OPINION:
After years of calling for — and at moments demanding — social isolation and distancing, the federal government is now sounding the alarm on a ubiquitous “loneliness crisis.”
This predicament was in full bloom well before COVID-19, with the pandemic putting the perils of human separation on steroids. Suddenly, older people died alone in nursing homes, families steered clear of one another for holidays, and scores of Americans endlessly secluded themselves in their homes to avoid the virus.
Regardless of any well-meaning actions, the reality is much of what we’ve been doing these past few years has further contributed to the disarray, disconnection and, if the government’s own admissions are true, serious health concerns.
That’s why it’s particularly fascinating to see the surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, sounding the alarm on this “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” with the release of his “Surgeon General’s Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” guidance.
His public health advisory warns loneliness can increase premature death by 26%. Plus, it means a 50% increase in the risk of developing dementia for older adults — perplexing admissions considering the lockdown madness that dominated our cultural discourse not long ago.
Dr. Murthy, though, wants the government to solve a problem it helped aggravate.
“Given the profound consequences of loneliness and isolation, we have an opportunity, an obligation, to make the same investments in addressing social connection that we have made in addressing tobacco use, obesity and the addiction crisis,” he said.
Fixing our loneliness problem is essential, and Dr. Murthy’s efforts are worth heralding, but virtually no one in government wants to say the quiet part out loud: Much of this crisis is a problem we’ve created and perpetuated. And it certainly preceded COVID-19.
One side of the aisle has especially contributed to this debacle. They’ve told generation after generation that they’re mere evolutionary accidents, that they can be their own moral “gods,” and that there’s virtually no need for the community found in faith cohorts and churches.
This problem is particularly pronounced under progressive political regimes bent on an obsessive and improper understanding of the First Amendment. Many politicians have so splintered and frayed the meaning of “separation of church and state” that the result has been filtering out faith in the public square.
If history is any indication, the one solution most desperately needed — an increase in biblical values and faith communities — most certainly will be underplayed.
But if the government is serious about solving the hopelessness crisis it has exacerbated through obsessive axing of belief in the public square and COVID-19 policies, among other legislative antics, church and faith will be an integral part of the solution.
Fixing the crisis is particularly relevant among young people, as 73% of Generation Z — people more connected to phones and other devices than any other generation — report feeling alone either sometimes or always. Just 45% of Gen Z reports “very good” or “excellent” mental health, the lowest percentage of any generation.
Mix that with the confusion and chaos surrounding moral values I’ve extensively covered, and it’s most certainly a crisis of monumental proportions.
From a biblical perspective, each individual was created with a “God-shaped hole” only the Almighty can fill. Thus, removing faith values and disconnecting people from church communities and, more broadly God, is spiritually, mentally and even physically unhealthy.
And while many would scoff at such a claim, studies and data support it. Christians are more likely (61%) to report flourishing in relationships and friendships when compared with all U.S. adults (28%), according to the Barna Group. And, in a separate analysis of 2022 data, Gallup senior scientist Frank Newport explained the benefits of faith.
“The January Gallup data indicate that 92% of those who attend church services weekly are satisfied, compared with 82% of those who attend less than monthly,” he wrote last year. “The difference is even more evident in terms of the percentage who report being very satisfied — 67% of those who attend weekly are very satisfied with their personal life, compared with 48% among those who are infrequent attenders.”
And while we’re on the topic of mental health — which is Dr. Murthy’s concern — other Gallup data points to weekly churchgoers having better mental health than their peers. In fact, 44% of weekly congregants reported better emotional well-being than people in other cohorts.
It should come as no coincidence that our mental health crisis comes at the same time as our collective spiritual decline. And the pronounced problems among Gen Z — the least faithful generation to date — follow suit.
So, will the “follow the science” folks take their own advice, or will they ignore a key ingredient to reorienting and rebuilding our nation’s health: encouraging and working with faith communities to rebuild what’s been lost?
Dr. Murthy did mention “faith organizations” in his list of groups to engage, and the report does seem to acknowledge the dire consequences of decreasing faith allegiances.
“Religious or faith-based groups can be a source for regular social contact, serve as a community of support, provide meaning and purpose, create a sense of belonging around shared values and beliefs, and are associated with reduced risk-taking behaviors,” it reads. “As a consequence of this decline in participation, individuals’ health may be undermined in different ways.”
Will the government actively aid, though, in fixing this social ill? Only time will, but the numbers don’t lie: Americans are desperately reeling as a result of our abandonment of faith values and the connective elements they breed.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” He is the author of four books, including “Playing With Fire: A Modern Investigation Into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts” and “The Armageddon Code: One Journalist’s Quest for End-Times Answers.”
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