lauraclay

Does anyone think the religious are happier than the nonreligious?

Geshtinnanna

Nine Inch Nails

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jaej

Slavery to what? Purpose? Guidance? Meaning?

While I am not religious, these are what religious people find in religion. That is why they do-so they have purpose and guidance and meaning in their lives. Are they enslaved to their misguided beliefs? Do their beliefs cloud their eyes from the truth? If so, what truth?

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lauraclay

The Power to Uplift | TIME
The statistics in here are interesting.

Vinterland

Yes, I think it can and does. WHat can make someone happier than knowing their family is composed of god fearing members that are almost sure to become immortal along with them?

It is irrational to believe in a god because it makes someone happy, but if happiness is one's goal(as it is most of ours) then it is justified.

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And on we walked. Suddenly we heard a voice crying, "This is the sea. This is the deep sea. This is the vast and mighty sea." And when we reached the voice it was a man whose back was turned to the sea, and at his ear he held a shell, listening to its murmur.
And my soul said, "Let us pass on. He is the realist, who turns his back on the whole he cannot grasp, and busies himself with a fragment."
—Gibran Khalil Gibran, “The Greater Sea.”

Grant

If you call being imprisoned, shipwrecked, homeless, outcasted, and beaten to death with clubs... then following Jesus is right for you! lol
(thats based off the lives of the first 12 apostles)

Jesus makes you joyful; not happy. The two are very different. We all know what happy is... its a good-feeling emotion, but if you want to know what joy is, read Philipians (its real short).

Thanks,
Grant

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Hey.

lauraclay

That Time article I posted talks about how religious people are happier, and how they deal better with divorce, illness, bereavement, and are even likely to be a little happier than the nonreligious when they're depressed. It also talks about how the more active they are in their religion, the more satisfied with life they are. They speculate this stems from the sense of community, the charity work, the simplification of life. It also says that Protestants are happier than Catholics or Jews. It says that it seemed that Protestants got joy from their faith and Catholics and Jews from their religious communities. And maybe they don't even need a doctrine. Just spirituality. Even atheists and agnostics can have some of the benefits if they subscribe to a particular doctrine. But then again, maybe this whole study is based on what the particular people believe they should say? Is it wrong for a Protestant to say he's not happy?

I think there are a lot of interesting points in this article. Does anyone have any experiene to back up religious people dealing better with divorce, illness, or bereavement than nonreligious? I can only think of consoling a young child that the deceased is just going to a 'better place.' I'm young, so I've only dealt with a little death and illness, and religion never played a big role, and divorce. But with divorce I mainly know how it affects the kids, and religion is not often a big issue with kids these days. A few, yes, but not a lot.

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The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish,
and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten.

The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits.
When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten.

The purpose of words is to convey ideas.
When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten.

Where can I find a man who has forgotten words?
He is the one I would like to talk to.

Astreja

Speaking from my own experience of ten years' membership in one Buddhist organization, perhaps a better word is "complacency." Our daily chanting practice chewed up a substantial amount of RealWorld time, about an hour a day. The rituals did provide a bit of grounding, and occasionally a feel-good buzz, but under the surface all was not well.

I had a constant nagging feeling that many of the group members were in a state of cognitive dissonance. If something went well, they gave credit to the practice. If something went poorly, they weren't practicing hard enough. But oh, the cheery (and often creepy) smiles!

I really don't know whether religion, in itself, leads to happiness. I do suspect that much of the perceived happiness of the religious comes from personal affiliations and interactions in the faith community, rather than from the beliefs themselves.

jaej

Much of christianity (at least in the church I go to) teaches how it's YOUR FAULT. Everything is blamed on you: you're the sinner, you're the one who doesn't have a good enough relationship with Jesus, and on and on and on.

If that makes people happier, thinking everything is their fault, so be it. I couldn't handle it though. I think people are better than that.

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