Belief in Benevolent God Aids Depression Care
Posted on: February 24, 2010 - 9:54am
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Belief in Benevolent God Aids Depression Care
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsFTgirKXHk
Right. And the depressed religious people who didn't get better probably didn't believe hard enough.
I never claimed this study was an argument for God's existence. It is an argument for the benefit of believing He exists.
any number of things can mitigate depression, depending on one's temperament. as i've said before, a purely pragmatic utilization of zen buddhism has been the best treatment for my depression. it satisfies my aesthetically "spiritual" side while affirming the lack of any teleology in existence. it "preaches" annihilation as the highest good and that has been incredibly liberating. i was never more depressed than when i was as a christian, regardless of whether it was my scofield bible-thumping fundy days or my enlightened "moderate" days.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
Being in the middle of a major depressive episode, I can tell you that knowing someone, anyone, cares is helpful. I can imagine if you have no faith in friends and family caring for you, believing in a god/s/dess who always cares may be an okay substitute for some people. I feel sorry for people who have no other support system but an imaginary friend. I am very grateful for friends and family who are supporting me at this time. Hey, HIRE ME, I'll feel so much better, no imaginary friend required.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
I hope you feel better soon. Yes, caring family and friends is a wonderful thing.
Unfortunately, sociological comparisons suggest that that anything that increases levels of irrational belief decreases the overall functionality of the society, thereby increasing the need for such consolation. It's almost a vicious cycle. So poor societies are often highly religious, and it helps them cope, thereby helping to justify their religiosity, while locking the country into poverty and under-development.
But more enlightened/educated and less religious societies as in Western Europe tend to make more intelligent decisions about running the nation and so tend to achieve higher living standards and lower levels of stress and depression.
Its not an absolute relationship, but there does seem to be a quite significant correlation.
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
So do lobotomies.