The article didn't go deeply into exactly what was being measured and how it was measured. This can only lead to meandering speculation on the subject, which I will proceede to do next. 
If the religion being studied is Pentecostalism then the religious trance they put themselves into in the services is like a drug. Often Pentecostals go to church at least twice a week. The good feeling obtained from the activities at church is very short lived.
Hope for the hopeless: For some people prayer and promise renews hope. For other's it's a great way to abdicate responsibility. A common catch phrase in churches is "just let go and let god". Regular acts of abdication of responsibility make people feel good. It can be absolutely horrible for their personal problems but it can make you feel good. When you let go, god will fix everything. No need to see what you can do to fix things or accept any blame for the problem.
To expand on that latter bit, when bad things happen then it's Satan's fault. Just pray this away, boot out the devil, blah blah blah. In prosperity doctrine churches you can give god money and he will cause a "miracle breakthrough" to happen for you. This works to make people feel good because they have somehow actively manipulated the situation to work in their favor (instead of actually making better choices which works much better). It's a way to get what you want (so they think) without having to grow up.
Not all churches are this bad. The prosperity doctrine and pentacostal churches are known for this behavior.
Now that I have satisfied the desire to speculate I will quit typing. BTW I will be away for the weekend so there will be no posting for me for a few days.
If the religion being studied is Pentecostalism then the religious trance they put themselves into in the services is like a drug. Often Pentecostals go to church at least twice a week. The good feeling obtained from the activities at church is very short lived.
Hope for the hopeless: For some people prayer and promise renews hope. For other's it's a great way to abdicate responsibility. A common catch phrase in churches is "just let go and let god". Regular acts of abdication of responsibility make people feel good. It can be absolutely horrible for their personal problems but it can make you feel good. When you let go, god will fix everything. No need to see what you can do to fix things or accept any blame for the problem.
To expand on that latter bit, when bad things happen then it's Satan's fault. Just pray this away, boot out the devil, blah blah blah. In prosperity doctrine churches you can give god money and he will cause a "miracle breakthrough" to happen for you. This works to make people feel good because they have somehow actively manipulated the situation to work in their favor (instead of actually making better choices which works much better). It's a way to get what you want (so they think) without having to grow up.
Not all churches are this bad. The prosperity doctrine and pentacostal churches are known for this behavior.
Now that I have satisfied the desire to speculate I will quit typing. BTW I will be away for the weekend so there will be no posting for me for a few days.
I have studied the Bible and the theology behind Christianity for many years. I have been to many churches. I have walked the depth and the breadth of the religion and, as a result of this, I have a lot of bullshit to scrape off the bottom of my shoes. ~Ziploc Surprise
