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I think sometimes the addiction is used as a substitute for emotional intimacy. Granted, that's highly speculative re Born-agains, because I can't remember ever talking to one.
What might the psychological explanation be for people who seem to have transitioned from a very negative place in their lives (drugs, prison, alcoholism, depression, etc) to those who are so enamored with Jesus? One minute they're in horrible shape then, apparently after "hitting bottom" they are "reborn" and smiling and clean and joyful and spirited and happy and cheerful.
How is this explained psychologically?
There is no valid psychological explanation. The changes of which you speak usually take years of expensive counseling and much self effort.
The born again thing is a spiritual rebirth and a renewal that transforms a person literally overnight in many cases. Blame it on Jesus.
Religious belief stems from our inborn fear of death. Humans, as all living things, have a strong desire to survive under all circumstances, but only man is aware of death. Humans cannot logically rationalize death and religion provides a viable solution by promising eternal life. Religion, no matter how bizarre, is a simple but false solution to this conundrum. Another strong reason is the resolution of guilt. As humans, most have committed a wrong doing or two along the way. Our conscience seems to playback those indiscretions over and over. Religion offers a sense of forgiveness and therefore a false sense of peace.
One interesting case was a man I met who was troubled by his past. A US combat pilot he we responsible for the deaths of many. He had been divorced several times and once again found himself alone. He had also been an alcoholic but was now sober. He had been a devout Southern Baptist most of his life. I assumed he could not resolve his guilt. His resolution was to denounce God and without God there would be no hell and therefore nothing to fear.
If it were not for the threat of eternal damnation I doubt any religion would exist.
I am a born again Christian. There is no science to it. If you're looking for a psychological view, like a scientific view, I dont think there is one. It came to the point where I realized that my life was going downhill. I grew up in church and thought I had been born again. Yet, there was an emptiness, a lack of peace and purpose. I believed all my life that Jesus was Gods Son and had come to earth to take away my sin. But it didnt mean much, there was no change in my life to represent that knowledge. Born again is believing in Jesus death, burial and resurrection to the point that you choose to go a different direction. Instead of my way, Gods way (also known as repentance). It is not self-love, but in fact a very different thing. It is realizing that the emptiness, the hole in my heart can only be filled by God. It is realizing that God loved me first and gave his life for me. When you realize that it isn't some make believe story, it is a true account and there is much historical fact to back it up it changes your life. The fact Jesus was tortured and died so I didnt have to go to hell. It isn't some psychological mindset. If you aren't born again, it doesn't make sense, you can't grasp what I am saying, completely. The Bible explains that it won't make sense until you experience it. Until you realize that you are a sinner. You are unable to make it to heaven on your own. The only way is to believe in Jesus Christ, repent and be come born again.
Just FYI my husband and I are both born again. We are also both in college studying psychology. I am telling you this so you understand that we aren't coming from an uneducated mindset. It has nothing to do with changing ourselves once we decide to follow Jesus. It has everything to do with HIM changing US.
My family converted from nominal mainstream Christianity to ardent fundamentalism in the early 1960's because my oldest brother underwent an impressive (to my parents at the time anyway) personal transformation from drunken sot to boy scout under the aegis of a local Bible Church.
The rest of us did not have any particular life struggles but we were so concerned about my brother and so relieved and amazed at the transformation that we all signed on.
I now regard my brother as struggling to find himself and needing something to belong to and something larger than himself, etc. He could have accomplished the same thing by joining the Peace Corps or the Elks Lodge, IMO. He was not an addictive personality, so there was no biochemical impulse to hold him in the binge drinking culture of his Navy buddies. He just transferred his simplistic allegiance from the Navy to the church, and the church made different (and to our relief, less self destructive and more socially acceptable) demands upon him, that's all.
The church did throw him, and by extension, our whole family, a lifeline at the time. It did not provide us with a good overall abstraction to live by, at least not one which held up well relative to the real world, which is why I left it 3 or 4 decades later. It's one thing to run with a relatively better crowd and give up your worst misbehaviors, it's another to have a worldview that's rationally sound and compassionate.
I don't know how psychological religious belief is but socially, what people call "Born Again" - a term which I don't like - tend to be conservative in nature. Unfortunately, this is probably the main reason why too many Christians tend to be bigoted in their beliefs towards people that they have disagreements with - homosexuals, women who have had abortions. etc. FAR too many of them consider themselves to be "better" than most of the people in the world today.- hence the term "Holier than Thou".
Since Jesus Christ was/is a liberal, ALL Christians should be liberal in their thinking and in their behavior - but very few are.
As I said, I have no idea how this is psychological but...
It fills a hole or need being unmet in their life. It satisfies the desire to be loved, welcomed, feel special, and gives them hope, and can even serve as their escape.
If it helps people in their lives, fine but don't try to convert me and discuss it. I feel religion is a private experience.
"I was born right the first time."
Last edited by baileyvpotter; 09-29-2013 at 08:00 PM..
Reason: typo
Most of us have probably met Born Again Christians; and there may be other "Born Again" type people in other religions (I have never met any but my guess there probably are).
What might the psychological explanation be for people who seem to have transitioned from a very negative place in their lives (drugs, prison, alcoholism, depression, etc) to those who are so enamored with Jesus? One minute they're in horrible shape then, apparently after "hitting bottom" they are "reborn" and smiling and clean and joyful and spirited and happy and cheerful.
How is this explained psychologically?
Non believers cannot begin to grasp what faith means to those who have it. Why try to put everything into science -- the born agains don't claim that it's about science. And I'm not a born-again. I just know that you have to actually experience it to begin to understand what they experience.
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