A Debate: Believing in God is Psychologically Healthy

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A Debate Believing in God is Psychologically
Healthy

• Jeremy Brenneman
• Kait Richard
• Matt Machles
• Leah Straus
• Julia Peter

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Pros to Believing in God

• Sven Koenig, an associate professor of medicine
  and psychiatry, who also founded Duke's Center
  for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health
  six years ago, has done significant research in
  this field.
• His recent studies suggest that churchgoing
  people are less prone to disease, have healthier
  immune systems and live longer than people who
  don't attend religious services regularly. Koenig
  is not sure why this is so.
• Is it that religious people have better support
  systems or healthier lifestyles? Or does a
  belief in God or another ethical system have a
  positive effect on the body's ability to fight
  disease?

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Pros to Believing in God

• In his 1996 book, Timeless Healing The Power and
  Biology of Belief, Herbert Benson describes
  health and well-being as supported by a
  three-legged stool. One of the stool's legs is
  medications the second, surgery and the third,
  self-care. He argues that all three are necessary
  but that self-care, which includes cultivation
  of patients' inner resources to assist in their
  own healing, is the most disparaged and
  neglected aspect of health care today.

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Pros to Believing in God

• Recent studies have shown that many patients with
  HIV/AIDS have a powerful will to live and some
  report a sense that life has actually improved
  since learning they were infected.
• The NIH research will build on these studies by
  using more detailed measures and including a
  wider variety of patients. Insights gained from
  this study will help to improve the quality of
  life of those living with HIV/AIDS.
• There is a growing body of research that supports
  the role of spirituality in healthcare. This work
  furthers that research by investigating how
  spirituality might affect ones quality of life.
  As a result, this study may help deliver more
  effective and compassionate care to patients with
  chronic illness.

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Cons to Believing in God

• Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.
• -Thomas Paine
• This quote asserts the position that believing in
  an almighty and powerful god can lead to negative
  psychological defects.
• When religious beliefs are based on fear of a
  vengeful god, people can become too concerned
  with the negative outcomes of their sins. Many
  religions put great pressure and responsibility
  on its members. They must follow strict laws and
  meet certain expectations presented by the
  religious group. These pressures can be too great
  and the person can be left feeling guilt and
  remorse so severe that they become deeply
  depressed.

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Cons to Believing in God

• Behavioral scientist, Dr. Robert Ellis states
  that religion, discourages self acceptance,
  self-interest and self directedness, which are
  all necessary for sound mental and emotional
  functioning.
• When members of a religion feel they have not met
  the qualifications or standards of that religion
  this may only add to their problems. Also many
  religions emphasize the importance of humility
  and self-sacrifice. They are taught to not
  embrace things that will benefit them, but that
  will benefit others.
• While at its root this may be a good premise,
  this idea can also lead to self neglect and poor
  self-esteem.

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Cons to Believing in God

• Dr. Wendell Watters opinions in his book, Deadly
  Doctrine Health, Illness and Christian God ,
  express the idea that believing in religion can
  lead to many psychological disorders including
  schizophrenia. According to Watters religions are
  like magnets to people who often suffer from
  psychological problems. They seek out help
  through religions, which in turn only harm them
  further.
• Religious people look to a higher being and
  prayer to help them through life thus preventing
  them from seeking out other methods of support.
  Prayer can lead to withdraw and lessening of the
  perception of reality. People can become so
  obsessed with faith and prayer they ignore
  reality and repress and deny certain truths in
  their lives.

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Pros to Believing in God

• God created us all for a specific purpose
• Religion helps us understand that purpose, even
  if we dont know what it is
• God will help guide and lead us there
• He has given us enough knowledge to figure out
  what our purpose is, and it is our responsibility
  to do the right thing

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Pros to Believing in God

• We are all bonded by the power of God
• His spirit is all around us and is in everything,
  so people are comforted by that
• All life is connected by a force that we can not
  see, but some can feel

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Pros to Believing in God

• People who believe in God do not judge others for
  their looks, but through there souls
• That gives them a more mature look on others, and
  they can become kinder and more understanding for
  all life on earth

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Cons to Believing in God

• Belief in God is psychologically unhealthy
  because religion teaches us to avoid committing
  acts that will lead us to emotions such as guilt
  or fear.  We are taught to embrace things with
  love and lead our lives in a prideful manner.
  However, guilt and fear are psychologically
  healthy emotions to feel.
• Fear can prevent us from getting hurt, either
  physically or emotionally. If we live our lives
  without fearing anything, we are making ourselves
  vulnerable to all the vices in the world.
• Guilt allows us to learn from our mistakes. If we
  lack guilt, we are susceptible to repeating
  mistakes over and over.
• Therefore, believing in God is essentially
  causing us to be defenseless human beings,
  psychologically.

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Cons to Believing in God

• After a person tells a lie, they generally feel
  guilty that they lied, but no further action
  usually takes place
• A person with a strong belief in God could suffer
  from depression and soon grow insane for acting
  against God
• This also leads to anxiety and depression,
  because you whole life just passed you by

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Cons to Believing in God

• Some people believe that God has set a certain
  destiny for us, and it is our goal to find what
  that destiny is.
• If people waste their whole life trying to find
  that meaning instead of doing what you want, your
  life is a waste and pointless

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Cons to Believing in God

• Eating habits are also influenced, because some
  people change their habits over a period of time,
  or just cease to eat at all
• When we change our eating habits randomly for a
  month, our body is not given the adequate amount
  of nutrition, so we are more likely to become ill
• If a person is fasting, thats just plain stupid,
  because you know thats not healthy. We were
  designed to eat, thats how we survive, so if
  your belief is not to eat because your god said
  so, you might want to switch up your religion or
  you might not be here for long

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Cons to Believing in God

• Religion teaches us to anticipate a life after
  death which is usually described as a euphoric
  place, which is supposed to be better and more
  peaceful than the life we had on earth.
  Therefore, it is teaching us that there is
  something wrong or incomplete with the life we
  are presently living. It gives us a sense of
  negative self-worth and forces us to question
  what the meaning of life is.  This is a
  psychologically unhealthy way of thinking because
  it lowers our self-esteem and forces us to value
  what may come in the future, as opposed to what
  we should value in everyday life.

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Bibliography

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