A major new report finds that devout Americans who read the Bible regularly experience significantly less stress than non-Christians and those who read the Bible rarely or never.
According to the American Bible Society’s annual report, “The State of the Bible,” devout Christians scored 7.5 on the stress scale, while non-Christians scored 10.3 (a lower score means less stress an individual experiences). On the stress scale, Americans were asked a series of questions, including: “Do you have trouble sleeping? Do you feel shaken, scared or numb and unable to enjoy things you used to enjoy?”
The report defines a “practicing Christian” as follows:
- He identifies himself as a Christian and is “historically committed to the biblical tradition.”
- I attend worship services at least once a month.
- They say their faith is very important in their lives.
Meanwhile, Americans who read the Bible regularly and say it influences their lives are significantly less stressed than non-Bible readers. The report calls Americans who read the Bible frequently “Bible-curious.” They scored 6.9 on the stress scale, compared with 10.2 for Americans who read the Bible rarely or never (“Bible-disinterested”).
“People who are highly engaged with the Bible report significantly less stress than others, and the difference is large: more than 30 percent lower than other groups,” the report states. “Practicing Christians who attend church and consider their faith important in their lives report significantly less stress.”
Interestingly, however, non-Christians and non-practicing Christians had the same score (10.3) on the stress scale, suggesting that “simply identifying as Christian has little or no effect on stress.”
“Is there something about this middle ground that adds stress to people’s lives,” the report suggests? “Are these people in the middle experiencing more spiritual conflict, religious expectations, uncertainty, and complicated relationships? Is something keeping them up at night more than those who reject the Bible and Christianity altogether?”
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Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
