A Debate: Believing in God is Psychologically Healthy

Daniel, Annie, Chase, and John. AKA Group 5

The “Not” Perspective

• “Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.”-Thomas Paine

-Sometimes one can be led toward negative tendencies.

Denying oneself of healthy pursuits such as finding love, starting a career, etc.

One may come to bias, or favoring certain people based on their beliefs, and whether or not they coincide with one’s own.

Still “Not”…

Looking back through history… -Crusades-Inquisitions-Native American culture destruction Not exactly the coolest events!What this means is…

Assumption?

• When people think they know what God is saying, and that everyone else is wrong…bad things happen. i.e. previous page.

• People believe so strongly in something that they condemn, torture, and kill other people, sometimes in mass quantities.

Mixed Messages

• As an example, Christianity: God is described as being wrathful and punishing, an angry being.

• God is described as being a kind, loving, and benevolent being.

• Are you confused? Some people tend to get that way.

Fear: A Powerful Tool?

• Belief in a wrathful God can lead an individual to unhealthy levels of fear.

• To do what God wants, people have to deny themselves, and they feel guilty if they are unable to do so.

• Corrupt people can use God as a means of personal gain and power at the expense of others.

Intermission/Idyllic Phase…

Ok, now for “Is Perspective”

• One who believes in God is aware of the depth in life and has a passion for living.

• Individuals not believing in God tend to have a “hunger” or hole in their lives.

Healing

• Belief in God tends to work when nothing else is going right.

• Provides comfort. “Everything’s gonna be ok.”

• Therapeutic.

Freud

• Father of psychoanalysis, believed religion to be fully psychological, a neurosis we create for ourselves because we cannot cope without.

Carl Jung-famous psychologist

• Believed that a “religious perspective” was so vital in his patients that he could not treat them without.

• WOW.

If God is merciful…

• People are taught to mimic the goodness of God, to be compassionate, merciful, and forgiving.

• And this is healthy.

Believing In God Via Spirituality

• Spiritual people tend to be less stressed, have better health, and live longer lives as a result.

Meaning

• Believing in God and what he stands for provides a meaning for living, and gives direction for an individual’s life to take.

Her life has meaning!

Works Cited

Elkins, David. Spirituality. 1999. Psychology Today. 18 Oct. 2004 <http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles

Schaffer, Art. Six Avoidance of Negatives. 1987-2004. Eclectic Church. 18 Oct. 2004 http://eclecticchurch.org/