How Religion Affects Your Mental Health

[@StudioHannah]

My belief in Christ is what got me through my darkest days of depression. If I hadn’t believed at that time, I would have tried to unalive myself. No matter how deep and dark my void was, I had a tether, and no matter how dark my thoughts were, the tether said, so quietly at times, “This is not everything, you’ll find your way back to the light if you just keep holding on.” Very grateful for that. And now that I’m FAR BETTER, continuing to learn and grow in the Bible (with a very different post-depression lens), I have found it enriches my life a lot more than I thought when I was a kid and only going to church because my parents did. I can certainly vouch that faith does have a big impact.

[@CherryStudios2]

@@edz1624 I prayed for your family. God bless you!

[@SushiBurritoPapi]

God got me through my darkest times. Early years in the military was such a change in my life and I couldn’t cope with all the difference. I was mistreated frequently and I didn’t know how to deal with it. My family was far away, and I didn’t want to share with them that their son is essentially getting bullied by his leadership and others around him. So finding The Lord was my only option. And I’m glad it was. He has gotten me out of the wildest situations, dire circumstances, even my own selfish choices. I thank the Lord everyday. Even in the bad times.

[@Moncrom]

Pretty sweet that it helps you all. If you don't force your thought patterns onto others I respect you as devote followers of Jesus.

[@pinkestelle558]

Fr when I became atheist I felt lost and depressed but whenever i believe in god I feel safe and happy. Im working on my faith and what helped me believe again was me asking a sign if he exists and waking up the next day to my living room filled with rainbow and a streak of light directly shining on the bible

[@FemboiMuffin]

Christianity is one of the reasons why I’m depressed. I suffer of hyperempathy snd hypersensitivity (both diagnosed) and Christianity kept telling me “focus on others” “be good to others” and I ended up being so altruist that it became sickening. Now I can’t change it, I’m not able to, I tried but I failed to change it. Now I care about others more than about me, and I give more importance to them than to my mental health. I hate Christianity because now I suffer from DPDR, schizophrenia and depression.

[@soulysouly7253]

Religion's influence only depends on how people teach it to you. Personally Im from a muslim family that is very faithful, and Ive always been taught about God as if youd teach kids about santa claus, it was more about "do good deeds and help people, God will help you in return" rather than "if bad things happen to you, its because you misbehaved and God is punishing you". Religion only had a positive impact on my life, and is also the source of a lot of my self-control, discipline and good behavior. But ultimately it was due to how I was taught, not the preach itself. Even if religion only tells you "do good and you'll go to heaven, do bad and you'll go to hell", the message you get from it is highly influenced by which half of the sentence you put the most emphasis on, and people of faith with poor education have a tendency to focus on the second half. Alas they forget, especially in muslim communities, that another important philosophy of religion basically tells you: "who are you to judge whether people are going to hell or heaven, only God decides that". And having parents that know about this is a game changer.

[@sarah-cw7up]

i couldn’t agree more. i wasn’t so lucky in the parent department, and the way religion was taught to me was toxic and fearful. im still trying to rebuild my relationship with islam in a way that makes sense to me, but it’s a difficult process undoing all of the resent that developed bc of it. its really sad that many people in the religion, or any religion, teach their kids in the most pessimistic / punishable view, when in reality there’s a lot of good parts to religion that are unfortunately not taught.

[@yousifahmed6200]

I strongly agree, I have been lucky to teach myself the religion from it's authentic texts which is why i have had the chance to embrace it the proper way imo. I believe many people leave Islam for this reason. They're taught certain concepts by their family but other concepts are unfortunately disregarded. For example, concepts like Tawbah or repentence when you can teach that God is most forgiving and most merciful is something that could encourage children from a young age to cope better with doing something wrong, as opposed to just telling them they're gonna go to hell if they do bad and not explaining the full picture. Hope that makes sense.

[@yousifahmed6200]

@@sarah-cw7up I hope you reach a good relationship with the religion. I really do. If i could give one piece of advice, it would be to actually go out of your way to study it in it's pure form. I know it might be difficult but honestly it's doable. Good luck

[@soulysouly7253]

​@@sarah-cw7up Lol yeah, I remember my mom buying books "for kids" because she wanted to tell me about the religion, and the only things the books were talking about was how people get punished for doing xyz and there was a lot of pessimistic texts and pictures it was pretty effed up, needless to say she threw them away. Also my family is far from being functional too, but I can especially thank my mom for having common sense and going for more intellectual and optimistic content, rather than the classic "are you a sinner" debates that get us nowhere. Hope you find your way out.

[@soulysouly7253]

@@yousifahmed6200 Yeah definitely, my mom always tells me that "God ain't the bogeyman".

[@panlis6243]

Using religion as a source of guidance and learning can be beneficial to you. The problem is in families and cultures when believing in certain religion is taken for granted its teachings are often taken as a undeniable dogmats that you have to obey no matter what rather than a starting point for a discussion or a piece of advice that you MAY take into consideration

[@thorvaldspear]

Well isn't that the whole point? Unless I'm sorely mistaken, most religions I know of require strict adherence to their rules. EDIT: except Hinduism I guess, didn't know it was like that

[@VindensSaga]

I found buddism and christainity as benefical for my own issues with my mental health. I have schizophrenia, when I get stressed as fuck and have negative emotions it basically becomes like I am being haunted by things which could as well be there. I don't find it a curse, it is a blessing too because I have been talking to Socrates and some of the greek gods of the mythologies, in debates and discussions that I have enjoyed far more than talking with real people.

[@newbiegain117]

So is religion the problem or human organizations?

[@nutsostoik6231]

@@newbiegain117 50/50? Religion is made by humans afterall

[@nektulosnewbie]

All human suppositions become dogma. Even you're statement here "rather than a starting point for a discussion or a piece of advice that you MAY take into consideration" will become dogma as you are establishing a tenet that you expect people to follow.

[@TPV07]

The concept of original sin is what messed me up as a kid and young adult. the 'fact' that anything you are capable of doing is inherently bad just contributes to self hate. I remember hating myself so much because although I wanted to do the 'right thing' sometimes I failed. after these failures you pray it away but you fail again. The vicious cycle of self hatred. Another issue I find is there are so many factions and churches and everybody twists the Bible to fit their narrative. Especially in christianity this is so prevalent.

[@rockyp32]

Religion is evil Jesus and the Bible is not

[@theemoparakeet]

@@rockyp32 bruh wut

[@od8401]

Every single person who was born besides Christ and Mary had original sin. I always found it comforting. The same struggles I had/have with sin, poor decisions etc. the rest of the world throughout all time experienced as well. It’s inevitable and universal

[@nightfighter7452]

I just had serious anxiety. Someone literally taught me that my life was like a string and that every time I sinned, god would cut it shorter. And of course since it's literally impossible to not sin, I was just constantly in fear of dying all of a sudden.

[@DeusExNihilo]

@@theemoparakeet I think they're saying that spirituality is a personal endeavor, and that religious communities can tend to suppress the intellectual/spiritual freedom of the individual

[@mauriciogerhardt3209]

My 2 cents: a lot of happiness comes from self esteem. If you think you should be doing something and aren't doing it, you feel bad, which makes you sad. If you feel you are doing great at something you should be doing, you'll feel great about it and be happy. The "thing" can be anything though. So some people think you should be religious, some think you should be atheist, some think you should gather as much money as possible, some people think you should share as much as possible with other humans, etc.

[@net_lag]

This actually helps. A lot.

[@fadfudge4719]

Good stuff man

[@quarepercutisproximum9582]

@@gxhcbchchvfhbxsddvp96trg What a braindead argument. "Should" is determined BY the internal morality (because it isn't objective), which is informed by an external morality. However, that doesn't mean the external morality necessarily outweighs the internal morality.

[@fadfudge4719]

@@gxhcbchchvfhbxsddvp96trg morality doesn’t come from God, it comes from empathy.. We evolved to have empathy

[@quarepercutisproximum9582]

@@gxhcbchchvfhbxsddvp96trg It COULD be IMPOSSIBLE to discern, who knows? [Do you? Why you and not the rest of the 7 billion people on the planet?*] What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that what you use to discern what is good and what is bad is entirely dependent on you; whether or not you've discerned it "correctly" is either: something you can't know for the rest of your life, or something which is arbitrary and solely determined by you. So, what then? *This part is stupid, but I think I ought to include it because I do want to know your answer to this

[@waddodoko9878]

This video is awesome because its teaching me new ways of seeing the things I'd been doing all my life as a Muslim. The discipline and community side of religion, specifically. One of the things I did to improve my mental health was to properly do 5 prayers everyday and at the mosque. As someone who had horrible sleep schedule and lack of social life, forcing myself to sleep early and waking up at 4 AM to go to the mosque and meet my Muslim community for morning prayer really helped me. There was just something comforting in realizing I had this community waiting for me just hidden all this time, kind, soft-spoken, intelligent people. And its breathtaking to see how the night turns to day as the first sunlight slowly glows at the horizon. Now I'm not a researcher, so I only hear from some of them, but this experience did make me believe the ones that said waking up early to feel the sun does help your mental health. Anyway, I just find this video agreeing with my beliefs, the community and the discipline specially. Thanks Dr K 👍

[@bbazs96]

Check out dr. Andrew Hubermans podcasts on sleep. He specifically mentions, that seeing light early in the day is beneficial. Also, he talks about sleep alone ~6+ hours, so there is much more to it that you can do for good sleep.

[@nathanialb9115]

I’m Muslim and I agree

[@mikielgrato5705]

masha allah brother may allah keep you on the staright path

[@Hollow_Theorist]

When I became very religious as a Christian I used to attend 4AM prayers in our Catholic chapel next to the church, initially it worked wonders for me but the more radical I got Christianity tore everything in my life around me, literally. I was living of raw vegan fasting because Christ in an esoteric gospel said eat no more than “two mira a day” ( a few kilos) regardless my days of religious acesitism made me a stronger man despite my suicidal tendencies and my current lax / God fearing mentality I have now.

[@Nerobyrne]

As a polytheist, there are a lot of things I like about Muslim culture and history. It's just kinda disconcerting that the principles involve establishing a monotheistic state, because mixing religion and politics is terrible for both.

[@InsightfulZen]

So happy to have my own thoughts and opinions around religion be affirmed. I'm agnostic and a buddhist stream-toe-dipper (as I like to think of it lol) who has been open to Christian rituals like going to church or praying, mostly out of curiosity for what drives people to the Christian faith. About a year ago a christian friend of mine invited me to go to a church function, a Saturday night mass, and it started to click that God is a concept which lends itself to being an infinite well of hope which fuels a willpower that affords people time and effort to overcome or see past their problems or woes in life. I saw the tangible human manifestations of faith in that night and opened my eyes to the value of faith and religion in people's lives, it's most important purpose. Later on last year I had a major breakdown which happened in front of a supportive friend and his girlfriend and her (the gf's) parents said the same thing, that I needed faith in my life and to find God. It was amusing to me to hear that knowing what that actually meant but I'm not a scholar, I'm not doing studies or parsing data to figure these things out so I can't proclaim my thoughts as factually based, only observational and introspective. But hearing Dr. K say it gives me renewed reason to keep doing me and keep on with my spiritual and philosophical thoughts. So, thank you Dr. K!

[@elektrotehnik94]

The more you do your own research on the world's religions, the more you may find there is something of worth in what you find. I went through Buddhist, Hindu (partly by Dr. K) and Christian thought & others as well, in the process... If you feel you need to know where the search leads, it is not a search without a worthwhile end, is all I'm saying. When the time will be right, when you cannot live without not knowing, I advise you to search for yourself, see where it leads & it will "come to you"...

[@InsightfulZen]

@Thomas B I don't think so. I think Christ is one of many paths toward the common goal of serenity in life and peace in death

[@akilasultana2368]

For me, my mental health started to recover after leaving the religion I was born into. I focus more on meditation and generally learning about the deeper spiritual meanings of all religions without attaching myself to one specific religion as I feel no religion has a monopoly on the truth, but that each one has wisdom I can take from it in understanding myself, the world around me, and my place in the world/universe

[@juicyparsons]

I learned what "scrupulous OCD" was because my friend went through a really traumatic mental health crisis a few years ago. it started with noticing that she started talking to herself and mumbling during conversations and that small thing spiraled into an internal fight where she was constantly policing her thoughts (mainly about harming people, just thoughts she couldn't let go of). she started constantly wanting to talk about good people/bad people and heaven and hell...it started weirding me out because I didn't know where it was coming from. she started obsessing over going to hell and whether or not she was a good person. she started compulsively praying and she would hit her chest to stop an "impure" thought..... after many months/years in hospitals and mental health treatment centers she is doing MUCH better! those impulsive behaviors have finally subsided and she's not tormented so much anymore. She showed us some videos on how religious OCD can really hurt people. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!

[@quinncyisqueer]

wow i’ve actually never heard of religious OCD but my story to hers feels a lot like mine

[@juicyparsons]

@@quinncyisqueer it might worth a lil research 😬

[@ijansk]

I suffered the same horrible experience, scrupolous OCD but mine was in relation to blasphemy after reading the bible. The first was in 2001, I thought I was condemned because blasphemous thoughts kept coming into my head. One night I started to cry in front of my mother thinking a was condemned for eternity. She consoled me and as time went by I began to leave it in the past but the idea I was condemned stayed with me. In 2010 this came back even stronger. A non-religious incident brought this back. These thoughts kept popping into my head. I was so afraid that I started to police every thought and my intention behind them. I had a battle in my head with these thoughts, I tried to not let them form completely in my head, I was terrified. When a I couldn't stop a thought from fully form, again, the idea I was condemned for life. This caused depression. I was so sad, so depressed that I stopped talking for fear that even that any word could hide a blasphemous intention because as I said you start policing every thought, every word. Fear governs you. After a year I began to look up information and I realised that I was suffering from mental health, a form of OCD. This allowed me to slowly overcome my condition and get back to real life. This experience and deeper investigation about Christianity led to leave religion. I am an atheist now. The day I abandoned religion and threw this torture away I finally began to feel peace.

[@richerDiLefto]

I suffered from this horribly as well, so much that it gave me panic attacks. Scrupulosity is hell on earth.

[@lcnick2090]

I stopped being religious like 4 years ago, I'm 18 y.o, did it mainly because I want to be free and on my own, I don't believe in it anymore and it changed the way I think, used to be a dialogue between me and god but now it's more of a monologue. It made me more concious and linked with reality but it also made me cold and lone. I think it depends on who you are and what you want to prove to yourself, religion is a hard subject to talk about since there are so many opinions.

[@hungrybeakstudios472]

I had a similar experience, Im 19 now and it took me until about a year ago to no longer truly believe. If you need anything, let me know because I can relate to how rough the isolation feels

[@Advisory_Vessel]

The thing is that most people don't understand or aren't taught who God is, so the moment things don't go your way you turn your back and try to be "free". The way most teach who God is really isn't true and I'm saying that because I took the time to search for who God is. I'd argue that people allow other people to dissuade themselves from God and allow a hatred to boil up (typically). The loneliness that you feel is because you are separated. Your connection to God is based off how connected you want to be. This is why many leave Catholicism because of the understanding of who God is and man trying to take that away from you. You already have that connection and don't need anyone else to establish that. I'm willing to talk if you want to. I went through that separating before and it's not all what I thought it would be.

[@elektrotehnik94]

@@Advisory_Vessel When you have that connection to the right thing, you don't lose it no matter what happens, in my experience. Letting go of a false connection is good, as it affords an opportunity to build a genuine connection when the time will be right. Not saying it is easy, but I can say it leads to something better in the long run

[@elektrotehnik94]

LC Nick, live your life the best you can, taking yourself & others into account. Keep your eyes open & search for the truth, as that is the only way you can ever truly find out for yourself, how this world actually works & how it is best to be, to live

[@Advisory_Vessel]

@@elektrotehnik94 Dropping something is different then reevaluating something or the way you see it. What this individual mentioned was wanting to feel free but in the mist of looking for that freedom they feel cold and alone. If they took the time to look at why they felt why they weren't free or why the now feel cold and alone they might have that clarity to see. I'm speaking from experience and from others accounts in this moment. We separate because we feel like we aren't gaining anything from it but have nothing to offer in return. So the logical thought process is to separate. I do understand that humans have this dynamic but it becomes something else when that entity isn't human like you. It would be in the same vain as a dog you own wanting to leave you because they couldn't be a free dog to be out and be wild as they are.

[@Sarahmint]

Even people not religious can be like this "you just aren't trying hard enough to not be sick/have mental health issues/it's all in your head/you're making it up"

[@rexaustin2885]

Ego is hard to control, especially for non religious.

[@joshsmith8066]

I think what those people really mean to say is that they: 1) Don't have the time, energy, ability, and/or desire to solve another person's problems because they have too many problems to solve themselves. 2) Believe that the person struggling is exaggerating their problems because they do not want to conform to the expectations of society. The reality may be that many, if not most, individuals aren't naturally satisfied with their culture's limited framework of understanding. Those who are fortunate enough to have a temperament which matches their culture's behavioral expectations are the people who are naturally satisfied, naturally "fit in", and do not ever have to think about others who are struggling to conform. They simply cannot and do not need to understand outside perspectives. I believe this is what we refer to as privilege. Those who don't fit the mold have the choice between a rock and a hard place. They can either conform to society by sacrificing/suppressing their natural impulses or they can choose to chart their own path against all odds and hope that they find others like them along the way. I'll finish my sermon with a quote by Solzhenitsyn: "How can you expect a man who's warm to understand one who's cold."

[@rexaustin2885]

@@joshsmith8066 i get this. Sometimes we find ourselves on different sides during our lifetime. Some don't have that misfortune.

[@joshsmith8066]

@@rexaustin2885 The tide is always changing. It's better to learn how to swim than to build castles in the sand.

[@Enaccul]

​@@rexaustin2885 Why is ego harder to control for the non religious?

[@Elspm]

As a lifelong atheist I personally think the hardest of the "meal" to achieve is the community. In religious communities turning up seems to be the primary requirement, and the date and time is very set. Outside of religion most communities are based around hobbies, so there are more things that can discourage people from starting and getting involved. In the other areas, personally I recommend to people that you allow yourself to use aspects of religion or mythology which appeal to you and are useful to you even if you don't consider them to be "true". For example I find chakra meditation can be very helpful for me even though I don't believe in "chakra" as such. Also, use things which aren't traditionally"spiritual". I knit for example, and I find it a very helpful mind focusing practise, particularly since my granny knitted, so it provides a sense of connection across time.

[@stormwarning6219]

Holy crap, I just realised that I have NEVER had a therapeutic alliance, and that's probably a huge contributing factor in my mental health. I've never had a human confidante, even therapists just don't seem to be able to connect well enough for me to fully open up, like I tell them the outline, but I struggle to elaborate to the point it feels more like further trauma than therapy, and I tend to give up before I get any benefit. No trust. Something to think about, definitely.

[@rev.rachel]

Religion scholar commentary (long, sorry :P): As a religion scholar, I'd say you're doing a pretty decent job sketching out the basics here! Your prior experiences paid off in helping discuss across traditions. 1. You can be atheistic/agnostic and Hindu - Yes! They key word here is /orthopraxy/. Religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, even Judaism and some elements of Catholicism, are focused more on practice than belief. If you do the things we do, you're one of us. What you actually believe is happening is irrelevant. It's especially the Protestant traditions of Christianity (but Catholicism and the Orthodoxies have done this, too, especially historically) where /orthodoxy/ is central. If you believe what we believe, you're one of us. What you do matters less. 2. Religion is a Judeo-Christian concept - Sort of. Yes, but not historically. It's more that it's kind of an Enlightenment concept. In the ancient world (including in the ancient Near East), religion was just culture. Everyone was attached to religious practice because it was part of the social fabric. It's not until a) you can choose a religion from the salad bar and b) belief is more important than practice in the popular consciousness, that you can have "religion" be a reified thing. You are kind of right that the roots of this are in the monotheisms because that's where belief became more relevant. And the relevance of belief goes back to the Babylonian exile when Jerusalem was conquered and all the elites deported. That caused huge changes for Israelite religion because they lost all the stuff that makes religion a cultural thing (land, family, temple, etc.) and only had stories and beliefs left. So those became the central thing. And then it happened again when the Temple got destroyed by Rome, and the religion continued because rabbis kept interpreting texts and Judaism as we know it was born. 3. Hinduism isn't really a religion - That's gonna depend a lot on what definition you're using. Scholars vary pretty widely on that. You're gonna start to pick up things like fraternities and sororities if you have a broader definition, and you're going to start dropping things like Buddhism if you have a narrower definition. I wouldn't personally draw a line narrow enough to exclude Hinduism from the phenomena that count as "religion," but you're right that it has different priorities (see #1). 4. Hindu scripture is part music theory, part medicine, part ritual, part creation myths - Actually, so is the Bible! People tend not to think of it that way, but the Bible's part prayers/songs, part ritual, part creation myths, part storytelling. It's pretty common with scriptures, honestly. The Qur'an might be the biggest exception there since its composition history is a lot narrower. There's a lot less medicine in the biblical texts for sure, but other ancient Near Eastern religious texts had medicine stuff just like the karmic texts. (Also the whole idea of "scripture" as a concrete thing with a defined canon is a very western monotheisms thing, too. There's canon variation there as well, but a lot less, plus a lot more of a governing myth that it's stable and final.) 5. Religion and science are separate things in the west - Often true, though especially in Jewish traditions, logic and debate are quite central to and part of theology. More philosophy and less natural science, but similar principles. Among Christians, it varies whether people think they're opposed or whether they're just answering different kinds of questions, but they are mostly treated as separate endeavors that can be either contradictory or complementary, depending on your theology. 6. Finally, one nuance to the sublimation of ego thing in Abrahamic religions, if anyone's curious: The idea that God is very or entirely powerful and you're not because you're not God is definitely pretty central to most varieties of Abrahamic religions, you're not wrong about that. But most of them do offer you some sort of path toward accessing divine power, just in a more reoundabout way than karmic religions. You pray for stuff to get God to do things for you that you can't do; or you as a mortal aren't totally awesome, but when you stick Godness in you ("the image of God"), then you have a connection to divinity; stuff like that. The mystical traditions complicate this even further. I'm not as familiar with Jewish mysticism, but Christian and Islamic (Sufi) mysticism both focus on cultivating the relationship between the human/the soul and God in such a way as to experience God's presence in a much less mediated way than you normally could. This part is less common among Christian mystics, but Sufis tend to believe that it's possible to become totally one with God in mystical union, and that part of the goal of the mystical path is to have an echo of that within you at all times, no matter your state of consciousness. There's some major similarities to dhyana and bodhisattvas and other karmic religion principles here, and it's probably the closest western monotheisms get to some of the common features of eastern religion cognition (stuff like switching from linguistic to contemplative prayer/medititation, which is usually much more of a karmic religions thing cause westerners love their word thinking).

[@tupoiu]

Very interesting comment, thank you :)

[@deathofcows]

@@tupoiu Seconded!

[@windy4566]

Oh boy, I sure do hope this comment section will be nice and respectful, and definitely won’t have any needless arguments over our respective beliefs/non beliefs. *knock on wood*

[@ThaTrisme]

Haha same

[@drmedwuast]

HOW DARE YOU

[@chaserseven2886]

most people are fine with religion as long as your not ranting on how you wanna kill someone because they dont believe in what you believe in

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

I sincerely like that you capped this post off with a little superstitious gesture

[@facebookuser1653]

We are 30 minutes in. Just wait for a day and see how much of a shithole this comment section will be

[@hestiathena4917]

I was raised atheist, but I'm beginning to think that religion isn't necessarily the problem, _authoritarianism_ is. When one's thinking ossifies and power and control become everything, _that's_ when things start to go horribly wrong.

[@theagnosticdeist3373]

as someone from a religiously conservative country, I'd say not necessarily yes. Religion blocks your critical thinking in most cases and it combined with taking religion too seriously can be detrimental.

[@hestiathena4917]

@@theagnosticdeist3373 This is indeed true, and I'll admit I'm still in the process of refining my thinking.

[@void_ling]

I came from an evangelical conservative family. It is my experience that religion in of itself is a mechanism used to enslave humanity for those in power. Its core dogmas are designed to keep one in a cycle of self deception, and demand that all surrender their own ideas and dreams to the whims of whatever church has control over them.

[@brokengirl8619]

The Bible encourages me to think critically, so not sure why you say that. Again, it's about how you interpret it.

[@void_ling]

@@brokengirl8619 As someone who was raised religious, I’m not certain how that could possibly be true given that the bible attempts to keep you from questioning the bible.

[@diannerussell9653]

I suffered the most heinous things at the hands of Catholic priests and the Catholic Hierarchy. After years of mental torture I have now been diagnosed with PTSD. I am about to join survivors of Catholic Church abuse and when I was doing my research I was absolutely blown away by the millions upon millions of people that have been abused by this institution. The suicide count was also very high with victims of Catholic Church abuse.

[@Nerobyrne]

The reason they were able to get away with it for so long is due to the mixing of religion and government. Abusive people will always seek out positions where they have access to a lot of trusting people, but only when they also hold positions of political power does that become a real problem. And it's even worse if you add "ordained by God" into the mix. At that point, they have every possible authority on their side. This is why specifically the recent upsurge in Christian Nationalism in America scares me a lot. Authoritarians are one thing, but religious authoritarians are dangerous on a whole other level.

[@jpuc5568]

@@Nerobyrnereligions dead in america lol no one actually cares anymore, literally everyone I know that grew up in a catholic environment is now gay as fuck and hates this country me included

[@Norepicklin]

⁠@@Nerobyrne I’ve been trying to find a consistent definition of Christian Nationalism, but there are so many polarized sources that it’s hard to find a good answer. What is the definition you are thinking of?

[@Nerobyrne]

@@Norepicklin a Christian who is also a nationalist

[@antsly]

Toxic religion was very damaging for my mental health, but ultimately it was reconstructed 'religious' belief (I prefer the word 'faith' not religion) that restored my mental health completely

[@ThaTrisme]

❤️🐢

[@basithph8958]

Religion is something that should never be forced on people At the end of the day it’s your choice on how you want to lead your life

[@facebookuser1653]

@@basithph8958 if only my father understands lmao

[@devander]

@@basithph8958 and that's one thing about islam! you cannot be a muslim unless you truly believe in it, it's not something you inherit or force like so many people think.

[@Wisdawms]

I agree with you I was never a religious person still don't consider myself as one, but I had been a person heavily leaning towards agnosticism and possibly atheism but with time I found it healthy to at least have some sort of rapport with God.

[@guardiantree8879]

Religion can be very good, unfortunately it can be misused very badly as well. My two cents? Don’t just believe something to be true because they said so, learn, read & study it for yourself. Ask the tough questions. I’ll just add that without my family’s faith, my father would have probably committed suicide and my mom wouldn’t have made it through a very difficult time. From someone trying to follow the steps of Christ, love & peace.

[@marciusnhasty]

I was born in 1980 in Yugoslavia. And this has just made me realize that Yugoslavian flavor of Communism provided trusted source (abused the trust), organized structure (over organized), ego sublimation (into oblivion), discipline (harsh penalties for lacking one) and community (highly abusive to people that couldn't fit). I already knew religion wasn't opium for the masses, it was just a direct competition. I was entering adolescence when the system fell. I knew I had anxiety disorder, couldn't figure out that loosing all this (trusted source, organized structure, sublimation of my ego, all justifications for indoctrinated discipline I had and shattering of community) at the sensitive age to one wall falling in Berlin wasn't just finally getting freedom. It just might be the reason for my mental health problems. Finding a mentor at 32, helped me a lot. I still lack solid replacing organisation and structure in real life (find that in games I play to min/maxing perfection), before this video I was still rejecting any ego sublimation (and man do I have EGO), I'm struggling with discipline without monetary incentive and I reject strong community ties out of fear of new indoctrination and abuse. People think Communism is economical theory, utopian idea - seems to me it was entire meal package intolerant to any personal choices. It was great for pre adolescent me, terrible to have to find replacement for all of it during adolescence and worst for not even knowing one actually needs to find replacement for all this things. Thank you for this video, left me speachless ❤️

[@raziyatheseeker]

So tl;dr, Communism was a predatory "religion" for those under it. Makes a lot of sense in this day and age. But seriously, I am glad you're starting to find your way with your mentor. There's a distinct difference between something offering people guidance and hope as long as it is wanted, as opposed to demanding forced adherence and structure and condemning those who don't fit.

[@du42bz]

those countries werent really communist, they were stalinist and modern supporters of those regimes today are not called commumists but tankies. communism was just a thing they presented as an ultimative goal in order to get the population to listen to the state, they did not actually care about communism

[@marciusnhasty]

@@du42bz Whatever you want to call it. I call it "previous attempts of implementation". Leninist, Stalinist, Titoist, Maoist,... All totalitarian regimes with a cult of personality around the great leader calling themselves Communist. And nothing in the original material ever supported having great leaders. Lacking holy books, this regimes used Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels instead. They implemented parts they wanted, ignored what they wanted and eliminated anyone pointing out the inconsistencies.

[@elektrotehnik94]

@@du42bz "those countries weren't really communist" --> These countries, seem to happen when you take a good communism idea (generosity & care for all, made into a system) and put it into an in-personal system of the state. It produces a failed system, de-coupled from the noble ideals of the original communist idea. I'm from Slovenia, former Yugoslavia. I'm talking from the first-seat experience of it. And I can tell you, the idea was pure from the start; it just didn't prevent bad actors to overtake the reigns. As it seems to happen everytime communism is tried on a larger-than-personal scale. Family = communism, which seems to work fairly well, as it is on a personal scale.

[@RogerValor]

I think there are a lot of things masquerading as non-religious, that can compete with religion, like communism, including militant atheism or capitalistic cults.

[@ZachDavisForReals]

Renewing my faith since the pandemic started has helped me stay sane. It breaks my heart to hear people have terrible religious experiences. Regardless of your actual religion, your relationship with God is your own. There are a lot of kind, open minded people in the religious community, don’t give up until you find them.

[@ducethe2nd246]

Amen

[@Polycubism]

Amen

[@planeturthian847]

Not all non believers have terrible experiences. You can just not believe it. I don't.

[@porkerpete7722]

@@planeturthian847 he didn't say all, we get it, you're Atheist and proud.

[@davespanksalot8413]

In addition to the points in the video I think one of the reasons having a good relationship with religion can really help with mental health is because it encourages a sense of gratitude. I’m not sure why but just in my personal experience all the people I know who practice being grateful (even if they’re not religious) for the positives in life end up being more positive and mentally healthy (than they would otherwise).

[@jackhutcheson2915]

Im not a religous person now, but was raised with a christian background as a pastors kid (if you know, you know). I can sympathize with this person, as in my past experience religous teachings were gerrymandered and used as tool for control. I grew up with lots of guilt trips and avoided persuing alot of my personal goals because it "Wasnt gods will." I certainly dont think that all religions or people are like this, and I think its clear that religious teachings, when taken for what then really are, *can* have a positive impact on communities and peoples mental health as a whole.

[@frailimbnursery]

never thought that explaining the effect of religions as reasonable as possible is what i need. this will surely come in handy when my friends discuss religion and faith. thankyou dr.k for another well made video

[@TheHadMatters]

*Effect. Affect (as a noun) is an emotional outburst. Effect is what you're looking for.

[@frailimbnursery]

@@TheHadMatters just edited it. thanks for the correction

[@roycerreynolds]

This is literally what I’m using every time that discussion comes up now

[@DragonCaptain]

I think the mere fact that Dr. K was willing to talk about something like this is really good. I'd like to respond to the bit where he says that generally people in the West tend to think of religion and science as opposites. This is true in the sense that the Bible and the Quran don't delve into scientific ideas simply because they didn't possess scientific knowledge back then. However, I think that people in the West for centuries have failed to disassociate the tradition/interpretation of religious scripture vs the actual scripture. Because I know people (myself included) who subscribe to Judeo-Christian ideas and implement that into their approach toward life. Basically what I am trying to get at is dogmatic religion poses this idea that you can either believe in only "religion" or be this scientific philosopher. And I agree to the extent that believing in a specific God may have implications, say in the afterlife; but ultimately, with critical thinking and knowledge, all of these things (like religion, philosophy, science) can be harmoniously intertwined into this non-contradictory worldview. So my conclusion is: saying religion and science are opposites of each other doesn't make them incompatible. A popular example would be the creationism vs darwinism argument. The existence of the argument in of itself should be thrown away. Because the writers of Genesis simply made a mythological story as an overarching non-dogmatic story of the creation of the world which had nothing to do with science given that science wasn't even defined yet. Things like that

[@waddodoko9878]

Read a chat wondering why Dr K is talking about Christianity and Hinduism when the Reddit post talks about Islam lol. I appreciate Dr. K siding on caution and only talking about religions he is knowledgeable of. Too many see every religion as the same. Not necessarily in the condescending "Religion bad" way, but in thinking every religion is teaching the same thing. When in reality religions have very diverse ways to their faiths. I think the biases often come from western secular or Judeo-Christian perception of religion being very distant from the rest of the world's religion.

[@TheGuardDuck]

All these religions make me wonder why humanity has them. So different, but all serving as an attempt to grasp the metaphysical. It makes you wonder why, especially because they can't all be right.

[@SydneySininen]

I'm someone who's agnostic and I've had zero experience with religion outside of media I consume, especially video games and shows. The main things that come to mind are Shin Megami Tensei, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and Star Wars, especially KOTOR II. There's all sorts of different ways faith and religion are used as different plot devices, as something to oppress, to inspire hope, or just as a tool in a general sense respectively. During covid I've had the time to read more and I picked up Mark Manson's "Everything's Fucked: A Book About Hope" and this idea of a narrative and different things the narrative gives you is the main thesis the book focuses on and I'm really happy to see that perspective in more media. This idea of building any sort of narrative to properly immerse yourself in a meaningful reality sounds really important and it makes me upset that it was never properly taught to me before. It all makes me more interested in religion, especially for a sense of community but I do feel kinda like it would all be a means to an end, that I'm abusing what I'm assuming is a literal, absolute faith that people have just so I can feel less lonely and more connected and so I can pluck the pieces from the religion that sound helpful How Dr K describes Hinduism really resonates in a way that my understanding of Christianity doesn't but I wouldn't really know how to learn more

[@SunWarrior155]

16:52 Well, in protestant Christianity (which is distinct from Catholicism), it would be blasphemous to say that a Priest/Pastor or any sort of spiritual leader is ''all-powerful.' The idea is - as you rightly noted - that human beings are powerless and power and wisdom comes from God.

[@quantinum2141]

Yeah, but unfortunately sometimes people understand this kind of things wrong. Like, they know the pastor isn't mighty powerful, but still treat them and see them like they were. This happens with politicis and famous people too.

[@SunWarrior155]

@@quantinum2141 Agreed. It's so much easier to just trust the words of an "authoritative" figure.

[@MissPopuri]

But Jesus had both a human and divine nature, he was seen as a Priest/Pastor as well as God. The Pharisees asked him why his disciples didn’t fast, and Jesus said that you couldn’t fast if the Bridegroom was with you. Jesus is the Bridegroom, and he is God/Son of God/Spirit of God. Before the 60s, Catholics used to show complete reverence for the Cross and all his representatives as “another Christ”. It works the same way in the House of Representatives if you think of your own Representative as an extension of your voice in the Capital.

[@arcguardian]

@@MissPopuri "if you've done it to the least of these, you have done it to Me." The "another Christ" example you gave does not include authority. Jesus is representative of children, the weak, the poor etc. None of which biblically have authority, thus the catholic priest has no greater authority either. Reverence belongs to God alone, or everyone. Priests aren't above anyone else.*

[@arcguardian]

@@xenonsan3110 well those sects aren't protestant but cults.

[@needy3535]

I grew up pentecostal, a doomsday denomination of Christianity. Religion is the single most harmful and traumatic experience I've ever had. Being a child and being told that you can't enter heaven with sin, and that I will never be with out sin, and that if I don't save my friends that they're going to burn in hell, and then that I could live my life as a Christian and get to heaven and God could STILL say that I was not enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. It fucks you up lol. I dealt with extreme self hatred and still deal with those at times as a 26 year old now. Deconstruction is so traumatic, especially when the people you've trusted your entire life are upset at you for leaving. You don't have that support from your family. I now don't talk to my family. Because I know their beliefs and that I as a person am considered an abomination to them. I'd like to think I'm a very composed person, but the hatred and bitterness I feel towards religion and the people who push it on others is immense. I wish it had never infected my family.

[@EtamirTheDemiDeer]

Not Pentecostal, but I’m on a similar course with my nondenominational parents. It’s lonely. It’s scary. But we’re definitely not alone

[@needy3535]

@@EtamirTheDemiDeer the worst part for me is the feelings I have towards my parents. As bitter and as angry as I am, I try my best to blame the religion for brainwashing them. It's hard because I know my mother feels it's her fault. She failed to save my soul and she's going to carry that for the rest of her life. She will never be genuinely happy or proud of me, because In the back of her head she knows I'm going to hell. That being said, I'm the happiest I've ever been. I have such a more complete sense of self and worth that I would have never gotten in church. If anyone is going through doubts with religion, you aren't alone. If you're thinking if challenging your beliefs then you should. If the TRUTH made by GOD himself can't stand up to a 16 year olds scrutiny, then what does truth matter?

[@porkerpete7722]

@@needy3535 yeah religion damages ignorant people pretty bad. Your ignorant parents, not you. But if you're a normal rational person than church can be pretty nice.

[@erikb4407]

@@porkerpete7722 In my experience, religion sometimes *produces* or at least attracts ignorant people. Religion incentivizes people to NOT question authority (e.g. why is the Bible considered truth? where is evidence for God?, etc get insufficient answers), and that lack of skepticism is dangerous territory that breeds and attracts ignorant mindsets. If you're a skeptic, believe whatever you want because you're more likely to form your own conclusions, but if your not a skeptic, religion could become dangerous source of brainwashing where you no longer question ideas you're told (especially harmful or dangerous ideas, like shaming your kids, etc). There are definitely positives to religion (e.g. reasons to live in hard times, charity, etc), *but there are also negatives,* like what happened to the original commenter, suicide cults, guilt, shame, and more. Religion helps people and hurts people. Regardless of religion, always try to be skeptical. Ask questions and look for answers. Critically think about *everything* you don't know and arrive at your own conclusions based off of what you learn and know. I'll get off of my soapbox now

[@jansteen4911]

@Needy I can relate to this experience.

[@groffmarr]

The combo meal framework is the most insightful, useful thing I’ve ever heard

[@MrDrumStikz]

A mild correction concerning medicine in the Bible: a good portion of the book of Leviticus is actually medical practice, including sanitization, sanitation, quarantine, and treatment for leprosy.

[@MissPopuri]

Many of the Catholic rituals, blessings, and exorcism prayers are meant to be used as preventative against the influence of demons. In Medieval times, the dragons of fairy tales would have been the ravages of sin and depravity.

[@arcguardian]

@@MissPopuri what's ur point regarding this topic? The op was making a correction. I fail to see how ur comment relates to biblically recorded medicine practice?

[@MissPopuri]

@@arcguardian maybe it is because you don’t have faith, oh snap, did I go there? People who have faith no explanation is necessary, and the people who don’t have faith no explanation is possible. That was from the movie The Song of Bernadette, it was made in the 40s on the apparition in Lourdes in the 1850s.

[@downpark402]

@@MissPopuri yo I’m a member of the faith and I have no idea what the connection you’re making is either

[@Pozibly0706]

@@downpark402 fr

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

the term "religion" is also a grecco-roman concept, they distinguished between proper, appropriate for public consumption, state-sanctioned displays of devotion to the divine (religio) and private, exclusive, potentially deviant spiritual or occult practices (superstitio).

[@shadoll7856]

Thank you for this. Also, I think that what is occult is sometimes just people being "edgy" or I hope so. I have met emo's and goths who wore certain symbols but they were nice to me. Sometimes I think also think that people feel not included by the religion or practice they are born in or associated with and come up with their own sometimes "cringe" version. However sometimes it is meaningful for them. Also in some theology concepts people get to know god in their own way in addition to the one their community(s) have.

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

@@shadoll7856 glad people are finding it interesting! and yeah, the edgy/cringy behavior you're talking about was probably the same exact thing they wanted to discourage back then too. regardless of whether it worked or not, knowing your neighbor was trying to curse you or something would probably have some negative consequences since trust and mutual respect are needed for groups of people to live together.

[@FRD357]

@@xXx_Regulus_xXx Fairly sure the distinction mostly comes from the cultural divide between the good romans and the filthy barbarians. Roman beliefs are religio, barbarus beliefs are superstitio.

[@isaarunarom7830]

@@shadoll7856 what on earth does a clothing fashion "emo" have to do with religions? And although the.term goth is religious in origin for the sake of discussion its a style and youv probably never met a practicing goth.

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

@@FRD357 good contribution, I was thinking about curses because I learned about lead curse tablets recently but the cultural differences were probably a bigger factor

[@humanoid2525]

A muslim here. I very well understand the poster's problem with religion and why they have this sensitive relation with it. But understand that this is a people's problem, not a religion problem. They just grew up in an environment that saw religion as just a set of rules and actions. But the beauty of religion comes when you understand "why" things are done, not "how" they're done. And although many things that Dr. K say contradict my beliefs, he let me see how a religion that's thousands of years old offers similar solutions to advanced science and medicine discoveries. All of which makes me more proud and faithful to my religion. I hope the poster is doing better, and seeing Islam in a better light. May Allah guide them to safety.

[@socialdeviant13]

Just FYI, there ARE prescriptions in the Bible. My favorite philosopher is Soren Kierkegaard, a Christian. My abuse was perpetrated by and validated by the Church. I got a BIG problem with the Church. But Kierkegaard's concept of the necessity of doubt for faith is something that really speaks to me, to the point I named my 2nd child after him. You don't have to agree with or believe in a religion in order to agree with or believe in some of the concepts.

[@ThatRand0mGuy]

It helps to make a distinction between 1) The concepts of particular religions & 2) The institutionalized forms of particular religions The institutionalization is generally where the problems arise. In their abstracted conceptual forms, most "religions" point towards a similar thing. It helps to take them as metaphors, or poetic forms.

[@StealthTheUnknown]

The fellowship part, as well as the attempted acceptance of beliefs and themes I don’t feel to be accurate or truthful or good, are things that keep me kinda stuck. I can’t just accept some religious messages, they seem so obviously false and abusive to me, and like blatant brainwashing to make people suggestible and submissive. The other part is that I’m socially awkward and ask questions and pick things apart, which doesn’t jive well with people who simply accept something as true without thought. The result is that religious people keep me at arms length and see me as a “conversion project” rather than a human being; they see me as an opportunity to gain spiritual clout. “You see him? I brought him to Jesus!”

[@arcguardian]

Be careful not to be a hypocrite. By claiming they see u as a project and not a human being, they can claim you only see them as salesmen and not human beings. Over generalizations are breeding grounds for bitterness.

[@Crustee0]

My lecturer on christian lecture always have this stance of we need to base our faith on the truth, hence the more we learn or question what the Bible is trying to say (esp with era, language difference etcetc) the better we can hold onto our faith. Some people think Bible is just some bs scripts written thousands of years ago, and thats okay, personally with how much information i have got it seems like harder mental gymnastic to reject the idea that some scripts written long ago is just bs that could survive for however long since its written. I do agree most sects or whatever you call it seems to try to use the Bible as leverage for their own purpose, as its written like poetry most of the time and its easy to twist what the meaning is. This is where visiting multiple different church sects have its benefits, you can see if their teaching line up or have some kind of propaganda behind it.

[@ttapioca5]

Yeah, my nearly exact same experience was the reason I left the church.

[@ttapioca5]

@@arcguardian You can say this, but when I attempted to question teachings for personal growth, in an attempt to grow closer to god & deepen my understanding, I was told directly by members of the church that I was in fact a project for them. We had to pass around some sort of paper signing what we thought about the other people at the end of a youth group event that lasted for a week or so, & nearly EVERYONE in the group said they saw me as someone lost or questioning who they were happy to bring closer to faith and away from doubt. Nearly no one mentioned a single personal detail about me other than this, even though the we were supposed to comment on things specific to that person & our thoughts about & for them, things we appreciated about them. I think one person said they enjoyed my artwork and creativity, but about 25 others said they saw me as good for saving. The original commenter is doubtfully overgeneralizing their experience.

[@ttapioca5]

@@arcguardian They may not do it with bad intentions, but the outcome is that you feel dehumanized by their approach. Also, many think it’s simply their duty to recruit believers for their specific religion and cause, so they aren’t getting to know you as a person as much as they are trying to convince you to believe what they do. They may feel it’s for YOUR benefit, but it’s intricately linked to THEIR self worth & success as a good Christian/insert other religions who recruit people here.

[@steveloge8119]

Here before the typo in the title gets corrected

[@hemangmathur2823]

What typo? Ig it's gone now haha

[@hemangmathur2823]

Oh it has to be affect with an A. Got it

[@alexus8533]

Wait, is it the a-effect or the y-Your typo

[@hemangmathur2823]

Aaaaaaaand they fixed it.

[@red_roy]

@@alexus8533 its the right version of your

[@quinndepatten4442]

My only problem with religion is when the people practicing it confuse their ego with gods word and just become impossibly narcissisitic.

[@angrysloth]

Dr K might be wrong about AA. AFAIK AA doesn't allow outside audits of data and all data released is self reported and pretty sus. AA actually is a huge problem in rural america, as it's the court's go-to solution for dealing with substance abuse issues. AA being a religious institution basically equates to mandatory religion for offenders, with people being kicked out and facing legal repercussions if they admit to not believing in god.

[@klutzkoady4996]

He also recommended an alternative for people who're turned off by the religious aspect

[@angrysloth]

@@klutzkoady4996 yeah that option might exist in larger cities, I’ve had afriend go to jail for being kicked out of AA for being non religious after being court mandated to attend. Also it was for weed and he wasn’t testing dirty, just no god.

[@klutzkoady4996]

@@angrysloth yea that sounds pretty messed up

[@juicyparsons]

yup the choice of how/where a person can turn to for chemical dependency treatment is eroded for poor people and prisoners and people in mental health institutions based on the availability of rehab contracts..... in MN there are many many Native and Muslim folks who become coerced into professing Christians ideal just to get into treatment programs. feels unethical to me

[@angrysloth]

@@juicyparsons I’m actually next door in ND so I totally get what you’re saying. Stay warm!

[@brandonz404]

I've been religious my whole life and I love the analytical approach to it, I've never thought about it in that way and it was really cool to see.

[@m0L3ify]

I get the feeling that the dad was just recommending the one thing he knew that worked for him but wasn't open to listening to OP's needs when they differed. I hope this video helped OP tho. No one should feel shame because their religion differs from anyone else, even their parents.

[@m0L3ify]

@Prey R I mean, yeah, the dogma stipulates this has to happen in order to retain believers, but the healthy thing to do as a human being is to set that aside and listen to your kid. I think we can all agree on that. At least, I hope we can. As a parent, that's what I try to do. My beliefs aren't nearly as important as my son's mental health. Full stop. And I have had that put to the test where I did have to set aside my 'truth' to help him, and in the process of doing so I learned something and grew as a person. It's hard to be open to new ideas sometimes, and it takes a lot of courage as a parent to set aside everything you thought you knew, but sometimes it can really pay off and be mutually beneficial. Kids have as much to teach parents as parents do kids. I've learned a lot from my son and I'm very grateful for that.

[@m0L3ify]

@Prey R Agree to disagree, then. I don't think prioritizing my son's mental health is evil. I don't think being open to his point of view is wrong, either. Understanding where he's coming from helps me be a better parent. I'm not sure exactly what you imagine I'm doing in life, but the way you worded that, it sounds like you're equating me decided to non-religiously home school my son to better accommodate his disability with murder. It sounds pretty silly to me. Honestly, even when our religious views differ, I'm ok with it. I want to give him the freedom to explore the world and develop his own understanding of it. So long as I've raised him to be a moral person, I don't really care what god he does or does not follow. In the end, all that matters to me is his happiness and wellbeing. Then again, my religion doesn't have any dogma so it's much easier to be flexible and open to other points of view. My religious beliefs don't at all depend on what others think, say, or do. Therefore, my son is free to believe as he wishes, as are all of you. Whatever gets you through the night, as John Lennon once said. I'm fine with it.

[@marioluigi414]

You guys should really upload Dr. K's talk about detachment. Probably one of the best lectures he's done.

[@di3486]

My mental health improved dramatically when I left religion (that I was for about 25 years of my life) that realization, awakening and stepping up for what’s best for me wasn’t easy but never experienced so much freedom and acceptance about my mortality and the unfairness of life, I am now fine with it. I would NEVER go back.

[@Zero420DX]

Hope you have a good day my friend good luck 😘

[@ThaTrisme]

Same here I feel like I have more control over myself and more freedom like you described

[@buckcostanza3483]

same here

[@AlexanderMikhailov629]

Same

[@demo9299]

Same here lad, I was very superstitious, then leaving religion made my sleeping easy , think clearly, and take back the control of my life .

[@Infinite_voyager]

As a psych mejor, I cannot overstate how good Dr Ks content is.

[@KorsAir1987]

As a completely random dude, I agree with you.

[@Em-gj2sg]

As a Software Development student, I agree

[@gil-evan]

as someone who's now considering to take a psychology major because of Dr. K, do you think Dr. K's contents are pretty much good enough to cover what we need to know about psychology?

[@Infinite_voyager]

@@gil-evan I am not as educated as doctor k is for sure, but I think he would say that his videos are not supposed to be an end all comprehensive guide for anything. They are a great introduction to the topics and very useful to start a conversation about the topic in question with a person you may share the video with, but not a replacement for formal education.

[@itsoracle]

thinking of majoring in psychology

[@paninu]

really appreciate this objective look on how religion works. i think ive been struggling with religious ocd so it helps to "zoom out" of what i think im attaching myself to. imo the strength of abrahamic religions comes from how much they invest in the community aspect. there is a certain social cohesion that people take comfort in and that keeps the religion alive for many generations. for me, that is also a fault. I dont know how to work with myself in islam, rather i am always fighting myself and comparing, never growing. i am aware that this is largely due to my own mental health issues impacting the way i interact with religion, yet the rituals and generalized approach to people dont help someone like me with religious ocd who has trouble fitting in with people.

[@sovietunion7643]

its kinda weird seeing people talk about supressing the ego as a good thing, when i've only experience the harsh opposite extreme. i've suffered from having FAR too much shame and punishment for actions most would deem normal for the age that i was as a kid due to my parents being very religious, borderline fundamentalist in some ways. this continued well into my highschool years and to a lesser extent still continues. i've had to try to actually grow a spine and stand up for myself when i don't want to do something or don't like something about someone. being conditioned that standing up and rebelling against the system's action ("the system" in my case was my parents stranglehold on me and my siblings lives) was a horrible offense has caused me too much to always agree with what authority figures say. i hardly grew out of it and so i've had the opposite walk when it comes to the ego. instead of the ego getting too big and getting/keeping me in trouble, my ego has been starved and had its growth badly stunted so i've had to start learning how to grow a spine and stop following authority, too scared to question anything

[@krunkle5136]

It's definitely hard to practice having minimal ego when you live with assholes that don't practice what they preach. It's unfortunate.

[@zanard33]

I'd say religion gave me a bit of focus from the craziness of the world. It's just me, my God and my aim to better myself. When I was an atheist, the only thing I felt was anger at the world, at my life and other people.

[@yosh3058]

I'm in a strange situation. I'm religiously inclined. I want to believe. Religion was a fundamental part of me my whole life. However, in an effort to live more honestly with myself, I wanted to remove as much cognitive dissonance as possible. When I began to examine my faith, it came up short, and I realized I was practicing a lot of self deception for the sake of believing. So I made the difficult decision to walk away. It really sucks. There is a massive hole missing at my core. Even worse, I can't discuss this deconversion with anyone in my life since my fundamentalist community still doesn't know

[@paintbrushes5]

I had the same feeling when I left the faith at 29. Like my whole life was pulled out from underneath me because I couldn't keep telling myself that a guy came back to life 2000 years ago. It felt like everything I had invested in had been burnt down, and that I had missed out on loads of opportunities because of the sacrifices I had made for my religion. It got better over time and now I'm feeling a lot better than I did when I was a Christian. I still have days when I feel flat, but I feel at peace, and there's a huge sense of freedom that I have from being able to explore ideas without having to avoid any that threaten the "correct answers". I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're not alone and it does get better.

[@realbedo]

Faith deconstruction is definitely very hard.. I know you commented awhile ago so I just hope that things have gotten better in that regard. Personally religion doesn't work but spiritual atheism does. Witchcraft has a lot of ties to science using scents and herbs known to produce calming effects. Meditation is known to help and I know some people coming from religious communities have used psychedelic therapy to help (please research before hand and be careful though because while a little bit can help it is drugs)

[@justkiddingwithahmad999]

The very first thing comes to my mind regarding someone who believes in a creator, is that they won't blame themselves for every single bad thing happens to them. they believe that there are some hidden rules governing this world that maybe we aren't aware of them but ultimately they are to our benefit. also the belief to hereafter is another big peace of mind for belelieving people. that if I suffer in this world, it will be compensated with much higher rewards in the other world and no good deed will remain unrewarded. it is sad that the more humans try to become independent and separated from spirituality and religion, the higher is the rate of depression and mental health degradation.

[@javiereg956]

Amen to that; I pray for everyone here who is undergoing mental health issues. Much love to everyone whether you are a Muslim, Jew, Christians, Agnostic, or any other religion we are all brothers and sisters but more importantly we are all GAMERS

[@yournextdoorgamerwithgames2945]

Chad

[@XanStephP]

Sounds like having friends and or a community to turn too can help with mental health in current times.

[@buneco05]

What if no religion? We are people too ;-;

[@hououinkyouma5539]

Prayers? So nothing. ...Actually. I changed my mind. Prayers are worse than nothing, prayers are there to make YOU feel better. No one else

[@popeoftea]

King

[@jacopoarmini7889]

my religion helped me a lot with mental health: as a Catholic Christian the idea of pursuing goodness and excellence in spite of the malice of the world and within ourselves is what keeps me going, the whole point of it is that it is good to do good for goodness' sake, not to get into Heaven, or even worse, for the fear of Hell.

[@Kavriel]

Eastern religions : "You're basically a god". Also Eastern religions: " Drop the ego dude".

[@elektrotehnik94]

The beauty and the difficulty of understanding of non-duality... Right as it should be

[@yerpderp6800]

@@elektrotehnik94 who's the one struggling to understand? ;) Self-enquiry!

[@xfrobie9773]

You might be a god, but then so is everybody else.

[@buboniccraig896]

I grew up in Mormonism and you'd think it would help stop existential crisis's but it only made them way worse to the point where it made me want to bash my head in the wall trying to comprehend infinity. I still sometimes get existential panic attacks but they've definitely calmed down recently. I think since I wasn't equipped to tackle the concept of death as a child because I was promised infinite joy afterwards, the very idea that the religion had even the slimmest chance of being wrong shattered my way of thinking. If I had grown up with an agnostic or atheist family I think I would have handled the concept of nothingness way better.

[@epicureanbard]

After finding trouble with logical discordance with Christian churches (my mom is an ordained priest), I've been having trouble finding a religion that meets me where I am in my spiritual journey. After watching this video, I realized that D&D IS my religion. I trust my DM and my fellow players. There is a structure and framework to how we should act. I have a community with my D&D group. We meet regularly and have to focus on what we are doing. There is a sublimation of ego because we are not ourselves, we are a constructed character and part of a team and take turns trying to solve the problem. (There's also some superstition about dice roles lol)

[@jacobgoodrich6984]

kinda cringe bro

[@epicureanbard]

@@jacobgoodrich6984 I'm curious. How so?

[@epicureanbard]

@@xenonsan3110 lol I had to look it up but yeah, pretty much!

[@epicureanbard]

@@xenonsan3110 I'm aware of the Satanic Panic and Mazes and Monsters. So glad D&D is shaking off that propoganda

[@martynatrzcinska6533]

Thank you so much for this talk. As a spiritual person with mental health struggles, I highly appreciate it! One of the most interesting videos on this topic that I have ever listened to.

[@hammoudewehbe4675]

Muslim here. I’m 30 years old now, have done many drugs throughout my youth, partied, and really experienced a “fun” lifestyle without thinking about my faith. Once I turned toward my faith again and started praying and being honest with myself and God, my mental health really did shoot up, and so did my detachment to the world

[@achintya3061]

it really depends where you are raised if you are raised in Afghanistan then mostly you will be taught radical and over the head rules, where as if you are raised in an balanced and safe country you will see and experience many things and are much better mentaly and not radicalize like some nations do like middle east .

[@thedragonlady6661]

dr. K I doubt you’ll see this, but I am blown away at how skilled you are at discussing this extremely nuanced and contentious issue. You touched on a lot of points that are very important for a lot of people to understand why their faith helps them and why faith is important for some people and also the dangers of faith .I just want to say thank you. Your attention to detail and skill in these matters is a huge public service.

[@AnymMusic]

I am totally fine with religion. if you're religious, that is totally fine good on you. what I am not fine with, is when you use YOUR religion to tell OTHERS how to live. it's okay if you can't eat pork in your religion, it's fine if abortions are not okay in your religion, hell if your religion states that being gay is a sin that is fine! but don't force it onto others! your life is your life, their life is their life. it shouldn't concern you if they go to hell (or equal of a hell) for not following the rules of your religion that the other person might not believe in.

[@EtamirTheDemiDeer]

No everyone needs to be *my* religion/s

[@plneet3504]

Being religious isn't just adopting values its having faith, Christans hate sin they dont tolerate it

[@arcguardian]

U fail to see the irony in ur comment. Ur literally telling ppl what to do/not do. Ur religion permits abortion, but what do u say to the person who's religion permits killing toddlers? You haven't fully thought out ur stance, but if you have, ur intellectually lazy.

[@FirstLast-fr4mx]

I believe everyone is religlus to something if not Christianity or islam it could be money fame society yourself

[@AnymMusic]

@@arcguardian my stance is stay out of other people's business if it doesn't hurt you. if you're a christian and someone's gay, does that hurt you? does it truly affect you? no? then don't go up to em and berate them saying how being gay is wrong. both you and the other person have better stuff to do with their day I'm sure, so let's focus our energy on stuff that actually benefits us and society, instead of just complaining to eachother

[@YoungMule]

So happy you had this already, I noticed your openness to religion in other videos and was craving your perspective on it more broadly

[@yousifmq]

I am not sure why but my mental health got significantly better after I stopped believing and became an atheist when I was like 15 Religion always made me feel depressed, uneasy and always felt sus to me, but after I read a lot of religions, I found a pattern in all of them, human pattern you can say, and the whole religion idea just crumbled and I felt so much happier

[@deapuspapranidani9795]

i am psych student and i found his explanations quite interesting. religion and mental health are a complex combo which most of the time leads to perpetual unecessary debates. I like how dr K explained from one of the most basic and fundamental point of mental health and tailored it to the issue. naisu!

[@TheDhammaHub]

It can really help to have some meaning in life for sure - but it doesn't _have to_ depend on religion (not that it's bad though!)

[@ThaTrisme]

Life is more than religion and what we believe in

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

@@ThaTrisme life is more than ice cream, but I still eat it.

[@speedfastman]

@@xXx_Regulus_xXx Religious people more coat their whole bodies and way of thinking in ice cream.

[@classicmemer3435]

You know you see it like a really sweat cake its so sweat that you cant handle it you say i dont have time for it or maybe next Monday its good to have it like you have a second language (for fun ) its really the best way and if you dont want you dont lose anything you just dont gain anything as i said its a really sweat cake you eat a lot of it you might just end up hating it misunderstanding it or giving up on it and it will be better if you have it only for yourself

[@glof2553]

@@speedfastman religious person here. You're wrong.

[@miker2000]

Great lecture. For me the big thing is if the organization and/or its members are abusive or not. If there is abuse, obviously it is unhealthy. But lack of abuse, means healthiest place. But abuse is so complex, sometimes it is difficult to detect until later.

[@abhinavr9003]

17:38 - Devotion to god and surrender to god results to the spirutual growth. 17:38 - Devotion to god and surrender to god results to the spirutual growth. 21:52 - 1. Trusted source 2. Figure how the world works? Science, philosophy, spirituality, cultural 3. Community 4. Sublimation to Ego 5. Meditation and yoga 23:55 - Hindulism: 25% music theory 25% meditation 25% rituals 25% creation myths 25:00 - Religion and science are not necessarily oxymorons 28:41 - There is a dark side to sublimating the ego, which is people may take advantage of you.

[@naturally_rob]

I found a love for religion but not for the faith itself. Religion is a wise teacher. Texts of life comprised over thousands of years

[@lucijamajic3470]

Thats so interesting, I think for me its the opposite, I am currently working on loving my faith and not the religiom itself

[@naturally_rob]

@@lucijamajic3470 Fascinating indeed. Opposing views. Faith has been complicated for me. I hope you find solace in your choices.

[@di3486]

Interestingly, leaving religion and similar was the key for finding awakening and freedom, my life is so much better now.

[@facebookuser1653]

One thing that most religious people wont admit is every religion have flaws. And if you takes everything in religion seriously chances are you will be an asshole. Like hating anything that is not in your bible (since they're considered sin and herecy) I'm an atheist. My mother is a muslim. And i've learned many good things from religion such as gratitude and empathy. But i still cant bother the idea of "praising some omnipetent being or you'll go to hell" and "if you're in the wrong religion, you'll go to hell anyway".

[@facebookuser1653]

And praying is technically a form of coping mechanism and meditation.

[@EricRamz]

2:22 “I grew up Christian” 8 seconds later- 2:30 “I grew up Hindu” I have confusion..

[@christopherramos161]

He went to a Catholic school, but he was Hindu

[@SuperBProHD]

IVE WAITED FOR *SO* LONG FOR THIS TOPIC TO BE COVERED 🙌

[@brendenpeterson5684]

I've found that I've been able to help my mental health and my character overall through philosophy, specially humanism. I feel like I have some purpose through it, which is probably another thing that helps with mental health, and that is to help those around me to create a better world. I also have a slight mix of stoicism and that helps me to not worry as much about that I cannot control.

[@realtalk2046]

23 seconds in and the great Dr.K is already healthily reenforcing self appreciation/praise. This channel is a W

[@realtalk2046]

that "good job" hit is all im saying

[@vitre69]

In defense of Christianity, we are the easiest to pick on because we are more notorious, so people misquote what we preach to real absurd degrees because people don't fact check. I blame tv and religious freaks. I don't want this to sound like its Doc K's fault, it very much isn't and he treated us fairly in everything he said. It's just that some stuff people attribute to us is just plain silly.

[@brendenpeterson5684]

I think that one of the factors behind that is that Christianity is such a broad category. It has people from your nutty Christian nationalist Uncle to your "love thy neighbor as you love thy self" aunt. I'm personally not Christian, or religious at all really, but I have seen and met so many different people that I can find so many different ideas within it

[@vitre69]

@@brendenpeterson5684 I get that a lot. Maybe this is another symptom of being more notorious, having people think they are preaching "the good word" when they at best are misinformed and at worst have ill intent. Nonetheless, we are a big easy target to pick on.

[@areare3990]

Because there's so many christian people that misinterpreted and misuse the word of God for their own benefit/belief and interest. The word of God is so vague and almost philisophical that i can't even blame the others. So many contradictions and mistranslations. Pastor's being the only source of knowledge and truth ending up causing misinformation and all things. May God bless you.

[@realbedo]

I think because Christianity has such a worldwide impact and English speaking places like the US and Europe are most effected by Christianity and religion in their government we see it talked about a lot more. It's also got a bad rap because of mistranslations like homophobia when the Bible was talking about p*dophilia. Overall I think that people speaking about their sect of Christianity and how that effected them doesn't mean that we have to treat them bad nor hate on people who still believe. All people and their beliefs should be respected (unless obviously morally wrong)

[@bluesyjazzcat31]

I’ve been waiting for a video like this for the longest time and I’ve really been bringing on Dr K lately and I’m glad to see him talk about this subject. Keep it up and good work to everyone who’s aiming up out there!

[@victordeluca7360]

Pretty positive, I'd imagine. After being agnostic for enough years, I've come to understand the appeal of placing your purpose in life in a higher being so that you don't have to think too hard about it Unless we're talking about fanatics...Oh no

[@du42bz]

imagine having to place your purpose of life into something supernatural that you made up

[@hotshots149]

@@du42bz False, unless you're on about "self-made religions (for yourself)", which essentially is your own philosophy.

[@animposter4971]

But that's the exact reason I believe it's bad, it's a shortcut in life. It gives you the right to be as immoral and disgusting as you want, as long as it's protected by your religion. People who rely on religion to guide them are too weak to face reality.

[@animposter4971]

@@hotshots149 nah they're right, you can ask any religious person and they all have different ideas of what their "god" wants. Coincidentally it always seems to be in line with the things they're willing to compromise to please the higher being, Idk it seems like a convenience thing to me juuust a little.

[@hotshots149]

@@animposter4971 no. Funny you should say that! Because without religion, you would have something that resembles moral nihilism, or a result where you're just a number in a totalitarian system.

[@AnthonyBolognese710]

The accountability and gratitude components of AA are probably what changed my life the most. You need accountability and it sets you free. As far as how it ties into religion as well - I think the “letting go” and whether you let go and let god or some other higher power, is irrelevant. The mere act of letting go has helped me to step back outside myself and analyze the situation without trying to control it. It’s given me peace to know that while I can’t control everything around me, I can understand it, and plan accordingly, by taking incremental steps, one day at a time. Jocko says discipline is freedom. I believe it.

[@kenpanderz672]

as an atheist, i find it troubling to contemplate religion being a force for good, especially after seeing all the horrible things done because of or on the behalf of certain Abrahamic religions. but i recognize that no system of belief can be entirely bereft of any valuable or atleast truth-adjacent ideas. i still think a secular lie is better in general, or atleast a secular way of structuring society and policies of governance, but there definitely seem to be aspects within some religions that have undeniable value to humanity atleast on a psychological level. i just wish certain religions didnt have so many examples of people doing horrible things due to or via the excuse of certain religious teachings/interpretations, it really spoils the whole thing for me and alot of other people.

[@uthergoodman401]

It's not really religion that is the problem. It's people empower using a belief system for control. This includes atheism. Stalin and Mao are two examples of atheism used to control people, as they attempted to quell religion in order to glorify worship of the state

[@kenpanderz672]

@@uthergoodman401 it just seems that certain religions, Abrahamic ones mostly, are way more popular with people who want to justify horrible beliefs via some unassailable higher authority. but yeah, religion was a threat to their absolute rule, which is part of why they tried to stamp it out, which had the side effect of making atheism mandatory since its literally just not having a religion. though i imagine that if they were so inclined, they'd have made the worship of themselves into a new religion, so they probably werent actually against religion itself, just the ones that threatened their plans for world domination. Christianity had already largely succeeded in conquering much of the world by then, so its brutal crusades were mostly behind it.

[@lollolo1307]

Healthygamergg is a religion: 1. Safe space: Dr. K 🗸 2. Organising frame work: Dr. K's guide 🗸 3. Community: Discord 🗸 4. Sublimation of Ego: ...its there 🗸 5. Discipline: Meditations 🗸

[@privatesectorsec]

I feel like what ever gets you to be a good person is good but it won’t work for everyone or it’s not the right time

[@eimhym]

Indeed a sensitive topic so allow me to tread this very carefully by starting with disclaimer: I by no means trying to correct nor promote particular religion nor blaming particular individual/profession. I'm just quoting centuries old wisdom which I think very relevant to this topic and everybody can observe with their own senses. Hopefully broaden our options. May I have Dr. K confirmation that this lecture is about (21:46) _Substitute_ _of_ _Religion_ as long as you can fulfill the _5_ _Common_ _Factors_ that would beneficial for mental health? (Which by the way I totally agree of) 1. Therapeutic Alliance 2. Organizing Framework ( _here_ _the_ _substitution_ _works_ ) 3. Social Capital 4. Sublimation of Ego 5. Discipline of the Mind It *was* provided by religion. Was? Is it because religion the only option we have in the past? Or there is something else? Let see what Dr. K says about religion downfall: + Abuse of Power + Betrayal of Trust + Shame / Guilt (which instilled by "authority", and worst: ostracization) See the pattern here? I think there is nothing better to describe the problem than Jesus' _parable_ _of_ _tenant_ . Religion foresee its own problem, to make it blunt, the _middle_ _man_ tends to stand in our way to salvation/enlightenment/independence. Not all but some aim for our dependency than spiritual growth (forced dependency vs facilitated growth). Head count gives them power, so you are taken advantage of. I have no experience about karmic religion, but I believe there is something similar, so let's ask Dr. K for example about Guru and enlightenment. My (personal) take is, as mental capacity of a child require guidance, religion work best providing the 5 common factors. As we grow, learn how science (and yes, gaming) _actually_ solidify the existing framework, not the contrary (tricky, yes). This is where _Therapeutic_ _Alliance_ plays critical role, hopefully the intent leans toward growth than dependency. Just then when we have mental capacity of a grown up we also have the means to distance our need for _Social_ _Capital_ . Not completely cut off just not entirely dependent (tricky, obviously). How? Well as guidance means at some point we should not need the _middle_ _man_ anymore, we already capable to shift the _Therapeutic_ _Alliance_ from them to ... what to call it God? Ultimate Wisdom? Universe? Boom that's it, full combo package + dependency free for mental health, ready to handle whatever world throws at you.

[@elektrotehnik94]

Yes, but it goes deeper than that & you don't "grow out of proper belief"... you just rise higher and higher in it

[@eimhym]

@@elektrotehnik94 One can treat "existing framework" as boundaries to feel safe and protected, which certain stage in our life will obviously reap benefit. Alas, sitting there for the rest of my life will not, make it rigid and become framed instead, thus the caged one has the need to "escape". What if, when mental capacity permits, be curious that even the most agnostic won't deny wisdom within "proper belief" (Dr.K has interviewed one :D) Switch the *mindset* from _rigid_ _cage_ _one_ _framed_ _within_ into _solid_ _frame_ _one_ _can_ _build_ _upon_ , thus the need to "dig deeper" and "rise higher". Even new science based on previous knowledge. We can easily observe our mindset by how we treat games. Do we carve endlessly for new exciting games? Or enjoying games as tool to experiment, experience things that hard or impossible to do in real world. Virtual incarnation, break through the pixels reaching the one behind, and more exciting stuff where the only limit is your imagination? Do tech enable us, or disable us, I guess mindset counts. What do you think?

[@elektrotehnik94]

@@eimhym In your words it seems like you speak of religion as only a way to frame our life, a system of axioms to follow, useful to have. Though you might be aware religion is not just that, I'm only reminding any reader here that there is much, much more to be found there, so much more of everything our souls crave. I'm talking of things that you stand in awe of, things that are beyond our human capacity to put into words, things of wonder. Things that have the power to make us transform ourselves into a different kind of person, wanting to live a different kind of life, serving a different kind of purpose. I feel this is where the value of religion is the most impactful & needs to be not forgotten.

[@eimhym]

@@elektrotehnik94 my words are showing the steps to achieve what your words "don't grow out of proper belief" are deemed to be impossible. In fact, please rewatch from 29:10 , what's Dr. K mention there? Then re-read my root comment, what's new there? Or I might be wrong, so please be kind and explain which of my words implies "religion as *only* a way to frame our life". I believe the path towards enlightenment includes paying attention and read carefully.

[@elektrotehnik94]

@@eimhym "My (personal) take is, as mental capacity of a child require guidance, religion work best providing the 5 common factors. As we grow, learn how science (and yes, gaming) actually solidify the existing framework, not the contrary (tricky, yes). This is where Therapeutic Alliance plays critical role, hopefully the intent leans toward growth than dependency. Just then when we have mental capacity of a grown up we also have the means to distance our need for Social Capital . Not completely cut off just not entirely dependent (tricky, obviously). How? Well as guidance means at some point we should not need the middle man anymore, we already capable to shift the Therapeutic Alliance from them to ... what to call it God? Ultimate Wisdom? Universe? Boom that's it, full combo package + dependency free for mental health, ready to handle whatever world throws at you." --> This description sounds like we're in control. That it's a system we understand, have figured out. You never said it's only a framework. I'm just pointing out to any OP watching this comment section (we are in public here ^^) that it's indeed not only a framework & I felt that needs to be pointed out more than you had thus far at that point. That's all, I had no other point to make

[@m0L3ify]

I love the description of DBT as "someone who knew CBT learned how to meditate" 😂 It's so spot on

[@LARADEKA]

*_Seen it late, but..._* *_I'm on the brink of a "reset button" on myself. Not to rid myself entirely. It's to restart all my beliefs and paint the picture I need to see, what I believe in, and be more expressive with myself and my perceptions._* TL;DR - *_As an artist, the Eastern culture that once said that we are all God soothes me the most, as where will all these talented people have come from? But we need both our spirit and ego to survive, just like Yin and Yang depend on one another, mind, heart and body work together._*

[@saedt]

Dr. K blows my mind, man. What a great human being.

[@traywor]

I saw something like this in twitch chat. Here is my argument why Dr. K shares some of the common factors: 1. Safe Space: Absolutly, just watch any interview and you feel in a safe space, look at reddit or the coaching program. And even if you don't participate in any of that, there gotta be some interview you identify with. I think. 2. Organizing framework I will just say: Let us understand what's going on. 3. HealthyGamerGG Community, what else to say. 4. Sublimation of ego, there is enough source material on this channel. 5. Discipline of the mind: Just do the meditation on stream ffs.

[@lukesweeney3396]

Dr K: "this is gonna sound kinda weird..." Dr K immediately after: [something that makes perfect sense]

[@MaxKomes]

Holy cow, you hit the nail on the head. Sublimation of the ego, or spiritual bypassing, makes for a lack of developed personality structure, leading to risk of being taken advantage of

[@calebsherman886]

Religion is probably one of the biggest reasons for my existential anxiety. It's the idea that people could somehow deserve to go to hell for eternity that haunts me on the daily. I personally believe this is ridiculous, but the idea is there. It's been taught to me as a child. I'm not religious anymore.

[@uthergoodman401]

As a Christian could I ask a question. Because of my beliefs, I do not support homosexuality but I would never want to force that belief on anyone. I really dont want to make you angry but what exactly makes you think that you being homosexual with another person is love? Why do you need to have sex with a person of the same sex as you to love them? Isnt that just lust? I love my male friends as well but I never feel an urge to have sex with them. So why is it different for you? As God put it. I'm not trying to incite anything so please dont be angry. If youd rather not answer that's fine. I'm open to hearing your side and having my mind changed.

[@uthergoodman401]

@@403_not_found. Your question is the stupidest thing. You want to have sex with the opposite gender because that is how reproduction works. It is meant specifically to be enjoyed by a couple for that purpose and for the growth of their relationship. Homosexuality is entirely based on lust and not love. You may love someone you lust after, but that doesn't mean the act itself is love. Keep in mind that I am not specifically targeting homosexuality but simply all lust based relationships. This includes homosexuality but also includes polygamy, premarital sex, incest (consensual or not), bestiality, and so on and so forth. I am also not saying I should control or legislate whether or not you should engage in those acts, this is a free country after all, as long as its consensual. This is just me stating my beliefs.

[@lewisswedenborg5287]

The ideas of Emmanuel Swedenborg really helped me.

[@Queen_hWitch_Melody]

I chose the hard route then since I don't subscribe to any religion. It was interesting to learn about the benefits it can offer...even though I've never felt like that path is right for me, personally. Actually, learning itself is what I value most. That's why the mentors I look up to are my professors. Maybe the academic are my tribe. : - B

[@erisunflower]

It’s up to the person what they want/choose to believe in and of course what’s best for their mental health. My religion is more like ‘faith’ and I will pray occasionally from time to time since it helps me. Some of my relatives can be pretty toxic when it comes to this topic and it’s kinda sad...

[@Martz604]

I find Jungian psychology mixed with a good dash of Joseph Campbell, and Aldous Huxley can help explain this component of our psyches.

[@RogerValor]

As someone who knows a lot of different Christian faiths (denominations) by now, I can say, that some may do overdo the guilt part, but it is often indirectly by trying to underline the Forgiveness of God in some weird reverse psychology way, which I do not condone, I think it is important to repeat, that God is full of mercy and forgiveness, but you do not need to dig a grave just to show the hill. And while I do know a healthy catholicism, I think unfortunately catholics are the toughest theology to start with understanding Christianity, simply because the church was abused for power games due to it's sheer worldly power. It's like studying Democracy and starting with the US - it gets you there eventually, but don't expect to understand stuff like socialism. I do not think, Religions have the same qualitative views, which is why I don't think the term "abrahamic religion" is very helpful, that is used in modern scientific contexts, as the picture of God has key differences between judeo-christian and islamic traditions. Finally, it is often incredibly hard to distinguish family influence and cultural influence from religious influence, even when trying to understand a Religion.

[@pigsarehairy]

20:25 organizational framework is a weird one for me, for me my mental health improve allot when i stopped trying to fit things into frameworks and try to make sense of them in a bigger picture, these days unless something is clearly linked to me i see things happening in the world as just events that may or may not fit into anything. To put it blandly i don't believe any framework is correct or we can prove any framework correct even if it is correct so i interpret things a bit more nebulously and that works for me

[@speeedycrafter2564]

Thank you HealthyGamer this is the information I was looking for and youve helped me a lot

[@chilanya]

My parents were raised religiously but not very strict. They both saw through the nonsense at an early age. So they raised us as atheists, but they never forbade us to believe in anything religious or spiritual. I never saw the point of believing in stuff that's not real. But I can see how religion helps people and provides a social circle. A number of Buddhist texts in the context of mental health were immensely helpful. For instance when I started viewing a narcissistic and manipulative person in my life with compassion instead of hate.

[@tile-maker4962]

I am a non-Duelist. I also follow the concepts of Wu Wei, Fan and other meditative practices in Daoism. However, at the root of Daoism is the belief that one does not need rules to govern their life and rituals to govern their daily movement. "rituals are the husk of true faith, the beginning of Chaos." Ch38 Can you maintain balance in mental health without complex rituals?

[@simonbelmont1986]

Religion kept me from suicide. So I think it's a great help.

[@yazzy3177]

ur weak minded to even think abt suiciding

[@Amy-mq5ux]

Loved this conversation. Greatly articulated.

[@greatwavefan397]

Do you believe some people can be their own psychologist? I honestly doubt the negative effect of isolation, but it depends on the person.

[@JerseyMiller]

Former g&t kid here. I have found great insight in your channel GG. Thank you.

[@hanniballecter2187]

lol turn on captions at 5:26

[@fluttershy2816]

Thanks for this! I love how you've broken it down and explained 👏🏻

[@poorkido5198]

It's like going to tution vs studying yourself to ace an exam

[@NoOne-sq4et]

Being a theist definitely has pros and cons. You feel more optimistic knowing that someone is own your side and already have a set of rules to live life by set for you. It also forces you to be a better person because of heaven and hell concept. Negatives of being a theist is that their is always this filter in your judgement if something is slightly against your religion you will condemn it, you will also most likely only talk with people of your faith and miss out on the beauty of life (all these flaws depend on the level of your belief) I’m personally agnostic because I know I don’t love god ones who do great for them but I personally don’t have any feelings of devotion or hate for a higher being so instead of choosing to fake my love just so I can get my desires fulfilled I chose to not pray him. I don’t know if he exists or not nor does knowing that change my life in any way shape or form. Edit: technically you can overcome the flaws of being theist only if you believe and adore the concept of god but don’t agree with religions approach to understand god or trap him in some text. There are many people like that. Also religious or not everyone please try meditation it’s life changing.