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In that case it is clearly a case of material needs not being made. What happens when families can't get enough food to feed their family, and the choice is to starve or sell your child? In that case, religion probably does provide some comfort that no matter how terrible this life is, there might be more. It may be better to live in a delusion in that case.
So material needs need to be met in addition to mental health needs, absolutely.
I think it would be helpful to identify the needs that make one turn to religion. Then we can determine if a particular mental health program will address those needs.
You mentioned material security and mental security. Mental health may take a slower approach such as through the concept of personal responsibility. Religion can provide immediate relief through a community because there is a shared belief on how life should be.
What do you think are the needs that make one turn to religion?
You mention how mental health treatments may take longer to act that the immediate benefit of a religious community. I think that is true for treatments. But I am also talking about children learning good mental health practices from a young age, so they don't fall into psychological pit as much - prophylactic mental health treatments if you like.
Give that religion doesn't always afford support, and can sometimes make the problem worse. For example gay person who is depressed is not going to get much help at his local catholic church where the priest thinks same sex relationships are sinful. Religion is like to make it worse.
If we can take the positive of religion, and remove the negatives, I think we will be left with something great.
What do you think are the needs that make one turn to religion?
You mention how mental health treatments may take longer to act that the immediate benefit of a religious community. I think that is true for treatments. But I am also talking about children learning good mental health practices from a young age, so they don't fall into psychological pit as much - prophylactic mental health treatments if you like.
Give that religion doesn't always afford support, and can sometimes make the problem worse. For example gay person who is depressed is not going to get much help at his local catholic church where the priest thinks same sex relationships are sinful. Religion is like to make it worse.
If we can take the positive of religion, and remove the negatives, I think we will be left with something great.
I think you just described humanity too, without the need to supplement with religion.
Yes, I added the caveat of material security in a couple of the posts above but didn't mention that in my OP. If people don't have their material needs met, then their mental health is also likely to be affected. So I think both material security and mental health are needed for humans, if that is achieved, fewer people may need to turn to religion.
There is already some evidence of an inverse correlation between material security and religion - with more economically developed countries being less religious. I was wondering if we would see a similar relationship with mental health development.
Mental health is being made more of a priority, which is great. Material security is a bit turbulent now, but if society finds a way to continue the improvement in material security we have generally seen over the last 100 years, then together with the improvement in mental health, we may see a corresponding decline in religion. That is my hypothesis at least. Not a complete replacement of religion for sure - just less of a need for it.
At 12 y.o. one of my friends told me that it was easier for my family to believe in god than his, since we were extremely poor and needed it to survive. A correlation, it seems, is evident even to children.
At 12 y.o. one of my friends told me that it was easier for my family to believe in god than his, since we were extremely poor and needed it to survive. A correlation, it seems, is evident even to children.
Correlation is not causation, something children may not understand but adults should. The powerful wealthy country of USA has the widest income gap of all western countries. In my high income town the other day, on main street, i met a veteran, a young man with one arm, begging for money. Religion did not cause the wealth gap. Greed does. Check Pew Research.
Correlation is not causation, something children may not understand but adults should. The powerful wealthy country of USA has the widest income gap of all western countries. In my high income town the other day, on main street, i met a veteran, a young man with one arm, begging for money. Religion did not cause the wealth gap. Greed does. Check Pew Research.
And your objection to my comment demonstrates that clearly you still don't understand the difference. Nor the difference between belief in god vs. relgion.
And your objection to my comment demonstrates that clearly you still don't understand the difference. Nor the difference between belief in god vs. relgion.
that is not a response. it is an attempt to derail the thread. this thread is about religion being mental health.
In that case it is clearly a case of material needs not being made. What happens when families can't get enough food to feed their family, and the choice is to starve or sell your child? In that case, religion probably does provide some comfort that no matter how terrible this life is, there might be more. It may be better to live in a delusion in that case.
So material needs need to be met in addition to mental health needs, absolutely.
I heard a discussion of the story on CNN. And it's an example of how religion will sometimes accept disgusting norms.
that is not a response. it is an attempt to derail the thread. this thread is about religion being mental health.
And you are doing a fine job of demonstrating the correlation between religion and mental health. I appreciate your willingness to participate in this study.
I would just like to point out that the OP asks "can", not "should".
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I appreciate your willingness to participate in this study.
