Religion as Self-Medication

[lukanator]

Apologies if there's a topic on this already.

I realized recently that there's no real difference between self-medicating through religion and self-medicating with alcohol or cigarettes or weed or cocaine or anything else. Reality bites sometimes, and people try to escape the pain somehow. Religious subscription seems to have the same soothing medicating effect that any drug has. I only mention this because the irony is incredible, considering that the devoutly religious abstain from drugs and discourage recreational drug use as "immoral." Some day we'll look back on these dark times and laugh the same way we do when we think about the old health "remedies" like blood-letting or trepanation or stuff like that.

[Parapraxis]

If fear of death, or disorder in the world, is the disease, then religion may be the cure.

[Zatarra]

If fear of death, or disorder in the world, is the disease, then religion may be the cure.

Not in my case! I was extremely afraid of hell and it almost drove me literally insane! (I'm talking psychiatrists, therapists and medication.) I don't like the idea of death, but the idea of simple annihilation is nothing compared the idea of possible eternal torment!

[Parapraxis]

I said it may be, for many people it is. At least I think that many people choose to believe in religion for these purposes (wouldn't it be lovely if all we had to do was X, Y and Z to get eternal life!).

I was the other way around, believing in god almost sent me insane.

[lukanator]

I actually felt "happier" when I submitted to the notion of a benevolent deity, which is what made me draw the comparison to recreational drug use and chemical dependency. However, I felt I was being intellectually dishonest and that's a bad habit, regardless of whether it makes you happy or not.