Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
I posted here earlier today about how 20% of Californians think they need mental therapy. The conversation that ensued took an interesting turn toward religion, suffering, and human happiness. So, per Ursula's recommendation, I'm starting a new post that opens the issue up to the wider Ricochet community and asking ...
Does religion, God, and/or morality help us overcome depression/anxiety/sadness/suffering and make us happier people?
That question came up thanks to a comment made by Ricochet member G.A. Dean:
Humans inevitably face sadness, anxiety and nervousness, and other dark emotional states, and cultures cycle between beliefs on the best cure. Some turn to God, or to the bottle, others prescribe hard work and others just uproot and run off to a fresh start. These things are like fashion. The ancients sought the advice of the oracles; we go to shrinks, or to yoga class.
I'm curious about what Ricochet readers, commenters, and contributers think: do we lose something by finding therapeutic cures in secular sources, like therapists or yoga--or prescription drugs--rather than religious or transcendent ones?
Does religion ultimately help us cope with suffering, leading us to find deeper meaning in life? What are its limits?
Other questions to think about, via Ursula, are: What are the salves provided by religion/God? How does life get better if one "practices" a religion?
I personally think that religion teaches us how to adapt and react to difficult circumstances in a deep and meaningful way. Throughout the history of Western moral thought--until modern times, that is--the question of what makes us happy was bound to the question of leading The Good Life, the morally virtuous life. Our morally good choices, especially in the face of trying times, enriched our lives--and therefore made us happier in any circumstance.
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Jun '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Yes, absolutely. Just on a very basic & simple level, we can edure earthly suffering if we can just "hang in there" until we're rewarded in heaven. The Baltimore Catechism was pretty clear on that point, and it's stuck with me. Even those who are not up for a search for deep meaning but have taken part in charitable exercises learn that shifting focus off your own problems and expending energy on a more needy person is a sure fire mood elevator.
At any rate, it keeps me away from the booze.
Jun '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
I think most people are more afraid of loneliness at the end of life than of pain and deprivation. They're afraid of meaningless pain, meaningless hunger, and meaningless deprivation. I've heard, that in Mother Teresa's first meager hospice facilities there were a lot of smiles from the dying. They still suffered pain and physical distress, but they had someone holding their hand and listening to them. They had someone offering comfort and meaning to it. And Mother Teresa was not trying to convert anybody, at least not the dying. She was serving Jesus by serving the "least of His."
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Absolutely. Psychologists have actually been studying this question for decades. The results consistently suggest two things: (1) that people who identify themselves as religious are more likely to describe themselves as happy, and (2) that religion tends to be a positive force in psychological healing and adjustment. The reasons are more difficult to prove.
But Stickershock and etoiledunord have nailed the most significant factors, I believe. Religions assure people that their actions and experiences have lasting meaning and, in the case of theistic religions, that good and justice will ultimately prevail. The best religions (for un-PC thing to say, I know) also teach people that they help themselves by focusing on helping others. And people are assured that they're never alone, by gathering with other followers and/or by knowing that God/angels/ancestors are with them.
Religions also act as a guide to life. Lord knows we need guidance!
Jul '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
When I was a young lad I was standing on a plank jutting out from the roof like the kind the pirates had people walk. The boy anchoring it on the other end stepped off because he too was a young boy. Result: I fell ten feet to the ground, but it was a soft landing. The other end had flipped and was heading my way unknown to me. "Roll out of the way," a voice told me. Calm, deep, steady, a man's voice. I who'd never heard such a voice in my life to that point. (Dad was a brutal drunk). I did as bid and the plank slammed down where I had lain. "Turn it over," called another boy. The big nail would have impaled me. There were a couple of other such incidents in my life. People usually give me what can politely be called a blank look when I relate this story. I don't blame them; I would too if positions were reversed. I think a lot of people have experiences like that, but our fear of ridicule keeps them from sharing them. I never pass up a chance though.
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Ok, I'll pick up the baton over here...Like the others I find religion/faith to be a more effective way to deal with life's challenges, but I can see that many desire or prefer the more "secular" approaches. I think we want to cure our soul-aches the same way we can today cure our bodily aches; take a pill, and it's gone! And who wouldn't want such a quick and easy solution, if such a thing were possible? Note that despite their consistent failure, quick and easy weight-loss plans are still popular.
Religion scares people because it so...intrusive, but that's also why it works. The religion I know (Christianity) aims, ultimately, to open your eyes to who you really are, and where you fit in the big wide world (There's a lot within that summation, but let's not get into that.) The impact is pervasive, and that's important if you really want a "cure".
There are pseudo-religions that can mess you up, however. It's not enough that you change your whole way of thinking. The "new way of thinking" must be closer to the truth.
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
One other thing. Interesting that the popular religion/politics blogger "The Anchoress" (Elizabeth Scalia) posted today on this very idea. This post quotes a minor Catholic saint, Theresa Benedicta (aka Edith Stein, a Jewish catholic saint!), and is probably a bit too rich in "religious talk" for folks not accusomed to it. But note the comment Elizabeth adds at the end.
"And for myself, I can personally testify that putting our anxieties into the Heart of Christ brings remarkable freedom and clarity."
Indeed. And while were at The Anchoress, read this post from yesterday. It's a story of how Elizabeth found comfort and insight through the love of her dog, which certainly non-religious folk can and do experience. But in Elizabeth's mind it becomes religious. This is what I mean by "pervasive" and its a much more typical example of how faith works in a person's life, versus the statement by Theresa.
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Wow! Emily, what a great post ... our Ricochet readers are so enlightened and enlightening. I'm glad this is the last thing I read online before I head up for bed to read a book for a bit.
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Ross very recently posted a clip from Ronald Dworkin on this subject:
True, and if you haven't read Rieff you simply must. But what intrigues me is that we seem to be growing gentler and coarser at the same time. Agree?
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
I can personally say that faith in God has sustained me personally through many trials in my life. The faith that there is a grand purpose in life, that there is a greater being with a plan, and I am part of it provides significant perspective in face of earthly circumstances.
Scripture tells us:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
-Romans 8:28
"All things...", if you believe that, and trust in God that through his son Jesus Christ everything in this world works for your good, it holds great power in your life. Joy and happiness can be found in all circumstances.
I don't mean to discount "secular" remedies, such as drugs for mental health, working with a therapist, or some form of exercise, including yoga. There are certainly situations where these come into play to resolve serious problems in peoples lives, as I believe God works through natural means as well as supernatural.
Jun '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
The Hubble Telescope was recently focused on what looked like two black spots in space that had previously gone unexplored. What astronomers found was more galaxies farther away from us than they had ever before seen; which is also to say older galaxies than have previously been observed. According to the latest count there are over 100 billion galaxies in the universe. We know that at the speed of light, which may or may not be a universal speed limit, our species will likely never see what we can only imagine is out “There.” Yet, the pure scientist in me hungers for more and is almost driven mad by the prospect of not seeing. What science can’t say at this juncture is whether we are looking into infinite space. We know that space is vast, but is it infinite, with an infinite number of galaxies, stars, and planets?
Jun '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
All this stuff, enough to form 100 billion galaxies is thought to have come into existence from a point with no physical dimensions some fourteen billion years ago. It is here that both time and space, as we know them, are thought to have started. It is here that the four fundamental forces of nature, of which gravity may or may not prove to be one of, are thought to have originated. The slightest change in any one these forces and the universe might easily have flown apart or collapsed back into nothingness. That’s what is thought to be the how. But what’s the why?
Jun '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
The reality is that as human beings we are faced with two choices when reflecting on life: Purposeful or random. And here random is almost a misnomer, as the probability of our species coming into existence runs far, far beyond the odds of winning two or three or four power ball lotteries in as many consecutive tries. So we are here either to aid in the fulfillment of some divine plan that, despite ourselves, includes us, or we are pure evolutionary chance—a dice role. But whether we are scientific or religious in our individual natures, there is no way of avoiding an overarching faith in something. For the religious it is God. For the atheist it is man. But as sure as we live and breathe as a species we will never understand the why of it? The best we will ever do is simple acceptance of our very small and, to all except our own loved ones and possibly God, irrelevant place in this His vastness.
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Cas, an atheist looks at the vast universe and thinks that to have it all to ourselves would be such a waste. A Christian looks at that universe and appreciates a gift so great that it is beyond full appreciation. It's like giving your wife endless fields of flowers. Even those flowers she would never see would be meaningful to her.
Your Grace, thank you for your story. I agree completely. Nearly every religious person I know has either first-hand or second-hand accounts of miracles, angels or other forms of God's presence and activity in our lives. My family is full of them. Faith is often founded in experience.
Just today, I experienced God's wonderful hand. A friend of mine was raped by a neighbor on her 13th birthday. She has hated every birthday since, being depressed months before and having nightmares. This year, I prayed repeatedly that God remove that pain from her. She told me today that she has "finally turned a birthday around... i actually feel happy".
That religion does as well. Prayer enables us to invite God into the world so that He may help the people whom we cannot.
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Wow, everyone has such thoughtful things to say! Your Grace and Aaron--your stories were very moving.
Aaron, I want to pick up on something you said:
Do you think that the world is a more meaningful place for Christians (or anyone with religion/God) or for atheists? I think this question is the key to whether religion/God helps us cope with suffering.
My gut is to say that the religious person finds more meaning in this world--to that person, there is a higher order that governs our affairs and life has a purpose beyond the hand we're dealt on earth. But part of me thinks that the atheist finds more meaning in THIS world. After all, to the atheist--who doesn't believe in the hereafter--THIS world is all we've got. Each moment contains the utmost meaning because it's about to vanish in time forever. This world is all there is--it's paradise.
Jul '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
I agree with so much of the above. For me, the essence of it comes down to the knowledge that my life is part of a larger framework. Thioe who do not believe are asked to make sense out of a life in which they are random specs. It can be done, but nihilism is the more likely result. Nihilism is a very unhappy state of affairs.
Those who believe they are part of a larger meaningful picture still struggle with unhappiness, depression and uncertainty. But in the context of a permanent framework those things are solvable. In the context of bottomless uncertainty they are more likely to be permanent.
Jun '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Emily, we all, atheist and theist, live in an evanescent present. So time’s passage only lends poignancy to an ongoing experience. It is our personal responsibility to construct meaningful lives irrespective of whether we believe in God or not. In this construction the religious might seem to have the advantage in that Faith is the path they are instructed to walk based on their particular religious teaching. This is both restricting and liberating, but it is no substitute for living a good life. A religious person is no less subject to error or sin than a non-religious person, where the religious win is in the recognition that all are sinners and consequently seekers after redemption. In this regard it might be argued that Christians have an additional advantage in that they have the example of Christ’s life. It would, however, be chauvinistic to suggest that the presence of religious faith somehow fills one life with more meaning then another.
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
Emily Esfahani Smith:
Do you think that the world is a more meaningful place for Christians (or anyone with religion/God) or for atheists? I think this question is the key to whether religion/God helps us cope with suffering. · Jul 29 at 7:00pm
Yes and no. Bear with me... I'm thinking out loud.
My favorite college professor was an agnostic philosophy teacher. Now, there's a world of difference between agnosticism (an oxymoron, really) and atheism, but that man is full of life, joy and appreciation. I've had many such friends. Most people who call themselves atheists are really agnostics, I find. They don't claim to know that God definitely does not exist -- they are merely unwilling to adjust their lives to a conclusion which they're not sure about. Pascal's Wager isn't good enough.
The true atheists I have known enjoy life, but only through short-term goals. They put more effort into seeking pleasures than fulfillment. They do not commit as strongly to marriage, family or friends because they view the world in contractual terms: "I'll help you if you help me." Christians philosophy is, "You get what you give."
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
The concept of fulfillment is a key point. Theistic religions claim that every human being was designed for a purpose... or, actually, two (one personal, one shared with the rest of humanity).
The concept of virtue is derived from this idea. Aristotle argued that something is virtuous when it fulfills its purpose. Even inanimate objects could have virtue, by this philosophy. A knife is virtuous if it cuts well. It can be used for other things, of course. You can hammer in a tac or lift a slice of pizza from the pan. It can do those things, but cutting is the task for which it was designed and so also the task at which it excels.
Likewise, human beings are virtuous, and happy (in the greater sense), when we do what we were designed to do. Catholics understand this purpose as "to know and love God".
Non-theistic religions, like Taoism and Buddhism, do not support belief in a divine order. They don't even support belief in a beginning or end. But followers of such religions usually pray to their ancestors. I believe the goal of honoring their ancestors and their extensive families (including society) gives them purpose.
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
One argument in favor of religion asserts that it is true. Another claims that it is useful. As a secularist, I don't agree with the former - but I do agree with the latter, at least in a narrow way. Its certainly conceivable that one can find a source of comfort in one's religious convictions. Its true theoretically as well as practically.
May '10
Re: Religion, Human Suffering, and Happiness
No doubt, the grandeur of the religious conclusion - that we are the product of a divine, benevolent being and will reunite with it eventually - completely trounces, in terms of inspirational content, the abject despondence of the atheist conclusion - no evidence exists to support the religious conclusion. However, our primary concern should be epistemological, i.e., which conclusion is true? Given enough time, space, matter, and momentum, anything is possible within the constraints of logic, including the manifestation of human beings. I think, if I may rouse a bit for "my side," that realizing the fantastically delicate nature of the necessary conditions for our existence serves as a source of inspiration and humility.