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Becoming an atheist was a direct cause of depression for me, for whatever my one case was/is worth. The Center for Inquiry, headquartered near me in Amherst NY, runs a 'recovery from religion' support group on Monday nights, suggesting perhaps that I'm not alone at least in the department of struggling to adjust to life without doctrinally provided meaning. (I've never attended; I'm just aware of the group's existence).
The one link I provided earlier, the one about the review of 93 studies on the relationship between religion and mental health, is overall consistent with mordant's claim, although correlation isn't causation and no mention was made of new deconverts in particular (although the notion that losing religion can be disconcerting as well as liberating, apart even from my own experience, is fairly commonsensical)
It would be interesting comparing depression with life time atheists, new atheists from strict religious families and new atheists from luke warm religious upbringings. The OP could have been the start of an interesting discussion except he took the findings of one study of a sub group of people, went beyond what the study claimed and then extrapolated it to mean things that were just not in the study at all.
It would be interesting comparing depression with life time atheists, new atheists from strict religious families and new atheists from luke warm religious upbringings. The OP could have been the start of an interesting discussion except he took the findings of one study of a sub group of people, went beyond what the study claimed and then extrapolated it to mean things that were just not in the study at all.
I have witnessed a strong religious belief helping someone through depression and grief. My son's mother.
The better question is, if God is real, why doesn't he do something to stop all of these suicides? Why not show himself to these people who are so down on life they want it to end? Why let them all kill themselves, when he could just show them the light and stop it?
As the other poster said, it is as if he doesn't exist. Or maybe he just doesn't care?
Or maybe sometimes man suffers the consequences of their or others free will choices. Nobody is responsible for their choices anymore- it's Gods fault, right?
Or maybe sometimes man suffers the consequences of their or others free will choices. Nobody is responsible for their choices anymore- it's Gods fault, right?
That would be fair IF one credits God with everything that is good. And I think most people on this forum who blame God for the bad are not really doing so as they do not believe in him but simply reacting to the comments about how God is responsible for all the good stuff we see or do.
04-26-2016, 12:32 PM
2K5Gx2km
n/a posts
Yeah because the only people who commit suicide are atheists.
Blame God for man using his free will- makes alot of sense.
Sigh, it's been asked before, but...
...the example you're giving here is in reply to someone saying 20,000 children would starve that day.
In what way is it the child's free will that s/he starve?
As far as the "blame God" part, well...he made us specifically to do all this stuff and in fact, must have foreseen every single piece of it if he's all-knowing and must have directed things in that way if he's all-powerful so...well, yep. Blame God would be about right, if we're to assign blame here. I mean...LOL. That's some pretty elementary stuff right there.
So...is there a question here?
Quote:
Or maybe sometimes man suffers the consequences of their or others free will choices. Nobody is responsible for their choices anymore- it's Gods fault, right?
Again, given the above and assuming God is both all-knowing and all-powerful and indeed, nothing and no act and no feeling and no anything could exist without God having specifically created it to be exactly the way it is, yes, correct.
...the example you're giving here is in reply to someone saying 20,000 children would starve that day.
In what way is it the child's free will that s/he starve?
As far as the "blame God" part, well...he made us specifically to do all this stuff and in fact, must have foreseen every single piece of it if he's all-knowing and must have directed things in that way if he's all-powerful so...well, yep. Blame God would be about right, if we're to assign blame here. I mean...LOL. That's some pretty elementary stuff right there.
So...is there a question here?
Again, given the above and assuming God is both all-knowing and all-powerful and indeed, nothing and no act and no feeling and no anything could exist without God having specifically created it to be exactly the way it is, yes, correct.
We suffer consequences due to others free will choices. I believe because of my experience with God in my life. I do not try to figure Him, other people or circumstances out. I trust Him completely. Neither I nor you nor anyone is capable of figuring God out. In fact, He tells us that. If you wait to belleive until you completely understand- you never will.
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