The article highlights the overwhelming response to the author's essay on belief, revealing a prevalent desire for meaningful connection among people from diverse backgrounds. The author emphasizes that the common thread uniting responses from across the globe was the yearning for a sense of belonging.
The article discusses the three 'B's' offered by religion: beliefs, behaviors, and belonging. Readers resonated most strongly with the aspect of belonging, emphasizing its importance for well-being and happiness. This is supported by a Harvard and Baylor study that found strong social connections lead to happier, healthier lives, with religion often serving as a source of community.
The author shares personal experiences of belonging within their community and reveals that opening up about their own journey prompted many others to share their personal stories. This resulted in a wide range of responses, including a letter from Richard Dawkins, demonstrating that the search for community transcends different belief systems.
The article concludes that the human need for belonging is universal and profoundly affects personal well-being. It highlights the significance of community in providing meaning and fulfillment, regardless of religious or spiritual affiliation.
Last week, Dwight from “The Office” called me to talk about God.
Almost. It was the actor who played Dwight, Rainn Wilson. He’d read my essay that launched “Believing,” a project on how people find meaning in their lives — in religion, spirituality or anywhere. He’d written a best-selling book on the topic, one that was so self-aware and funny I actually laughed out loud. He just wanted to connect.
That seems to be a theme.
Since I published “Believing,” I’ve heard from thousands of Morning readers. Everyone has a story to share about belief, no matter how they come at the topic. My inbox is now a microcosm of the internet: MAGA bros, professors, wellness influencers, theologians, climate activists, pop psychologists, grandmothers and a source who sent me an unpublished letter from Pope Francis. I heard from people across America and around the world, including Brazil, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. In the messages, a clear trend emerged that unites this very disparate group: People crave meaningful connection.
In “Believing,” I explained that religion offers people three B’s: beliefs about the world, behaviors to follow and belonging in a community or culture. Readers seized on the last one. They said they wanted to belong — in rich, profound and sustained ways.
It makes sense. A major, global study recently released by Harvard and Baylor universities affirmed what so much other data has shown: People flourish — they live happier, healthier and better lives — if they have strong social connections. It also found that religions, for all their reputational baggage, can provide people with robust communities.
In “Believing,” I shared that I once belonged to a strong community — that I was raised Mormon in Arkansas but that I have since left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was vulnerable and weird and hard for me to talk about. Still, it seemed to be a catalyst for connection.
Soon, my inbox was filled with personal stories.
“She began with a personal testament of her own loss of faith, so forgive me if I too bare my soul,” Richard Dawkins, the famous advocate for atheism, replied in a letter to my article.
If you often open multiple tabs and struggle to keep track of them, Tabs Reminder is the solution you need. Tabs Reminder lets you set reminders for tabs so you can close them and get notified about them later. Never lose track of important tabs again with Tabs Reminder!
Try our Chrome extension today!
Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more