Amongst friends and acquaintances, I’ve observed a wide range of belief, from atheists such as myself to Buddhists*, Catholics, and even a few fundamentalist Christians (though I tend not to associate with them very much for obvious reasons)—and I’ve asked these folks a number of times how important their beliefs are to their lives: that is, how much those beliefs impact their daily activities, happiness, and so forth. I’ve received an equally wide range of answers, from “Since becoming Buddhist I’ve found myself more at peace with the ups and downs of life than ever before” to “I grew up miserable in a staunch Catholic family and now that I’m an atheist I feel much less neurotic.” One thing I have noticed in every case, however, is that a person’s beliefs only impact certain qualities of their lives, and it is these measurable, perfectly secular lifestyle choices that affect an individual’s happiness more than the beliefs that inspire them. Belief in a religion may well be the justification for certain life choices, but ultimately it’s the choices which have the greatest effect, not the beliefs.
For example, consider a family of typical American “born-again” (fundamentalist) Christians. The belief system of this family is far from what I would consider comforting, what with its everpresent threat of Satanic evil, apocalyptic future prophecies, and regressive cultural prohibitions. However, believers in this particular form of Christianity tend to be very family-oriented, as the family is, indeed, central to their beliefs. They are also very community-oriented, their churches serving as a meeting place and means for fellowship amongst folks with similar beliefs. Plus, fundamentalist churches provide clear, visible social structure for their adherents.
As social apes, human beings are happiest in group situations. We are biologically predisposed to be close to our parents and to our children. Furthermore, we like congregating in groups with other likeminded people—especially when one or more of those people are “in charge,” and can be trusted to do the lion’s share of thinking and take on the responsibility thereof in the group. We are, after all, hierarchical creatures: every family has a “family head” (be it Mom or Dad), every group of friends a sort of “leader,” and every company a “boss” or directorship. Most humans find themselves more comfortable in these kinds of situations, surrounded by their fellows, and given direction.
I grew up Catholic, and to this day I have fond memories of going to church on Sunday to hang out with the other parishioners and their kids. I liked the sense of community St. Procopius Roman Catholic Church provided. To this day, I occasionally go to Mass there, simply to feel like I’m part of a sort-of “extended family.” Metaphors comparing Christian churches of all denominations to families or social structures are very common and very apropos.
Even as a child of ten years, I had begun to question the existence of the “god” that Father McCullough and my CCD teachers talked about—and by the time I was fourteen, I’d made the breakthrough that such a god did not, indeed could not, exist. But did this realization make me suddenly miserable? Did I feel as though the rug were pulled out from under me?
No. Not one bit.
I still had my family. None of us ever talked about religion very much, so when I “came out” it wasn’t a big deal at all. It certainly didn’t mean that my mother no longer drove me to school everyday, or that my grandfather stopped telling me stories of his old mining days.
Today, I have very little family left—but I have many friends. Friends of all religious and non-religious orientations. My disbelief in the existence of a god has nothing at all to do with my friendships. When I acknowledged the inexistence of god as a teenager, my family life did not change.** My school life did not change.
Only when a person’s lifestyle is entirely predicated upon a certain set of beliefs can the loss of those beliefs cause upset and disharmony. This certainly does happen, but it’s nowhere near as common as theists would like the world to believe. Every year, many people become atheists without finding any reason to change their morality, family lives, or any such social structures—because that’s what these structures ultimately are: social interactions that can be inspired or originally based upon a certain belief, but can survive without the belief’s support.
Religion is no more likely to make a person happy as atheism is to make a person miserable. Why? Because though our beliefs may drive or encourage/discourage certain aspects of our lives, other aspects of our lives—those which make our lives happy or miserable—have nothing at all to do with our beliefs. For example, how many of us are miserable at our jobs because of our religious beliefs? Unless you’re a fundamentalist Christian working in an abortion clinic, I don’t think many will answer that question affirmatively. How many of us are happier at our jobs because of our beliefs? Probably more than are unhappy, simply because it makes more sense for one to work a job complementary to, or at least not antagonistic to, one’s beliefs. No fundamentalist Christian would ever work at an abortion clinic, after all, but they probably would work for a non-profit social outreach organization that assists young mothers with medical aid.
Thus, Terry Sanderson’s above remarks do make sense, but not in a particularly definitive way. In the end, happiness does come down to the individual, yes, but also to the persons that surround that individual.
As an atheist utterly alone in the world, I would be miserable. But I’m circled by a vast number of people who support me and whom I, in turn, support. Some of us share the same beliefs, some of us don’t. But we do share that common human need for companionship and fellowship. And no religion (or non-religion) can claim a monopoly on that.
Footnotes:
*Personally, I do not believe Buddhism to be a religion at all, but more a philosophy of living, since worship or acknowledgement of a god or gods is not a central tenet to Buddhism. However, Buddhism is similar enough in certain fashions to actual supernatural religions for me to include it in this essay without fear of contradiction.
**Sadly, though, for some people, coming out as an atheist (or as a member of any religion other than the one “established” in one’s family or circle of friends) can have disastrous consequences. But these disastrous consequences have less to do with the beliefs involved than it does with the all-too-human urge that many still feel to ostracize those who do not agree with them. Religious belief or non-belief is not the only source of ostracism after all: race and ethnicity are probably more popular than even religion.
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