Wow, I saw this article and thought it was great!

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/25/research-indicates-belief-in-god-relieves-depressi/

What do you think about it? Do you think that belief in God really does relieve depression? Why?

Edit 1: oops wrong link, I changed it though.

uhm... you linked to a profile on the board... not to any article.



I'll still respond though. I think it's very possible that it would relieve depression. A belief in God brings with it a purpose for life. It makes the bad things in life have some perspective. If this was just a random happening that life occured on Earth then what would be the point in life? Eat, drink and be merry? Well, for the people who don't get to eat, drink and be merry then this life would be really depressing to live in.

Believing in God gives people hope that there is something better to look forward to. That there is a point in trying to be a good person and there is a reward for it. It also removes the sting of death. If you thought when someone died they were gone forever then death would be extremely depressing to think about and experience. If you believe in God and some sort of after-life then death wouldn't be a bad thing it would be a good thing. That person is now free from this life and the suffering that comes along with it.

Look at it again... I changed the link
Lol, I don't know why I had that profile copied...

" "We found that religious people or even people who simply believe in the existence of God show significantly less brain activity in relation to their own errors," said Michael Inzlicht, assistant psychology professor at the University of Toronto, who led the research.

"They're much less anxious and feel less stressed when they have made an error," he said. "


I found that part pretty interesting. Religious people stress out less when they make a mistake. Interesting study you found there Sept.

Belief in God will obviously relieve depression because your tricking you mind into thinking about something good, not bad. Anyone who knows how to cure depression should know that you do not need pills to cure yourself you just need to "think" anything positive.

Perhaps they are less stressful when they make a mistake cause they think god will forgive them.

that's not always true.... some people have legitimate chemical imbalances that cause depression.

The cause of those imbalances might be fixable by a change in diet... but I don't think the cure for everyone is simply a change of attitude.

I guess it depends on person then, for me at least I was able to cure it by thinking differently. I did try pills but those actually made me crazier then I was

yeah, that was probably just a mis-diagnosis then. I don't think there are cures that work across the board for things like depression.

Believing in God relieves a lot not just depression. I believe it with all my heart cause I practice it and it works great. The reason it works so great is because you believe you have someone with you at all times who can get you through anything and that in turn gives you strength to deal with anything that comes your way!!!

well, I have found personally that abiding by the commandments laid out in different places like Matthew 5-7 is a great way of preventing a lot of problems in life. My life is always easier when I'm doing good things in my life.

Call it what you want (karma, etc) but being a good person is worth it. You may not be rich but your life will be better overall because of it.

I agree with you 100 percent. Just living your life good makes your life good. You don't have to do anything extraordinary to be happy, but maintain the little things and they can go a long way. Cause truth be told those little things are what you deal with the most on a day to day basis.

well... I don't want to give the impression that just because you are a good person that only good things will happen to you though.

There are always things that can happen even if you are a good person. I don't think for a minute that God looks at good people and thinks "They're being good people.... I'm never going to challenge them at all"..

Take Job as an example and you can pretty much forget the idea that being a good person will save you from all hardship.

But I do think that there is some protection from it. You avoid a lot of self-inflicted suffering.

i fully agree with this because with god and someone to watch you and give you hope in your worst times in need is a great relief of pressure. A good example was my bible club today and how everyone was accepting of one another which was something I found to be relaxing and well for the soul.

that's very true. People like to belong to something and belief in God quite often involves belonging to a church or religion of some sort and having people with similar beliefs around you.

Yes, I completely agree, and I know that it relieves and relaxes people. It is good for your soul and is like meditating; it gives you inner peace.

I think that the bible can relieve depression. Because if you follow the bibles commands, we can avoid problems that can cause depression.

It relieves a little bit but they have to truly believe in god to relieve there depression.

i think that you can never truly be one hundred percent happy without some kind of belief on some kind of faith.