Among elderly in the community of Sassenheim (The Netherlands) is examined whether protestants suffer more depressive symptoms than Roman Catholics and non-church members. Taken into account are salience of religion among the chronic diseased and, in a second sample, a measure of traditionality of belief-contents (orthodoxy). Concluded is that a depressogenic effect of protestantism can be detected among those elderly who do not consider religion to be salient and who disagree with a traditional content of belief.