Communities with beautiful scenery, weather have lower rates of religious affiliation

Public Release: 5-Aug-2015
Communities with beautiful scenery, weather have lower rates of religious affiliation
Natural amenities offer 'connections to the sacred' and compete with religious congregations, Baylor study finds
Baylor University

Counties in the United States with more beautiful weather and scenery have lower rates of membership and affiliation with religious organizations, according to a Baylor University study.

"Beautiful weather, mountains and waterfronts can serve as conduits to the sacred, just like traditional religious congregations," said lead author Todd W. Ferguson, a doctoral candidate in sociology in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences.

But the research is not necessarily a measure of whether enjoying the great outdoors tempts people away from going to a place of worship on a lovely weekend, Ferguson said. And "we're not claiming that residents in areas richer with natural amenities are more likely to create a 'Church of nature,'" he said.

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Just as natural amenities may be an economic commodity to attract tourists, new residents and development, they also may be spiritual resources for a portion of the population -- and compete with traditional local religious organizations.

For some, nature may enhance what they find in membership or identification with a religious organization -- and many traditional religious groups are likely to encourage people to use the environment for spiritual expression.

Then there are the religious "nones" -- those who do not identify with any religious tradition but are not necessarily atheists or agnostics -- who may find something of the divine in forests, lakes and mountains.

"When a person hikes in a forest to connect with the sacred, that individual may not feel a need to affiliate with a religious group because spiritual demands are being met," Ferguson said.

Some "nones" even may adhere to a nature-based spirituality.

Regardless of why people may turn to nature, it does not have time constraints, while many congregations or other organizations meet only specific hours of the week, researchers said.

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