relationship between mental health and religion

Religion dates back to the beginning of mankind. The ancient man had primitive forms of religion characterized by the worship of the sun, earth, air and even water among others. Today we have modern, civilized and institutionalized forms of religion. Present-day religion can be defined as an organized system of beliefs, practices, rituals, and symbols that are designed to facilitate the closeness to a higher and unseen power (Paine & Sandage, 2017). From a mental health perspective, religion evolved from primitive forms due to the psychological needs of man. Some research has tied being religious with better mental health (Bamonti et al., 2016) as people find hope and comfort in God’s teachings. Nevertheless, not everybody finds solace in religious beliefs thus people who have given up religion in their adulthood today don’t themselves have detrimental effects on their mental health.

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Evidence from research conducted associates better mental health outcomes with the belief in a Mighty power that protects and provides for us all (Paine & Sandage, 2017). Individuals who believe in a loving and kind God seem to experience the peace that attributes to apt mental health. During coping with stress and depression, individuals who are committed to religion and its teachings seem to cope better since they believe in a Mighty power that is in control to help in times of need. Another reason why religion is associated with better mental health outcomes is the sense of meaning and purpose that people gain from religious teachings and creeds. Most religions teach that everyone is equal before God and each one has a purpose for which he or she was born. Religion also allows one to have an understanding of the meaning of negative things happening around them giving them a reason to cope. Most religious sects believe that the problems of the world will one day be over and the faithful believers, no matter their level of suffering today, will enjoy paradise. Isn’t this inspiring enough to relieve the stress and despair that the world presents?

The religious community is one that is made up of individuals who should provide support and encourage one another during hard times. Religious creeds and the holy books such as the Bible and the Quran teach that individuals ought to treat one another as if they were brothers and sisters. There is an old religious adage that goes “we are happy to share, happy to bear one another’s burden and that is why we exist” (Bamonti et al., 2016). Stories have been told of religious believers such as Mother Teresa giving material, moral and social support to those who are underprivileged. Such teachings can change the mindset of believers, relieve them of stress and guarantee good mental health outcomes.

Good mental health and religion are associated with the brain (Paine & Sandage, 2017). An understanding of the brain provides a leeway to comprehend the relationship that exists between religion and better health outcomes. Meditation, as practiced in the various forms of religion is good for the brain hence good mental health. A meditative prayer or meditating on the words of the Holy Scriptures stimulates the areas of the brain that is responsible for regulating emotional responses. Long term meditation has been found to have more activity in the frontal lobe areas of the brain including the prefrontal cortex as compared to short term counterpart. More activity in these areas has been found to associate with being calm, less reactionary and being able to deal with stress much better. When a religion teaches and advocates for forgiveness, love, and compassion, these positive attributes become scripted in the brain creating strong neural connections. These religious teachings can be integrated into the way the brain functions hence serving to reduce the stress levels. Every day the religious faithful wake up to positive feelings and emotions which can help reduce stress and anxiety thus lowering the level of depression.

Despite much-publicized benefits of religion on mental health, adults who have given up on religion seem to have good mental health outcomes. Seemingly religion does not always guarantee positive effects on mental health. There even exists the possibility of religion causing depression among the believers themselves. The kind of religion that evolved to consider the psychological concerns of the people have metamorphosed and these days appear like a burden to many. Many who are devoted to a religion today, unfortunately, appear downtrodden while those who stay away from religion feel a sigh of relief from the heavy religious burdens (Paine & Sandage, 2017). What could be the problem with present-day religion?

The present religious practices and faith today are characterized by dogmas and superstitions that are a problem to human mental health. For these reasons, religious practices and beliefs often contribute to obsession, anxiety, stress, and depression. Most religious patterns and practices are fixed and rigid (Bamonti et al., 2016). The writings of the Holy Books are considered final and the information should be taken in without any debate. This to some individuals has appeared as oppression of human intellect and mind. Those who cling to religion and hold to such views always suffer from anxiety which has the potential to grow into depression. This is one reason why those who consider themselves thinkers and learned to tend to find relief away from religion.

Religion tends to intensify the guilt of believers. Religion is premised on high standard moral laws that are not attainable by most individuals (Paine & Sandage, 2017). Those who will inherit the paradise as promised by most religions are those who will be able to attain the high moral standards as set in the Holy Books. Stories have been narrated of Christians setting out for long pilgrimage journeys in an attempt to attain such moral standards. Some have even gone to the extent of living an isolated and desolate religious life in prayer that they may achieve these moral standards. One Christian Catholic monk, Martin Luther tells his story of the stressful attempts he made to attain righteousness through his works. Others have also tried to attain these standards by doing charitable work even to the extent of giving all they had and remaining with nothing to fend for themselves and their families. The methods provided by these religious outfits to alleviate the guilt brought by the high moral standards are quite stressing many believers (Bamonti et al., 2016). Attempts to gain moral standards have seen so many religious believers fall into depression. The feeling of missing paradise due to failure to attain moral standards brings trepidation making the situation even worse.

Negative religious beliefs could be a possible reason why people would distance themselves from religion but still experience life without stress and depression. While most religious practices advocate for love and compassion for one another, a section of the religious believers have formed negative religious beliefs that encourage hatred for those who don’t subscribe to their beliefs. According to studies, individuals who think about hatred have their brains release stress hormones which in turn set the stage for depression (Paine & Sandage, 2017). A section of individuals who claim to profess Islamic religion has been seen across the world causing terror while calling the name of God. It is quite unfortunate how individuals can misuse religion to push their hatred agenda. The lack of harmony and compassion between the religious groups also contributes to the growing number of believers who suffer from stress (Bamonti et al., 2016). Negative beliefs such as hatred and ostracization can also be integrated into the way the brain works and this eventually contributes to the emotional stability or instability of an individual.

The love of God, according to the Holy Scriptures for humanity is beyond human comprehension. Many people have questioned the love of God for them or even the role of religion in the face of the world’s adversities or perhaps even imagine that God has abandoned them. This according to many studies has been associated with increased stress levels and depression among the professed believers (Paine & Sandage, 2017). God has also been made to appear vindictive and always looking for the sin of humanity that He may meet punishment upon them. The laws of God, which have been the line of morality, are seen as the yardstick that God uses to declare punishment upon human beings. These among other concepts among the people have encouraged the exodus from religion without even looking back. Further, individuals who believe in a vengeful, punitive god are much likely to experience detrimental mental patterns as compared to those who distance themselves from such forms of religion.

The human standards and dogmas have also found a place in the hearts of believers as well as the form of individual religions themselves (Bamonti et al., 2016). Present-day religion is governed by values that do not emanate from the Holy Scriptures and have placed unnecessary burdens on the backs of the believers. Poor believers struggle to make contributions in support of church organizations and structures while the individuals who sit at the high positions wine and dine. The religious leaders steal from the believers in the name of God. This is also a possible stressor and a source of depression for the believers. When the aspects of life that we hold sacred become our sources of stress, it can be traumatizing. Many individuals want to hold to religions and live a religious life but the burden caused by human beliefs keeps sending them away (Paine & Sandage, 2017). Perhaps these are the reasons many individuals have given up religion in adulthood but they do not themselves have detrimental health concerns. Going away from such a form of religion can relieve stress.

In conclusion, the relationship between mental health and religion is like a double-edged sword. Several factors explain the role that religion can play in helping solve mental health complications. It is evident from the many research conducted that a religious life brings along good mental health but it is also not a guarantee of a life free of depression. Pure and undefiled religion, promotes compassion, encourages the underprivileged within the society and gives hope for a better future which has positive implications on the mental health of people. But despite all these benefits, there are increasing cases of individuals distancing themselves from religion whereas religion ought to be the route through which individuals can receive emotional support. In my opinion, I support good religion since through God’s teachings; many individuals can find peace and in peace, there is good mental health. I can attest to this since there are moments in life I feel so low with no one to turn but after reading the scriptures of the bible, I feel rejuvenated. I believe that modern modern-day religions should be reviewed and act by God’s teachings as it can be a misleading factor to human beliefs. While there are other reasons for detrimental mental health patterns, the forms of present-day religion are an unfortunate source of depression among the believers.

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