America Needs to Bring Back God

Families breaking down. High rates of loneliness and anxiety. Skyrocketing drug addiction and violent crime. The United States is facing a number of serious issues that are eroding it to the core and breaking Americans’ spirits. More than ever, you hear people saying we live in “crazy times” and they are hopeless about the future.

What happened?

There’s a lot of evidence to suggest a simple explanation: We turned our backs on one of the greatest sources of human happiness: God.

According to Gallup, belief in God among Americans dipped to 81 percent in 2022, which was a new low. This trend is especially prevalent among young people; 18 percent of Gen Zers identify as either atheist or agnostic, compared to only 9 percent of baby boomers and 4 percent of the silent generation. Young people are also less likely to join a religion, with 34 percent saying they are unaffiliated, compared to 18 percent of baby boomers and 9 percent of the silent generation.

Clearly, as time goes on, we are becoming a less God-focused, religious nation.

But that doesn’t mean we are living without worship. Human nature dictates that we need something to worship, of course. Our new false gods are social media, money, pop culture, politics … and ourselves.

Are we any happier with our new idols?

It doesn’t look that way. The same year that belief in God hit a new low, so did happiness among Americans.

You know who still consistently reports high levels of happiness? Religious people, who also tend to be more civically engaged, drink and smoke less, and live longer.

While some may argue that religious practice isn’t a necessary component of belief in God, it’s my belief that you need both belief and practice to find fulfillment.

How do I know?

Americans are turning to junk food and TikTok or going to the club and binging TV to try to make themselves happy. While these things may be fun in the moment, they don’t result in true happiness,. They are an attempt to fill the hole an absence of religious practice has left in their lives.

The crumbling of America is directly correlated with the crumbling of our belief in God—and in ourselves.

We don’t have to accept that. It’s not too late to turn this ship around.

Religious leaders should take a proactive approach, speaking to people in a thoughtful, non-judgmental way about the benefits of religion, encouraging them to partake in religious activities. Here’s the approach: Show people how belief can help them with their everyday problems. People are anxious, lonely, and isolated. Religion can help with all of that.

If they are anxious about a new job, they can turn to God and hand their stress over to Him. If they need someone to talk to because they’re lonely, they can call a religious leader and know that someone cares. If they want to make friends, they can go to events, and if they want to feel good, they can give back to their community through volunteering.

It’s up to us, those who believe in God and practice religion to show those who do not the benefits of our lifestyle. We have a community to turn to in times of need. We have friends who are on the same page. We believe in marriage, in building families, which brings us the ultimate joy in life. And when things go wrong, we know that God is good and we can rely on Him. He is there for us; we just have to call out to Him. We must strengthen our relationship with Him and our faith.

Bringing back God to America won’t solve all of our problems, but it will give people hope—something that we are sorely lacking right now. It will provide them with a set of morals, with community, with comfort. And that’s what we need right now, more than ever.

I pray that Americans embrace God once again, and find all the beauty that belief has to offer.

Kylie Ora Lobell is president of KOL Digital Marketing, a marketing, PR, and ghostwriting firm for business owners, non-profit organizations, and high-profile influencers. She can be found on X: @kylieoralobell.