As religious life recedes, loneliness, vice and political contempt are filling the void. Can faith offer a path back to mercy and community?
By Rusty Hills, contributing columnist at Detroit Free Press
With inflation on the rise, America's federal government debt and deficit at all-time highs, and a stubborn employment market, economists are rightly worried about whether a recession is looming. But as troublesome as that would be, I am just as worried about what I call the religion recession.
What in the world is a religion recession? It's no secret that fewer and fewer Americans are attending religious services. But even so, the most recent statistics are shocking. According to research for the Archdiocese of Detroit, only 10% of those who call themselves believers actually show up in the pews on Sunday. Funerals now outnumber marriages or baptisms in the Detroit Archdiocese. Other faith denominations, including mainline Protestant churches and Judaism, are also witnessing declines.
Less church, more war?
While participation in religion is plummeting, take a look at what is increasing. Here is just a sampling:
- Wars are on the rise. The Peace Research Institute Oslo documents that last year alone, there were 61 conflicts or wars involving more than 35 countries.
- Deaths of despair, defined as those from suicide or tied to abuse of alcohol or other drugs, have more than doubled in the United States in the last two decades, claiming more than 175,000 lives every year.
- Online gambling, essentially putting casinos on our phones, has exploded, with sports betting and online gaming both growing by well over 20% last year as gross industry revenue topped $78 billion. Apart from that, spending on prediction markets that let us bet even on war hit $24 billion in April 2026 alone.
- In March, an attacker drove a truck into a synagogue in West Bloomfield, where more than 140 children and staffers were present. In San Diego, two men killed three others during an attack on a mosque there hosting 140 schoolchildren.
- Mental health issues have increased so dramatically that the U.S. surgeon general and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have declared them to be a national emergency.
- A recent study concludes nearly half of young adults suffer from loneliness, with increased levels of anxiety and depression as a consequence.
- Increasing coarseness on social media. ‘Nuff said.
Listen to Francis
I am not a statistician. But I do believe there is a connection between the collapse of faith and the increase in so many ills that bedevil our society today. I submit that we are losing our moorings, and the massive retreat from religion in all its forms is a major reason why.
Lord knows, religion has its flaws. I am Catholic, and I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. I also believe that we, the people, are the body of Christ here on Earth, and because we have flaws, so does the church. The Catholic Church's sex scandal is proof of that.
And, to be clear, let me acknowledge that there are good people who do not attend religious services. They live a life guided by a strong moral code. Some call it ethics or values or, simply, spirituality. We need more such good women and men.
Many years ago, there was a young man who was frivolous, a partygoer and a big spender of his dad's money. But he was not happy, satisfied or fulfilled. Then something remarkable happened, and his life took a dramatic turn. He found faith. Following his conversion, this young man, named Francis, penned a short prayer. Here is a portion:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt; faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Faith can teach us how to live together
I believe one simple thing ― we become more like the people we spend time with. That's why we pick up so many habits from our parents.
Similarly, people who spend time with a God of unconditional love and limitless mercy become more loving and merciful people.
People who spend time with a self-sacrificing God will learn to give more of themselves. A good measure, packed together, overflowing.
People who spend time with a God who cares for children, the poor and the stranger become more attuned to the needs of little ones, those who are down on their luck and the newcomers among us.
There's one more benefit from religion. By gathering together regularly, people form a new family in their congregation. And like the good God they worship, these women and men befriend you, care for you, love you and help you when you need a hand.
If life has thrown you a curveball, if you're unemployed and looking for work, or lonely and searching for a loving mate, if you're nursing a grudge or battling some illness ― and, honestly, who among us doesn't have some cross to bear? ― then come spend some time with a good and loving God.
But I do have to warn you: Possible side effects include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In fact, I am told these side effects are contagious and may be spread to others.
Imagine that ― a world filled with people who really do love their neighbor. Wonder what that would be like?
