Postpone eternal life as long as possible -- join a church!
That slogan sounds like a contradiction -- don’t churches extol the glories of eternal life? 
In fact, dozens of demographic studies have found that people who attend church regularly tend to live longer than non-attenders. Now psychologist Jonathan Haidt has provided some rationale for this extended longevity. 
He cites two factors -- volunteerism and altruism.
In his book, The Happiness Hypothesis, Haidt writes, “A study that tracked volunteering and well-being over many years, in thousands of people, was able to show a causal effect: When a person increased volunteer work, all measures of happiness and well-being increased afterwards…”
Correspondence doesn’t necessarily prove cause and effect. Volunteering may make people happy. On the other hand, maybe happy people are more likely to volunteer.
But consider the converse -- unhappy people are unlikely to volunteer. If they do, they do it grudgingly. Volunteer work does not make them cheerful. Or happy.
Volunteering also enhances the social aspect of life. Haidt continues, “In old age, as social networks are thinned by the deaths of friends and family, the social benefits of volunteering are strongest. 
“The elderly benefit even more than other adults, particularly when their volunteer work involves direct person-to-person helping, or is done through a religious organization. The benefits of volunteer work for the elderly are so large that they even show up in improved health and longer life.”

Countering loneliness
Another author, Charles Montgomery, argues in his book Happy City that “Social isolation may be the greatest environmental hazard of city living -- worse than noise, pollution, or even crowding.”
Modern apartments and condominiums tend to minimize social interaction. You can live next door to someone, and never meet them. And the social media are anything but social. A Facebook friend can sympathize, but she cannot bring you a casserole when you’re crying.
Andre Picard notes, in the latest United Church Observer, “Loneliness is as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day; having no friends may increase the risk of premature death by about 30 percent; social isolation can be twice as deadly as obesity, as big a killer as diabetes, and hikes the risk of dementia by 64 percent. 
“More Canadians than ever live alone, and one in four describe themselves as lonely. An estimated one in eight seniors lives a solitary life without friends or family. The rates are even higher for people with disabilities and those with severe mental illness… We have an epidemic of loneliness…”
Volunteering helps to reduce loneliness.
Of course, volunteering doesn’t have to happen through a church. Working through other social service agencies and clubs might offer the same benefits. So might any group activity.
But the altruism factor favours religious communities. “Altruistic activities add depth and virtue to one’s character,” Haidt notes. 
The University of Michigan examined two groups -- those who received help, and those who gave help. “Those who reported giving help…. went on to live longer,” Haidt concludes. “Whereas the amount of help that people reported receiving showed no relationship to longevity… At least for older people, it really is more blessed to give than to receive.”
There you are. Join a church, feel happier, and live longer. 
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Copyright © 2016 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups, and links from other blogs, welcomed; all other rights reserved.
        To comment on this column, write jimt@quixotic.ca
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YOUR TURN

Last week’s column, on the benefits of singing aloud, obviously touched a chord (pun intended) with a lot of you. 

Marguerite Irvine confirmed my observation about people not singing: “I sang in our church choir for years. We had many requests to attend at funerals. I remember the first one at which people did not sing, did not know when to stand or not. It was quite a revelation, and a graphic illustration that people weren't going to church anymore.”

Ralph Schmidt, who co-pastors six small congregations in Ontario: “One of the churches I serve, McIntosh United in Bruce Presbytery (Hamilton Conference), celebrated their 153rd anniversary. As part of the service the former children’s choir gathered together after 50 years apart to sing an anthem they often used back in the day. Many of these folks had not sung together in five decades but it only took five notes and music poured forth and the harmony was incredible.
“But it was not only those singing who were affected. As I gazed out over the congregation there were smiles, tears, laughs and folks were transported back. It was really quite incredible … Anything that I might have said or preached afterwards was only dessert after the main course of memory and praise, sung in harmony.
“I am often asked questions like ‘What needs to happen to bring folks back or out for the first time to our little country churches?’ Perhaps part of the answer is right before us. Let’s keep on singing or learn to sing again as we lament, give thanks, and praise as community.”

Dorothy Haug simply wrote, “Amen, brother.” And Bonita Garrett wrote, “A very LARGE (fist pumping) YES!!!”

Blain Galston, archivist for the United Church’s BC Conference: “Beautiful, Jim. An uplifting start to my day. Glad to hear you are singing and learning about harmony. It can only be enriching.”

Helen Franken described her own experience: “The Windermere Valley in B.C. is not large but we have a community choir of 50 singing every year. Many of the choir have had no music training but after a year in the choir they know a lot more. The variety of the music is amazing, jazz, spirituals, popular, and many more. Our music director keeps us on our toes and challenges year after year. We have two concerts a year, Christmas and Spring. Each concert performs for two nights Friday and Sat. and around 200 come to each performance. We must be a singing people.”

Isabel Gibson commented, “At age 65, an old friend has joined a choir for the first time. It's a choir for folks who've never sung in a choir, and the leaders swear that unless you speak in a monotone, you can learn to sing. Not necessarily to be a soloist, but to carry your part of the tune. A lovely thought, that.”

David Gilchrist noted an interesting coincidence: “After I read your message this morning, I started to prepare for a July 24 service, with the difficult Hosea 1 passage. I turned to my old Abingdon Bible Commentary; and there was a Schleiermacher quote: ‘A man’s special calling is the melody of his life, and it remains a simple, meager series of notes unless religion, with its endlessly rich variety, accompany it with all notes, and raise the simple song to a full-voiced, glorious harmony’. 
“Beautifully put! 
“I first joined a choir at nine; from 14 to 65 or so I sang tenor; but for the last 20 years my aging voice has become increasingly bass. I love harmony. But it has troubled me for the last several years that so often people seem to sing with no regard whatsoever to the words. I agree completely with you that the lyrics are important; if they don’t match what I believe, I just hum till we get to words I can sing honestly. (And THAT has changed a lot since my youth too!)”

Charles Hill took a skeptical view: “Most forms of music are a lost art. Screaming into a microphone and gyrating your body are called ‘music.’ (My not so humble opinion.) My experience in our church is relatively the same [as yours]. When we visit a predominately Black church, people are singing. When we visit a conservative/fundamentalist church, most people are singing. Not so with the United Methodists where I go. Maybe we (the more ‘liberal’ churches) really don't believe the words of most church music. Maybe feeding our intellect has starved our emotions. Maybe we are just showing up because people expect us to show up and our heads are elsewhere . Singing shows involvement, both intellectual and emotional.”

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PSALM PARAPHRASES

In Grade 6, I was a frail and undersized kid. I got picked on a lot. For some reason, George Penna took me under his wing. With him protecting me, I felt confident. This is to George, wherever he is.

11   When I am in trouble, I recall what you have done in the past. 
12   I remember your achievements, God; 
I ponder your actions. 
13   Because you are holy, God, everything you do is holy. 
Can any other god make that claim?
14   You created the world, and saw that it was good. 
You created us, and said that we were good. 
You still shape us for good. 
15   When we stumble and fall, you hold us up. 
16   When we are in danger of drowning, you give us bouyancy. 
Even the waters obey you. 
17   For the winds rage, the torrents pour from the skies; 
18   Thunder crashes, and lightning splits the skies; 
Frozen by its flash, we see ourselves clearly. 
19   Your spirit tosses us like surf; 
in the tumult of our souls you come to us, as if walking on the waters, 
But when the storm ends, the water shows no sign of your passing. 
20   You gather your people together 
And lead them safely through their troubles. 

For paraphrases of most of the psalms used by the Revised Common Lectionary, you can order my book Everyday Psalms from Wood Lake Publishing, info@woodlake.com.

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YOU SCRATCH MY BACK…
Ralph Milton has a new project, called Sing Hallelujah – the world’s first video hymnal. It consists of 100 popular hymns, both new and old, on five DVDs that can be played using a standard DVD player and TV screen, for use in congregations who lack skilled musicians to play piano or organ. More details at www.singhallelujah.ca
Isabel Gibson's thoughtful and well-written blog, www.traditionaliconoclast.com
Wayne Irwin's "Churchweb Canada," an inexpensive service for any congregation wanting to develop a web presence, with free consultation. <http://www.churchwebcanada.ca>
Alva Wood's satiric stories about incompetent bureaucrats and prejudiced attitudes in a small town are not particularly religious, but they are fun; write alvawood@gmail.com to get onto her mailing list.
Tom Watson writes a weekly blog called “The View from Grandpa Tom’s Balcony” – ruminations on various subjects, and feedback from Tom’s readers. Write him at twatson@sentex.net

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TECHNICAL STUFF

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