“[Religious] fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses. I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer
About this Activity
For those who already attend religious services or are interested in doing so. You will commit to attending a religious service at least once per week (if new) or three times per week (if you already attend). Once per week you will reflect upon and write about your experiences in this app.
A considerable body of research has suggested that religious service attendance powerfully affects health and other aspects of our flourishing such as meaning in life, character, and close social relationships. Specifically, research has indicated that those who attend religious services at least weekly are about 30% less likely to die over a 15 year follow-up, are about 30% less likely to become depressed and are over five times less likely to commit suicide.
The Practice
Getting Started
The first thing that we recommend is to select the day (or days) of the week on which you want to do this activity. It's best to write down the days or add them to your calendar. A core aspect of these activities is writting down your thoughts. If you are doing the activity in the app, we provide forms to write and save your thoughts. If you are doing the exercise on your own, it is best to have a notebook or word document dedicated to this activity.
Instructions
In this activity, you'll commit to attending a religious service at least once per week. If you already attend once per week, you might want to commit to increasing that even further. If you do not have a particular service or event, the following resources may be helpful in locating something in your area. Meetup.com is a popular site for group activities that often has groups of various religious denominations and spiritual related groups. For Christian services, the website https://church.org is helpful for finding congregations in your area.
First Entry
Please write down what religious attendance you will do. If you do not have a particular service or event, the following resources may be helpful in locating something in your area. Meetup.com is a popular site for group activities that often has groups of various religious denominations and spiritual related groups. For Christian services, the website https://church.org is helpful for finding congregations in your area.
Weekly Practice
You've committed to engaging in religious service attendance each week over the course of the next six weeks. As part of your commitment, you opted to return to this app today and reflect upon your experiences. Take a few moments to clear your mind. Think about the past week and how often you have been able to attend your selected religious service. What have the experiences meant to you? What new insights about yourself, others, and the world have you gained?
The Science
This exercise is grounded in research on relational well-being. Regular practice has been shown to increase positive emotion, enhance resilience, and deepen your sense of connection.
Key References
- Li, S., Okereke, O. I., Chang, S.-C., Kawachi, I., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2016a). Religious service attendance and depression among women –a prospective cohort study. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50,876-884.
- Chida, Y., Steptoe, A., & Powell, L. H. (2009). Religiosity/spirituality and mortality: A systematic quantitative review. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 78(2),81–90.