London - Increased life expectancy is to blame for dwindling church attendances, according to researchers.
They say that longer lifespans bring with them the temptation to put off making peace with one’s maker.
Not only do the young in wealthy nations begrudge spending a large proportion of their life at church, they see ittle point when death seems so far away.
The controversial theory could help explain why church attendances are falling in many western nations, including the UK, and why the elderly make up such a large proportion of many congregations.
In Britain, only 15 percent of people go to church at least once a month.
And with over-65s accounting for more than a quarter of regular churchgoers, churches are desperately trying to reach a younger audience.
The Church of England, for example, has in the past resorted to radio adverts featuring rap-style poems and using a slogan that described Christmas as a “bad hair day” for the Virgin Mary.
But the researchers behind the latest study say that rather than putting all their energy into trying to make religion trendy, churches would do better to try to recruit more pensioners, who have more to gain from religion.
The theory comes from a team at St Andrews University and the University of East Anglia who applied some of the principles of economics to the psychology of churchgoing.
Costs, such as impact on social life and bank balance, were weighed against benefits, such as a ticket to the afterlife, at different stages in life. The results of this cost-benefit analysis led the researchers to conclude that as living conditions improve and lives get longer, young people simply have too much to lose by going to church year after year.
The promise of life after death, however, leaves the elderly with a lot to gain.
Researcher Dr Elissaios Papyrakis said: “We show that higher life expectancy discounts expected benefits in the afterlife and is therefore likely to lead to postponement of religiosity, without necessarily jeopardising benefits in the afterlife.
“For this reason, religious organisations should be prepared to accept and attract a ‘greying church’, with membership skewed towards the older generation, particularly in countries which have high life expectancy.”
Writing in the International Journal of Social Economics, the researchers say churches keen to appeal to the young should play down salvation and focus on the benefits of churchgoing, such as making friends or enhancing social status.
They add: “Spiritual benefits include fulfilment gained by those who seek it; spiritual and mental strength to face challenges and tribulations; comfort in times of trouble and guidance through preaching and scripture about how to live and make decisions.”
A Church of England spokesman said the study “made a number of assumptions about why Christians want to share their faith”.
He added: “Age really isn’t the important thing. It is the duty of every Christian to share the good news of the gospel with those who haven’t heard it, irrespective of age.” - Daily Mail