Christian Faith Improves Mental Health
Scientists recently find that attendance to religious services
significantly decreases depression among racial minorities.
Throughout history, Bible-based Christianity has reduced
racial divides, unlike evolutionary roots
The Mental Health Benefits of Religion
by Dr. Sarah Buckland-Reynolds
In a compelling article published in the Social Sciences Journal of MDPI (July 2025), Wang et al examined how older adults with African American roots displayed comparatively good mental health outcomes as majority races in the USA “despite systemic socioeconomic disadvantage and disproportionate exposure to chronic stressors”. While the authors explored “social participation”, including volunteering and participation in organized groups, the factor that emerged as the dominant predictor of positive mental health outcomes was “attending religious services”.
These findings come on the heels of trends published by Pew Research that suggest that only “38% of Americans say religion is very important in their lives”. The slide away from religiosity was so dramatic, that in a matter of just over a decade (2007-2019), the decline in the share of Americans identifying as religious was by 16%.
What has been driving this decline? In a reflection just over the past decade, Pew Research highlighted the role of the increasing acceptance evolutionary theory in the secularist divide that American society (and the world) has experienced.
Despite this ‘fall-away’, religiosity continues to be linked with positive outcomes in mental health. In this article, we reflect on the key findings from Wang et al’s (July 2025) study and implications on the future of American society.
Mental Health Benefits of Religiosity
The Wang et al (2025) study approached their research using Path Analysis, ensuring that the models were robust by controlling for extraneous factors (gender, marital status, annual household income, perceived physical health). The participants also had valid data on depressive symptoms, social participation, and covariates. The results were compelling: 37.2% in the variation of depressive symptoms was explained based on attendance vs. non-attendance of religious services. In other words, participants who attended religious services had 37.2% fewer depressive symptoms than those who did not attend.
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In situating their findings within the broader literature context, Wang et al (2025) stated that:
“Religion is both a psychological and social resource that can be used to cope with stressors among African Americans. Religious activities, including prayer and worship, can promote positive emotions, directly leading to better mental health …Religious involvement can also encourage healthy behaviors, such as abstaining from drugs and alcohol…. The use of clergy can address serious personal problems for older African Americans…. Additionally, religious involvement plays an important role in shaping African Americans’ racial identity. Racial identity refers to one’s feelings and attitudes related to membership in a racial group… as well as one’s behavior and participation in activities characteristic of their racial group…. The church provides opportunities for African Americans to occupy important and respected positions that they may be denied in wider society; it also creates experiences and relationships that strengthen racial identity and bolster self-respect for African Americans…. As a result, the benefits of religious attendance help mitigate depressive symptoms among African Americans, which may explain their lower depressive symptoms compared to non-Hispanic Whites.”
The “Racial Divide” and the Role of Evolutionary Theory
Interesting, the contextualization of the role of the church as a haven against racism and as a protective factor of mental health brings us to the intrinsically racially divisive roots of evolutionary theory. While the church has historically affirmed the equal dignity of all people as image-bearers of God, evolutionary theory (particularly in its social applications) has often been used to justify racial hierarchies. For instance, from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, so-called “human zoos” were staged across Europe and America, where African, Indigenous, and Asian peoples were displayed in cages or artificial villages to simulate “primitive” life. These exhibitions, such as the 1897 Congolese village in Brussels and the 1906 display of Ota Benga at the Bronx Zoo, were framed as scientific demonstrations of racial inferiority, reinforcing the notion that non-Europeans were evolutionary throwbacks in need of civilizing.
Among the most horrific expressions of a ‘racial hierarchy’ based on evolutionary assumptions was in Nazi Germany. It has been documented that Adolf Hitler’s ideology applied Darwinian theory into the social ‘progress’ of his society. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote, “Whoever would live, let him fight,” echoing the survival-of-the-fittest ethos that underpinned his genocidal policies. Eugenics was justified using the idea that they were simply helping natural selection along through the extermination of the disabled, and the pursuit of racial purity.
Unfortunately, traces of this racial hierarchy persist even in contemporary academic discourse. Albeit not explicit with racial undertones a 2025 study published in Modern Sciences analyzed 348 ancient Eurasian genomes and found that most Paleolithic Europeans had dark skin, hair, and eyes until about 3,000 years ago. In contrast, the study also noted that lighter pigmentation traits became more prevalent in Northern and Western Europe during the supposed Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. In contrast to these divisive evolutionary narratives, the church has historically offered a countercultural refuge. Rooted in the doctrine that “from one man, God made all the nations” (Acts 17:26), Christian theology affirms the unity and equal worth of all people. During eras of scientific racism, many churches provided sanctuary, education, and advocacy for marginalized communities.
A Brighter Future with Biblical Principles
The study by Wang et al (2025) reiterates the value of religiosity in our society today. When we look at the history of the logical progression of secular evolutionary thought in contrast to Christianity, we see that mental health and societal cohesion are overwhelmingly associated with adhering to the Christian worldview.
As the social sciences continue to affirm the value of the Bible, parents, church leaders and teachers should educate the next generation to embrace the value of the Bible and not repeat the bleak errors of the past shaped by evolutionary, anti-God rhetoric. For a bright future, the church must remain a vital voice and a bulwark against ideologies that reduce human worth to biology alone.
Dr. Sarah Buckland-Reynolds is a Christian, Jamaican, Environmental Science researcher, and journal associate editor. She holds the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona with high commendation, and a postgraduate specialization in Geomatics at the Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. The quality of her research activity in Environmental Science has been recognized by various awards including the 2024 Editor’s Award from the American Meteorological Society for her reviewing service in the Weather, Climate and Society Journal, the 2023 L’Oreal/UNESCO Women in Science Caribbean Award, the 2023 ICETEX International Experts Exchange Award for study in Colombia. and with her PhD research in drought management also being shortlisted in the top 10 globally for the 2023 Allianz Climate Risk Award by Munich Re Insurance, Germany. Motivated by her faith in God and zeal to positively influence society, Dr. Buckland-Reynolds is also the founder and Principal Director of Chosen to G.L.O.W. Ministries, a Jamaican charitable organization which seeks to amplify the Christian voice in the public sphere and equip more youths to know how to defend their faith.