Jacob Scharf
RINF Alternative News
Say what you will about religion, but don’t say that it isn’t useful. Personally, I’m all for skepticism as it relates to theological beliefs, but those who practice religion regularly can attest to the ‘usefulness’ that religion entails. According to psychcentral.com a study was done that states “God can help relieve anxiety”. Implicitly hinting to the idea that ‘believers’ are more inclined to be relaxed than ‘non-believers’. But at what =cost?
In a heated debated with Rabbi David Wolpe, Sam Harris, a well renowned neuroscientist, argued that “religion could function as a placebo”. Tacitly, he’s saying that while a particular religion may be untrue, it still helps people cope with distress. In that sense, it makes it difficult for people to separate themselves because of the emotional attachment to the theology.
On a larger scale, religion helps people cope with the biggest fear of all. No, not public speaking. Death. Almost every religion I can think of has some form of heaven. Which makes me question as to whether people’s reliance on religion is based on fear as opposed to belief.
As humans are we so prone to fear that we’re wiling to compromise rationality? As I see it, there’s no doubt that religion is the most coddling of antidepressants. It’s also one of the more irrational because of it’s disregard for scientific evidence. Still, “more than 9 in 10 Americans continue to believe in God”, according to gallup.com. Simply put, the fears of daily life are hindered by belief in God.
“…trust in the LORD– he is their help and shield”(Psalm 115:11)
For believers, God is their shield, or bubble, which is constantly penetrated by a sharp stick that is, society. God helps people cope with suffering physical and mental, but at what price?
To say that nothing can compare to the psychological benefits that the belief in God entails, I believe to be farce. I don’t think anyone would disagree that medicine concurs all, so I offer you a somewhat abstract example.
While the FDA does not approve this alternative medicine, it works just as well as religion.
As mentioned previously, the biggest fear that all people share is, death. While all religions have similar post-death experiences, allow me to offer my remedy. If I were to argue that when people die they immediately assume the role of an animal. Oh that’s already a thing? Well, how about after someone dies 72 virgins greet them? See a pattern here? From my perspective, there’s only way to analyze this. As humans, fear causes us to become increasingly more akin to irrational behavior.