You're unhinged

[Foxaèr]

Many people find comfort in religious faith, but a provocative new study links certain beliefs with emotional problems. The study, published April 10 in the Journal of Religion & Health, showed that people who believe in an angry, vengeful god are more likely to suffer from social anxiety, paranoia, obsessional thinking, and compulsions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/24...97025.html

[thesummerqueen]

This has been discussed several times on the Reasonable Doubts podcast. I recommend anyone who likes learning about religion to listen to that 'cast. They've got some great guys and discuss some great studies.

[Faith No More]

Wow, I am super interested in reading that paper, but 40 USD? Fuck me.

As someone who suffers from emotional problems and spent many hours with all kinds of different people that did too, I found it fascinating how differently the believers and non-believers approached their problems.

[frz]

Many people find comfort in religious faith, but a provocative new study links certain beliefs with emotional problems. The study, published April 10 in the Journal of Religion & Health, showed that people who believe in an angry, vengeful god are more likely to suffer from social anxiety, paranoia, obsessional thinking, and compulsions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/24...97025.html

As I suspected. Glass to know the work is being done on recognising these issues.

[L.A.F.]

First of all, thank you for the link.

Next, I want to stress a part of the article you posted:
"The study looked only at the correlation between beliefs and mental health and not at causality, so the study's take-away message is subject to interpretation."
(...) "We don't know whether it was the poorer mental health (anxiety, paranoia) that caused subjects to perceive God as punitive, or whether it was the view of God as punitive that caused the poor mental health," Dr. Robert Koenig (...) told The Huffington Post in an email."

In other words, I do think that the phrase 'correlation does not imply causation' can be used here as a critical side note.

[DeistPaladin]

Not surprising. Believers will mold their god to reflect their own inner nature. Christians seem to see Jesus as a glorified vision of themselves. That's why Jesus is liberal and conservative, authoritarian and a rebel, gay, straight, bi and celibate, black and white, etc. What Jesus is to them often says more about them than anything else.

It's a bit like dreams reflecting one's own state of mind.

So if someone conjures a nasty, angry, vengeful god, that can't be a good indication of one's state of mind.

[Tonus]

I don't recall where, but I remember reading about how geographic location affected the way UFOs and aliens were described by those who claimed to see or encounter them. As if to say that such things as UFOs and aliens are, in essence, a cultural phenomenon. Aliens "seen" in the USA were generally short, with grey skin and proportionally large heads and eyes, whereas those seen in... Norway (I think) were taller, had lighter skin and smaller heads. It was an interesting article.

[Rev. Rye]

First of all, thank you for the link.

Next, I want to stress a part of the article you posted:
"The study looked only at the correlation between beliefs and mental health and not at causality, so the study's take-away message is subject to interpretation."
(...) "We don't know whether it was the poorer mental health (anxiety, paranoia) that caused subjects to perceive God as punitive, or whether it was the view of God as punitive that caused the poor mental health," Dr. Robert Koenig (...) told The Huffington Post in an email."

I honestly think that we're more likely than anything else to create God in our own image. So, if these people are unhinged and want God to smite their enemies, they'll come up with a concept of God who's willing to do that.

[frz]

I honestly think that we're more likely than anything else to create God in our own image. So, if these people are unhinged and want God to smite their enemies, they'll come up with a concept of God who's willing to do that.

They already came up with the devil guy who will supposedly deal their enemies after all is said and done, apart from their own actions and the supposed god too.

[Minimalist]

So, if these people are unhinged and want God to smite their enemies, they'll come up with a concept of God who's willing to do that.

Yup.

Eccle. 3:5

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

Gotta give the muslims credit. They've got a whole religion based around gathering or throwing stones!