Is God an Anti-Depressant?

[mopaul]

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=435412&page=1

"Generally, religious people have a positive view of the world," said Koenig. "They believe they are here for a reason. They see a purpose and a meaning in their life and have hope."

Studies show that under severely stressful conditions, religious people also cope better.

"They feel that God is with them and gives them strength," said Koenig.

[saltpoint]

1. As with any drug, there is a risk of overdose.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. "Ignorance is bliss" too....

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. actually,

anyone, a believer or a non believer, can work with everyday depression (as opposed to long term clinical depression) by monitoring and regulating the breath.

[illflem]

4. Having your own personal imaginary friend

goes a long way in coping with depression.

[rzemanfl]

7. I gave up my imaginary friend when I was five. n/t

[HysteryDiagnosis]

16. I liked this personal imaginary friend.... alot.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068680/

[htuttle]

5. No, 'God is a concept by which we measure our pain'

Pot is an anti-depressant.

[rzemanfl]

6. Didn't Marx or Lenin say that religion was "the opiate of the

masses?" Governments have been using God as an excuse to shit on their citizens for millennia.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

8. Marx

Religion is the opiate of the masses.
Karl Marx, Urban Dictionary, under "Religion."
German economist & Communist political philosopher (1818 - 1883

[BlueEyedSon]

12. Damn, I thought it was TV!

[TahitiNut]

9. I'd say a habit of "counting blessings" is an anti-depressant.

We humans are "evidence collectors" - we tend to look for things that confirm our POV or which relate to our personal experience. In some cases it's like the "yellow Volkswagon syndrome" (you never noticed how many there were until you bought one).

Possibly nothing (other than our reproductive drives) is as well-developed as our "threat detection systems" - which operate even in the absence of threats. Those 'systems' drive us to be aware of the negative, I believe, and as we experience more and more stress in our day-to-day lives, we tend to amplify our threat detectors. Emotional balance can be served by balancing such radar with 'blessing detectors' - wiggle the toes, smell the roses, rub the fuzzy blanket against the cheek.

I find that 'mindfulness meditation' is particularly effective for me.

[leesa]

10. Every Fundie I know seems to be very depressed. I know not all are,

but it sure seems thay have unhappy marriages, troubled children and lots of comments about how hard life is. I'm not sure if this is what brought them to Fundamentalism or if it is the rigidity that is difficult to live with.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

11. because their God is an angry god...

who "punishes sinners" and has lots of rules that define a 'good person'

My God is a god of love, compassion, and truth.
Short rule list too:
1.Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
That covers it.

[El Fuego]

26. Churches are like hospitals, full of the sick.

I think some people go to church because they have a spiritual malaise.

[Eurobabe]

13. I have nothing against spirituality, what I have

against these religious freakazoids is that they give up their ability to change anything. It's a type of laziness. It's weak and powerless.

Let's just pray and GOD will take care of it.

No thanks, I prefer to try to change things for the better instead of waiting for things to get better.

[noel711]

14. No

Sometimes struggling with faith issues is depressing. Faith doesn't make things easier, nor does it make sense. Anyone who lives that way has been drinking kool-aid. Scripture reveals many anguished folks who stayed the course with God, yet didn't have easy live: the prophet Elijah, King Saul, the prophet Ezekiel, John of Patmos...
all had depression, and may even have had bizarre hallucinations.

[Az]

15. Generally people that believe in gods also belong to strong social groups

We are social creatures. Those of us that lack a belief in gods also tend to reject the social groups that advocate their belief as well. This leaves us with no organised social structure to associate with. It is quite well known that social creatures cut off from social contact can suffer emotionally and health wise as well.

The added benefit of the sense of certainty also can lend strength. It very well may be a placebo effect. A patient that is certain the cure will work often performs better than one that has no such treatment.

Personally I am looking to create a social group for nonbelievers that embraces the beneficial aspects of belief systems with none of the dogma or required belief. It is a bit like herding cats of course. But I believe the struggle is worth while.

[immoderate]

17. I believe the Ethical Culture Society sought to fill that role.

I know that Isaac Azimov attended their meetings in New York. Any relation?

--IMM

[Az]

20. Heh, Don't get me started on Azimov

He was pres of the American Humanist Association. He was also a pig. Seriously sexist.

There are a number of organisations that have formed. The Humanists and others focused on ethics and such seem to be a close match. But they often get caught up in the factionalisim caused by Madeline Murray and the American Atheists.

The trouble is the structure needs to be a positive one and not simply bond together by the common rejection of another's belief. This is where the cat herding problem comes into play.

It is a bit of a gordian knot.

[TWiley]

18. Community is really what causes the effect.

Even cockroaches suffer if they cannot tap their little antenna off another's every so often.

Religion tends to excommunicate groups of people as they naturally divide between the "holy" and the "heathen".

This religious abuse places the "cursed ones" in a living hell as they must cope with the status of outcast. Excommunication was among the worst punishments to be bestowed on those who violated the church leaders prejudices.

Christians have created this hell for homosexuals, single mothers, members of other religions, and liberal democrats to name a few.

They attract religious members out of the fear of becoming cast as one of the "others".

In many ways, religion is the cause of many of our social ills, as well as some forms of mental illness.

[kwassa]

19. Already exists

AZ:
"Personally I am looking to create a social group for nonbelievers that embraces the beneficial aspects of belief systems with none of the dogma or required belief. It is a bit like herding cats of course."

Perfect two-sentence description of a Unitarian "church", right down to herding cats. I grew up in such a church.

[Az]

22. I am a member myself

However even UU Churches can be chilling places for some atheists. This is unfortunate but a fact. The problem with UU Churches is they are very congregational specific. If the congregation has a god meme moving through it or some other paranormal attachment it can create an environment unintentionally oppressive to a skeptic.

That aside I generally recommend UU Churches to atheists when they are seeking something. But I suspect that we still would benefit from a positive place of our own. Something to take the edge off.

[kwassa]

23. I am chilled for the opposite reason

It is/was a place where God or a belief in God was never mentioned, which is an interesting concept in a "Church". I still wonder why Unitarians keep the format of a Protestent church service when it has none of the content.

I recieved such little Christian education there that I was an adult before I found out that Easter was meant to celebrate Christ rising from the dead.

I disagree with your idea that it is the sense of community only that provokes longer life, I do believe it is in the worship of something divine that is the key, regardless of what that concept is, as a serious practice that makes people happier and prolongs life.

[Az]

24. Tradition brings comfort

Familiarity. A traditional service can seem like an old friend to some. Of course UU Churches also specialise in the thrill of meeting new friends and thus throw a curve ball sometimes.

I attempted to convey that belief in and of itself of some things can provide a health boost. A mind that is certain of support will have a more positive outlook on some things. But there is strength in self reliance as well. There are many paths in this world.

[kwassa]

25. There are many paths

and I am open to most of them.

The key to a belief in the divine, however, is simply the recognition that there is something greater than our individual selves, and our individual powers, as self-reliant as we might be. A belief in the divine does not contradict self-reliance. It is simply a way of contemplating that which is beyond our ability to definitely know at this time. Since knowledge is infinite, this will be true for all mankind at any point in history, that there is a always great deal more that we can't definitely know now.

To have faith is to believe there is value in this contemplation.

I see most religions as approximations of a theory of the nature of the greater unknown at the time they were made.

[shrike]

28. I'm Catholic and I agree with much of your argument

Any religion or belief system is man's attempt to know the unknowable.

[Az]

30. This would be what you take from your belief

But it is not the only perception available and it is not the only interpretation of that particular path either. The experiences we each have define our view of the world. They impact what has meaning to us and what is insignificant to us. What may be of import to you may have no bearing on reality or anothers opinion. But that it has meaning to you is all that matters. The same is true for us all.

[kwassa]

31. it is not all infinitely subjective, however

We also learn from experiences that are not empirically our own. We learn from stories, most importantly, the way much human knowledge has been transmitted throughout long historical ages. We also learn, as hard as this might be to hear, from experiences that are not entirely rational, but are experientially true. Many of the important things in our lives, such as love and relationships, we know as important though the connection is sometimes quite irrational.

An important point worth considering is that all human cultures have created religions. Each has usually been developed within a certain geographic area during a certain era. It has been an agreed-upon notion of the universe as seen by that culture. The fact that all cultures have developed them says something intrinsic about the human character, I think. This would appear to be a central human need.

It could also be argued that atheism, or scientific rationality, or the scientific method itself is simply another belief system, characteristic of this time and place we now live in, that in themselves might be replaced by other future beliefs, as clearer representations of the truth present themselves.

[shrike]

27. A very dumb question

Why call it a church if atheists, agnostics, deists and the like are members? To me, a church means religion, and if DU is any indication, atheists are by nature anti-religion AND all its symbols (or downright hostile, if "imaginary friend" comments like the ones on this thread to be believed.)

I'm not dissing Unitarianism; from what I've seen they seem to be on the right side of things. I guess I just don't get the concept. Shouldn't they just call themselves a fellowship?

[Az]

29. Some do

But a Church and religion does not have to have the trappings set down by more orthodox belief systems. The word religion can be applied to any manner of group that forms around a shared set of ideals or agenda.

[kwassa]

32. I don't think so

Az:
"The word religion can be applied to any manner of group that forms around a shared set of ideals or agenda."

It would be an abuse of the word to do so.

This would make Democrats a religion, or Socialist a religion, or an NFL team a religion, or a trade association a religion, or .....

[ultraist]

38. Einstein would agree with you

Most people view religion to include supernatural beings and mysticism. Einstein's view on this differs in the sense that he describes "faith" and "religious feeling" differently than do the churches. Einstein did not believe in any supernatural beings.

Although Einstein rejected religion at an early age, he did appreciate the "awe" of contemplating something larger than humankind. For him, it was the universal laws of Science. He did NOT believe in a "Creator" or "God" as in Judaism or Christianity.

http://condor.stcloudstate.edu/~lesikar/einstein/relig2.html
Einstein quote:
"In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it. We thus arrive at a conception of the relation of science to religion very different from the usual one. When one views the matter historically, one is inclined to look upon science and religion as irreconcilable antagonists, and for a very obvious reason. The man who is thoroughly convinced of the universal operation of the law of causation cannot for a moment entertain the idea of a being who interferes in the course of events - provided, of course, that he takes the hypothesis of causality really seriously. He has no use for the religion of fear and equally little for social or moral religion. A God who rewards and punishes is inconceivable to him for the simple reason that a man's actions are determined by necessity, external and internal, so that in God's eyes he cannot be responsible, any more than an inanimate object is responsible for the motions it undergoes. Science has therefore been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hopes of reward after death.It is therefore easy to see why the churches have always fought science and persecuted its devotees.On the other hand, I maintain that the cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research. Only those who realize the immense efforts and, above all, the devotion without which pioneer work in theoretical science cannot be achieved are able to grasp the strength of the emotion out of which alone such work, remote as it is from the immediate realities of life, can issue. What a deep conviction of the rationality of the universe and what a yearning to understand, were it but a feeble reflection of the mind revealed in this world, Kepler and Newton must have had to enable them to spend years of solitary labor in disentangling the principles of celestial mechanics! Those whose acquaintance with scientific research is derived chiefly from its practical results easily develop a completely false notion of the mentality of the men who, surrounded by a skeptical world, have shown the way to kindred spirits scattered wide through the world and through the centuries. Only one who has devoted his life to similar ends can have a vivid realization of what has inspired these men and given them the strength to remain true to their purpose in spite of countless failures. It is cosmic religious feeling that gives a man such strength. A contemporary has said, not unjustly, that in this materialistic age of ours the serious scientific workers are the only profoundly religious people."

[TWiley]

21. Depression can be a biological condition that needs

to be medically treated. Clinical depression will not respond long to the "faith-healers" efforts.

[sonicx]

33. Doesn't seem to work for my mom very well...

[mopaul]

34. my mom is born again, but fairly miserable

and always wishing she would go see god. weird.

[kiraboo]

35. There is situational depression, and then there is DEPRESSION.

We all have to deal with the former and I'm certain that faith helps people dealing with tough times. But, having had both (nondenominational) faith and clinical depression, I can tell you that God disappears when depression gets bad. I was treated and have not been severely depressed in over a decade, but the effect of the episode on my faith was tremendous; that is, I have more questions now, and more doubts.

[Ladyhawk]

36. In the fundy view of things, religion causes guilt and fear, then...

...assuages it somewhat. But you're never quite good enough, so you have to keep confessing your sings? Why? Because two naked, fruit-munching simpletons put the stain of original sin on your soul and you'll never ever be good enough no matter what you do.

It's ridiculous, but the fundies believe it wholeheartedly.

-Ladyhawk, ex-fundy

[SOteric]

37. Anecdotal perceptions of my own...

From the time I spent on a cancer ward contemplating my own death; I observed that those who were without a religious faith seemed most profoundly miserable regardless of age, family and friends and personal legacy.

It didn't seem enough to have made connections, raised a family, left a legacy.

Any supposition on my part as to why would be sheer speculation.

I only observe that there were exceptionally few without faith who met the notion of their own mortality with anything like dignity, or their treatments with anything approaching hope. :shrug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

39. I agree with the poster who differentiated the two types of depression

There's clinical depression--the kind caused by body chemistry regardless of your external circumstances. Nothing--religion, atheism, chocolate, having your team win--helps except getting your body chemistry recalibrated with drugs.

I know. I've had it.

There's situational depression, caused by something bad happening to you or, in some cases, having fallen into the habit of negative thoughts. For that kind of depression, not only the community offered by religious groups, but also some of the practices, especially meditation, prayer, and singing, have an uplifting effect. I also enjoy the flow of the liturgy and the "vibes" that are produced when a group of people has gathered for a beneficial common purpose.