MEANING AND PURPOSE WITH 'NO GOD REQUIRED'
Let’s take a look at some studies which indicate that religion correlates with a strong sense of life meaning. A case study of the population of Memphis found that when religion played an important role in someone’s life, they had a heightened sense of life meaning and purpose.1
Is god the key to meaning and purpose in life? It seems that way if we trust mainstream opinions typically presented in the media and in bestselling books such as Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. Moreover, there is some scientific support for that viewpoint.
A nationwide study found that those who had more confidence in god had a higher sense of life meaning and purpose compared to doubters and nonbelievers.2 Global studies found similar outcomes.3, 4
Gleb Tsipursky, Ph.D.
Plenty of studies show that a deep sense of meaning and purpose correlates with strong religious belief, and religious fundamentalists use these studies to support their perspective. As a professor who researches the intersection of psychology and history, including life meaning and purpose, I was very surprised when I first learned about these studies. I found their conclusions hard to believe. So I started digging deeper into the data and found a much more complex story.
For example, forms of worship that don’t promote social connectedness do not correlate with a heightened sense of satisfaction or meaning in life. One study showed that affiliation with a religion practiced in a communal setting leads to a higher degree of life satisfaction than when religious devotion is practiced in private settings.5 Another investigation also found that deeply personal religion, as opposed to group-oriented religion, did not correlate with a greater sense of happiness and life meaning.6 These results should give pause to any intellectually honest person examining the ties between religion, meaning, and purpose.
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I want to share my findings with you and tell you what the research actually says about how we, as reason-oriented, secular people can use a science-informed approach to gain a deep sense of purpose with no god required.
However, after I read these studies carefully and took in all of the information, some questions arose in my mind.
