A new study by the American Bible Society found that adults who are engaged in the Bible have lower levels of loneliness than adults who are not engaged in God's Word. Published by the American Bible Society Chapter eight Thursday's “State of the Bible USA 2024” focused primarily on “loneliness.” The data shows that nearly three in four Americans report feeling moderate to high levels of loneliness, and more than one-third of Gen Z women ages 18 to 27 experience high levels of loneliness. suggests that it is. christian post.
“In our research, we see many ways Americans benefit from engaging with the Bible, and we think it may also help them feel less alone. So we are testing our hypothesis,” the report says. “If this country is indeed experiencing a ‘loneliness epidemic,’ what happens when people form meaningful relationships with the God they encounter in the Bible?”
Respondents were divided into three groups: “Biblically Engaged,” “Mobile Middle,” and “Bible Disengaged,” and used the Bible Engagement Scale to assess the differences in their lives. Answered questions about the centrality of the Bible. They also reported their level of loneliness in light of the assessment.
Overall, this study found that respondents who were “Bible-engaged” had lower levels of loneliness than respondents in the “Moving Middle” and “Bible-disengaged” categories. It turns out that.
For example, respondents who were “engaged with the Bible” had a Bible engagement score of 100 or higher and reported high (11 percent) and moderate (50 percent) levels of loneliness.
Regarding the “mobile middleman,” those who scored between 70 and 99 on the Biblical Engagement Scale reported high levels of loneliness (59 percent) and those who experienced moderate loneliness (17 percent). ) was reported.
Regarding “loss of interest in the Bible,” among those who scored less than 70 on the Bible Interest Scale, 22 percent reported feeling high levels of loneliness, and 52 percent reported moderate loneliness. I answered that I had experienced
The study also examined levels of loneliness related to church attendance. Respondents who had “never” attended church (25%) had the highest levels of loneliness, followed by respondents who had not attended church in at least a month but had gone within the past year (25%). 20%), followed by respondents who last attended church (20%). Those who went to church more than a year ago (16 percent), those who last went to church within the past month (15 percent), and those who go weekly (12 percent).
Meanwhile, those who attend church weekly have the highest levels of low loneliness (33%), followed by respondents who last went to church within the past month (32%); Even though it had been more than a month since they last visited, most respondents said they felt very lonely. Those who have stopped attending church within the past year (27%), those who have not attended church in at least a year (26%), and those who never attend church (24%).
Another finding of this study is that people who struggle with forgiveness report higher levels of loneliness. For example, 36 percent of respondents who identified as “highly unacceptable” experienced high loneliness, followed by 43 percent who reported moderate loneliness and 21 percent who reported low loneliness. On the other hand, among those who considered themselves “somewhat unforgiving,” 22% said they felt a high sense of loneliness, 57% said they felt a moderate sense of loneliness, and 21% said they felt a low sense of loneliness.
Among respondents who said they were “somewhat able” to forgive, 16% said they felt highly lonely, 56% said they felt moderately lonely, and 28% said they felt lowly lonely. Those who consider themselves to be “highly forgiving” are the least likely to report high levels of loneliness (16%), the most likely to report low levels of loneliness (35%), and the remainder to moderate levels of loneliness. I feel that.
“Some experts have accused social media of fostering shallow connections that replace deep friendships. Our own research shows that unforgiveness can significantly increase levels of loneliness. “This suggests that there is,” John Farquhar Plake, chief innovation officer at the American Bible Society, said in a statement. “Whatever the cause, the need is urgent. The church should respond carefully and creatively, providing a safe space for Christians to build meaningful relationships.”
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