Thousands to churches to close over the next decade...and the science of smiling

Religious belief in Europe is declining so fast that thousands of churches will have to close over the next decade....hurray! Another good news story! It is predicted that at least another 4,000 churches will close in England over the next 15 years.

Looks like assorted bishops and archbishops are going to need some help in keeping their spirits (sic) up. And so we turn to the latest link added to the blog roll Dr Tempest's Psychiatrist Blog that combines psychiatry, health and politics! Recently the good doctor recommended the clinical benefits of smiling - even when you're feeling down. Although originally posted in response to Tony Blair's problems, I think desperate bishops might also find the advice useful:

"...Did you know that a smile can have a positive effect on one'e mood? Try, for example, pulling the sides of your mouth up in the shape of a smile and holding it for twenty seconds. To the average person this may seem very silly yet often it can tangibly improve one’s mood. Making the shape of a smile uses the muscle groups in your face that connect with a particular pattern of brain activity. Because the brain links these areas, a chain reaction is set up in between the movement of your face muscles and the pattern of activity within your brain. This chain reaction induced is associated with positive happy feelings in your emotional centres. Because cells that ‘wire together fire together’ and by activating the wires that cause a smile, they fire links to positive emotions. So, just by moving your mouth into a smile causes a small increase in positive emotion related brain activity..."

Comments

[leon]

Before you jump for joy you should consider cross referencing this figure with the number of other denominations opening their doors. If 4000 churches close down but 4/5000 Mosques, Synagogues, Mandirs and/or Gurdwaras open up it's hardly cause for celebration is it?

The basic point here is to ascertain whether this is a decline in religious practice or a shift?

[Andrew]

"Try, for example, pulling the sides of your mouth up in the shape of a smile and holding it for twenty seconds."

It works! About 10 seconds in I started giggling :-)

[The Labour Humanist]

Leon - There is a wealth of evidence detailing the decline of religion in the UK and in most other mature democracies. The only reason the number of mosques is increasing is the net increase of people moving to the UK from mainly Muslim countries - certainly nothing to do with them winning converts. Anyway, unless there's some kind of immigration surge I can't see 4,000 mosques and temples opening up in the next 10 years, can you?

I think the importance of flagging up research on religion's decline is to counter the opposite impression. Religion may be in the news a lot but not because there are more believers. There are fewer believers. In the near future we will have fewer and fewer believers, but they are likely to be more militant and a lot louder, constantly jumping up and down and demanding more and more tax payers money to subsidise their activities. Empty vessels...

[Man Farang]

I see in todays Times(15/02/07)
'Catholicism to become Britain's dominant religion'
It seems migrants are boosting the Catholic Church, a Church which is experiencing a slower rate of decline in England than the Protestant Churches.
In ROI migrants are boosting the small Protestant Churches.
The Methodist Church is enjoying growth in Ireland.

[leon]

I'd still prefer to see the [cross referenced] data before being overjoyed...and yes I can see the number of mosques reaching the thousands (I think they number something like 1200 or so now) whether it hits 4000 I admit is another matter...