How I feel about my atheism and why I'd encourage religion

[Mudhammam]

What condescending nonsense. So instead, we should encourage the depressed person to continue suppressing their intellectual faculties despite the fact that their imaginary friend "GOD" has failed to see them through the depression? At some point we should be honest with them, ya know since we usually appreciate others who are honest with us, and say, "Look, maybe God isn't working to heal your depression because God isn't real. But once you own up to the facts of reality, including why you're depressed, then maybe you can find the real root of your issues and deal with them."

I think it depends on the individual person and what they expect from God. If someone just asks God to cure them while refusing medication and therapy it's not going to be useful.

Therapy and medication don't work in five minutes, though. I know this for a fact from when I was depressed because I was given an anti-depressant and told it could take up to 2 weeks before it had any effect. If someone asks God to give them the strength to get through each day until the medication starts working it might be useful as a placebo.

I have a brother who has struggled with severe depression for over a decade. He's been in out and mental hospitals and I can attest that his committed religiosity in Jesus has done little to heal him, though he does claim that he would have probably killed himself if it wasn't for his faith.

And therein lies the problem. He doesn't accept that it has been HIS STRENGTH, HIS WILL TO SURVIVE because religion keeps the weak weak and the poor poor under the illusion that such a state is a blessing or a gift by God for his "mysterious purposes."