Do some people simply need religion?

On my last question, I asked whether you would feel as though you are nothing without your faith in God.



I received many heartfelt answers, which I appreciate.



I noticed, however, that some of you told stories about how you were depressed and then found God and your life completely changed for the better.



Is it possible, then, that finding God was actually just a way of remedying your feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, and/or depression? Is it possible that because you found hope in your religion, your attitude changed and that is why your life began to change for the better (rather than God improving your life for you)?



Atheists, would you agree that some seem to just need religion to deal with depressive feelings? And if you do agree, do you think it is okay for them to do so?Do some people simply need religion?Some people do need it. They are the ones that haven't evolved (they are going to love THAT word) into more complete human beings yet. Not trying to be derogatory, btw, just observing the small mindedness of religious people in general.
Do some people simply need religion?
sure some people do let them have it i say
Do some people simply need religion?
I think ALL need GOD
People can accept whatever beliefs they want to, if it helps them through a tough situation. As long as they don't try to push their beliefs on me, I couldn't care less.
No more than some people %26quot;need%26quot; crack.



As an atheist, I would absolutely agree with you that some people use religion as an antidepressant. My only objection to this usage is that I don't believe delusion is a remedy. We're afraid of death, and we're sometimes unsure of our purpose in life; but I don't see the point in inventing an %26quot;afterlife%26quot; and pretending that that's where all the real value lies. In fact, that's how you wind up with maladjusted nuts flying planes into buildings.
People %26quot;need%26quot; religion like kids %26quot;need%26quot; Santa Clause.

It might give them something to look forward to, but in the end, you should outgrow it.
what ever works
Personally, I find it hard to believe that when you get up in the morning, watch the sunrise and listen to the birds sing, you could think to yourself, %26quot;This day is beautiful, but still, I'm kind of depressed. If only someone were tortured and executed for my alleged sins.%26quot;



Okay, maybe that's a cheap, but funny, shot. :)



I think if people %26quot;need%26quot; religion, it's not a fundamental part of the human condition. Plenty of people, in Japan and Sweden, are happy without religion. So if people depend on it, it's an acquired dependency.
I think it's important to first realize that God is the One who finds us first......and not vice-versa.



The Lord is definately not a crutch for the weak........He is a Savior for all who say yes to Him.



When I was down and depressed, the Lord lifted me up and saved my soul for all eternity. He would have done this for me even if I wasn't depressed and on the brink of suicide.



I found true hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.....a hope that never fails or fades away. Because my eternal home awaits me in heaven.



-Primo
I think it's definately a crutch for many people, and an unhealthy delusion. There are better, more logical ways to find fulfillment in their lives. %26quot;Finding god%26quot; is just putting a band aid on the problem - it isn't fixing it.
Yes, as an atheist, i know some people %26quot;need%26quot; or are better off with religious convictions. Some cannot function without the sense of protection, and others would act irresponsible if they didn't feel as though they were being watched....
We all need either religion or something like it :)
%26gt;Do some people simply need religion?



Um...no. Just as people don't need 1+1 to equal 3 or the Earth to be flat. Denying the truth never works out in the long run.



%26gt;Atheists, would you agree that some seem to just need religion to deal with depressive feelings? And if you do agree, do you think it is okay for them to do so?



No, I think they should find ways to deal with their depression that don't involve denying the truth.
Yes, I believe some people simply need religion in their lives. They use it as a tool to help them cope and deal with life's problems. Some use it as a way to make them selves feel better about the unknown. We all are going to die and some people do not want %26quot;life%26quot; to end.





The problem I have with people who turn to religion as a crutch, tend to not give themselves enough credit. They get off drugs and alcohol and say %26quot;God helped me through this%26quot; or %26quot;It was God's will for me to be clean%26quot; When in reality they did it themselves and should be proud of the fact that they did do it themselves.
its good to believe in God..but he is not a Wish maker....most of time its just the right Medicine for one who feels down
As an atheist with a religion, I can say that I do have an emotional dependence on my religion. Some people have an emoional (and physical) dependence on coffee, and I don't judge them. :P



Everyone has emotional dependences. Humans tend to be emotional creatures. And creatures of habit.



I say, if it gets the beliver through life in a better mood, it benefits us all. But when they try and control others with it, that's just manipulative and passive-agressive. There's no benefit there, only greed and malice.
In trying times, people turn to one of three things - religion, reason, or reading.
Yes, some people get inspired by the words from a 'higher power' and some people just don't know right from wrong without someone (or some other outside force) telling them what right or wrong is.

In addition, some people need a sub society or culture (such as a religious one) to feel safe, wanted and/or appreciated. Atheists are usually more open-minded and open to new things as most religious people are more conservative and want most things (such as a 'way of life') to remain the same or just only to change slightly because they are simply used to things being a certain way and do not to have to adapt to a different way of life.
Yes,most people from statistics



Yes, my relationship with God has changed my life for the better and filled it with meaning and help for other people



God is infinitely much more than just a remedy.

I am convinced that God is and that that belief in and relationship with Him are logical and practical and IMHO I have experienced atheism as neither.



If atheists find their positions logical and practical, I wish them every happiness and spiritual fulfillment.
We don't need religion we need God. There is a place within all of us that is seeking what is missing, anyone who says they don't do that is a liar. Some try to fill it with love, money, drugs, alcohol, and material possessions, or their jobs. Others with education, this stuff is only temporary and never really fills the hole for long, because nothing in this world ever can. It is the place in us the creator put in so that we would find our way back to him. When we find our way back our lives don't improve, we change because of having Him fill that hole. we are no longer the same person and all those things we used to use to try and fill the hole no longer control us.
Yes and yes.



Some people really are that mentally deluded, and will never be cured.
i think its ok. i see people all the time praying and using religion to make themselves feel better.

one time i heard my friend talking to his wife on the phone. she was lost somewhere and they said a prayer together. regardless of how silly it was it probably made her less nervous.

so what ever works!
yes, a lot of ppl NEED to believe in something other than themselves....most of the time they can't believe in themselves b/c they have such a low opinion of themselves.



Hey, whatever floats your boat..u know. If finding God/Jesus helped you kick drugs, prevented suicide or just makes you a better person all the way around then more power to you. (I'm using you, here, as a general you) Everyone needs something in their life to work towards, or a goal if you will. If leading a moral and ethical life b/c you think it will get you into heaven then do it...it benefits the rest of society. I find that ppl that don't believe in anything, atheists if you will (which is sort of like believing in anarchy(SLC Punks explains it the best)...u r a complete hypocrite b/c atheism is the belief of nothing...which if you believe in nothing then you believe in something...so it totally contradicts itself now doesn't newho) have a low moral value b/c they figure they can do whatever they want with no consequences. Which is bad for society in general b/c then you have stuff like Enron happening.
people need god when they dont want to accept personal responsibility for their life. Something happens to you, and you get to put the weight of that on gods shoulders instead of your own. If you need something, you get to pray to god, instead of working your butt off to make it happen. God gives you an excuse to act a certain way %26lt;such as being homophobic%26gt;. God is a crutch that takes uncertainty and the unknown out of life, and replaces it with an almighty being with a big to-do list.



religion is for weak minded people who cant accept responsibility for their lifes.
God saves you 'in your place of need'. I came to Christ as a %26quot;happy, fulfilled, popular person%26quot; (i thought)...and it took God to free me of alot of self pride that had me on a path to destruction. Some people He has to tear down (humble) before they look UP...others have been torn down by life's circumstances before they look UP. So He reaches us at our lowest...and our highest...and bring us to that same glorius place of worship.
I think that people need to feel connected to something bigger than themselves. It's part of Maslow's hierarchy of human needs. Self actualization. So absent some other mechanism or relationships that allow people to interact with one another and be part of a community or something, religion can fill an important void.



The concern I have about religion, is many tend to be a bit optomistic, in terms of what they espouse to %26quot;know%26quot;, and a bit manipulative or even agressive in their efforts to survive and grow.



I also think people have a natural desire to resolve their fear of the unknown. Scientifically oriented people tend to find little comfort in religion, as much of it seems illogical. Perhaps that is why scientific (and/or intelligent as we measure it today) people tend to be less likely to agree with or participate in organized religions, on average?



So if your fears are intense, and you cannot find comfort in the good in your fellow man and join in and trust the community of man without religion, then perhaps relgion, for the very fearful, is a good thing?



For those who are less fearful, or have more comfort in not knowing something rather than accepting doctrine that seems ill concieved, then brainwashing or coercion or indoctrination into less logical and enlightened religious teaching seems a net negative.



So perhaps I am saying that religion might be okay for people in a weakened state, but the healthy and the brave might do better to observe and understand the power of people acting in each others best interests, and endeavor to foster that without resorting to the too easily corrupted domains of mysterious omnicient powers and bearded men on a great throne in heaven etc.



Something like %26quot;god%26quot; could also perhaps be described as the power that one can feel when a group of people act in each other's best interests. If getting together and talking about helping that happen is religion, then religion by that definition seems to serve a good purpose. It just seems that any that have started out like that, seem to have been corrupted over time.
I am agnostic; I am not arrogant enough to say that I know the truth of the universe and state that god does not exist.

That only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing.



Religion fulfills a need in humans to answer questions about the nature of our existance. It is a completely valuable and worthwhile thing. it allows people to find a framework which makes sense of the world around them and their place in it. It provides a value system which, usually, allows them to make sense of right and wrong in a wider context.

It provides a sense of belonging and of hope.

It fulfills a need in each person to express their spirituallity.



It does not matter whether what an individual believes is TRUE or not. Believing makes no difference to the universe - it does not alter it.



If, for exmple, Christians are correct in their doctrines,;then Jews are incorrect.

If Jews are correct, then Hidus are incorrect.

To look further at this; if Catholics are correct, the Anglicans are incorrect.

If Anglicans are correct, then Methodists are incorrect.



We cannot know these things, they are by their nature UNKNOWABLE. We believe and have faith. This is not necessarily giuded by a rational process. If belief in God is valuable to an individual becuse it gives them hope and lifts their depression, then it has real value.
I have tried to put this out in bits and pieces. the answer is , yes, and it is not a negative thing. everyone has a different emotional, physical, psychological, and environmentally shaped existence. I am an atheist, because I can read a book. But, at times in my life, I needed something, and yet, I had nothing. I understand the mechanism behind the god thing, and, I have told some people to go to church. I usually point them in the direction of the Unitarians. Not often, but god can calm some souls and make their lives liveable, and bring %26quot;joy%26quot; into their shadowless path. I talk to god, even though I know he is not there, because, I use him as a sounding board. Crazy? yes. But not quite evil like some of my fellow atheists who are so anti-fundie that they forget their own spirituality.
I don't need a deity and I will never need a religion.
I think its fine for people to use these things to cope. That is part of why religion has evolved!
Actually, yes, I think I agree with that. I was recently talking to my daughter about religion and she told me that she's not sure if there is or isn't a God but that she prays sometimes because at least it gives her hope. I think that when it comes from someones heart and they haven't been indoctrinated in by some destructive religion, believing in God does serve a useful purpose for some people. I don't believe in God, but I don't try to influence her beliefs in any way.