Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kris on February 25, 2010 at 6:50pm

I find it that Christians often use that as an argument. The best answer would simply be that "alcohol also makes people happier"

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cara Coleen on February 25, 2010 at 7:18pm

So, we could parallel God with a placebo, yes?

I'm so tired of this argument. When I was a Christian, I was always discouraged and frustrated. It was a constant struggle... to stay in the habit of reading that God-awful Bible, to repent of whatever unknown sins I'd committed that day, to figure out "God's plan for my life", to always have the right attitude, to understand why I didn't feel peace or joy, to basically reconstruct who I was to fit into an acceptable role, to stop thinking too much, to always sing and clap my hands even though I didn't feel like it because the music was awful...

Like I said, I think the reason it works for some is for the same reason a sugar pill works for others.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James on February 25, 2010 at 9:22pm

I too am happier than when I was a believer. This study only proves the power of the brain. In fact if anything, God is a placebo. In fact, if this study were to cover multiple faiths, I'm sure that they may find that followers of Allah may also experience the same 'relief'. Does that make BOTH true? Of course not. But you'll be hard pressed to explain this fact to most Theists...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Shine on February 25, 2010 at 9:31pm

Also, the effect of belonging to a social group is never credited with this correlation between depression relief and religion. I would like to see results for a group of atheists who belong to a strong social group compared to a group of religious believers. Especially in religious areas, a lack of belief also means ostracism, and a lack of positive social interaction can easily breed depression and anxiety.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tracey on February 26, 2010 at 11:18pm

As a healthcare profession.. I would be interested in studies about the number of depressed who are atheist vs the number who claim to be Christian. The findings that somehow believing in God helps depression is not significant if you look at the numbers of Christians who are depressed. Are Christians more depressed therefore they need a God to look to during this time? Is this number equal to the number of Atheists who are depressed? Somehow I believe that there are more Christians depressed who therefore NEED a God since they cannot possibly live up to the standards that their religion has dictated they should live by.
Just my 2 cents.

• ▶ Reply