Does it seem that super religious people have more "problems" or just more vocal about it?

[sammytko]

I recently connected with an old high school classmate. Her father was the Baptist or Methodist minister in town - don't remember which. Anyway she is very religious - home schools the whole route. She has issues with everything. Her health, husband's health, kids is autistic, old car just broke down blah blah blah.

She was our validictorian and I think she was supposed to go out and make tons of money. She told us she wasn't going to take typing cuz her father said she would have others do that kind of thing for her. I'm just shocked at how things turned out for her.

[HopeHoops]

1. They're caught in a paradox of their own making: Why doesn't God keep this from happening?

I've noticed the same thing. They'll spend an hour telling you how God takes care of everything and God makes everything work out fine and then spend ANOTHER hour bitching about all of the shit that God let happen to them (without making the connection).

[sammytko]

2. don't they realize that it just "life" and stuff happens?

or does the chosen lifestyle bring on these problems? Quitting job = lack of money, having baby in 40s = more chance of developmental problems?

She says she has undiagnosed celiac disease, lactose intollerant, acid reflux, already had gall bladder removed. We're the same age. I turned 50 yesterday and knock on wood, i've just now developed a bad knee. Could be the weight gain - haha! She looks so old. I wish I could bring her down here and take her to get her hair done. She could really use some pampering.

She is always putting herself down in some way - her brains (to her) were her best quality. I think all this religiosity keeps her down - almost like a martyr.

[HopeHoops]

5. Dang. I know a LOT of people like her!

EARTH TO GOD FREAK: There are cause/effect relationships in life.

Flood waters began to rise. A man was on his porch, watching the water rise up to that level when a boat came by and they asked him to get on. "God will protect me," he replied. The boat moved on.

Some time later, he was looking out of his second story window, watching the water rise up to that level. Another boat came by and he gave them the same reply, "God will protect me".

Not long after that, he was forced to get out on the roof. The flood waters had almost covered the house and he was forced to the peak of the roof. A helicopter came by and lowered a ladder. "GOD WILL PROTECT ME!" he shouted. The helicopter moved on.

The water covered the house and he drowned. The next thing he knew, he was in heaven and God was right there before him. "God, I don't understand. Why didn't you protect me?"

God answered, "I sent you two fucking boats and a helicopter, asshole!"

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. Laughing With

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one laughs at God when the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one's laughing at God when it's gotten real late and their kid's not back from that party yet

No one laughs at God when their airplane starts to uncontrollably shake
No one's laughing at God when they see the one they love hand in hand with someone else and they hope that they're mistaken
No one laughs at God when the cops knock on their door and they say, "We've got some bad new, sir"
No one's laughing at God when there's a famine, fire or flood

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke or
Or when the crazies say he hates us and they get so red in the head you think that they're about to choke

God can be funny
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie
Who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus

God can be so hilarious
Ha ha
Ha ha

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they've lost all they got and they don't know what for

No one laughs at God on the day they realize that the last sight they'll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one's laughing at God when they're saying their goodbyes

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke or
Or when the crazies say he hates us and they get so red in the head you think that they're about to choke

God can be funny
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie
Who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus

God can be so hilarious

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war

No one's laughing at God in a hospital
No one's laughing at God in a war

No one's laughing at God when they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
We're all laughing with God

[Bucky]

4. I think we just notice it more. There's well adjusted Christians and asshole Christians

But the same can be said of nonreligious people too. I think strict religions do hold a certain appeal for people who need structure and explicit parameters in their lives. But then again, it also provides that structure, so it probably ends up being a break even proposition. Some guys keep their belly in the girdle, some guys end up loosening the stays.

[rurallib]

6. They are so inflexible in what they can accept that much of life

falls outside their range of acceptability. Ergo, the whole world is wrong.
Sex must be done certain ways.
A marriage must be done only in certain ways.
Children must be raised a certain way.
One must drive a certain way.
Only certain books are acceptable.
Only certain TV shows are acceptable.
ad infinitum.

If something is not up to their standards then, by God, everyone must know.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

16. They're afraid of the outside world, afraid of reality.

Because it will mess up their world view. Don't confuse me with the facts!!!

I know people like this and it is SCARY.

[raccoon]

7. IME, a lot of them come from very troubled backgrounds; alcoholic or mentally ill parents.

Of course, there are lots of people from backgrounds like that who aren't super religious. Including yours truly.

[Common Sense Party]

8. No. There are plenty of non-religious DU'ers whose lives are plenty messed up.

I think EVERYONE has problems--some bigger, some smaller.

Some of us may feel we need religion as a means to help us through those problems.

Some don't.

Some use self-medication, transcendental meditation, alternative medicine, psychotherapy, etc.

I just think there's a schadenfreude mindset among many that enjoy seeing the super-religious or the well-to-do suffer. Kind of a "serves them right" attitude.

[Deep13]

12. There's a difference there.

For example, when I was younger, I turned to god for help with my psychiatric and family problems. That just made things worse. It was no help, gave me a bunch of religious problems to worry about and made me think it was my fault for not having enough faith. Now I turn to solutions that will actually help solve the problem including anxiety medication, changing disfunctional behavior and not talking to family members with toxic personalities. I am much better off now. Not all ideas are of equal value and those the least grounded in reality and the most grounded in exclusivity are among the worst.

[Common Sense Party]

14. Nope. Just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work.

[Deep13]

18. Actually it does. If religious claims are true...

...and an interventionist god exists, there really should be no unhappiness among the faithful. One unhappy believer means that god does not work for everyone. That casts serious doubt on claims of divine power. It's sort of like how the absolute proof of one genuine miracle would prove supernatural forces exist as a matter of fact. It would immediately discredit naturalist ideas.

Nevertheless, I was only giving one example, not trying to prove conclusively the idea. And I am hardly alone in this.

[Deep13]

9. It's true generally.

I'm not taking about causation, just that religiousity and personal problems seem to go together. The most religious areas of the country have higher rates of violence, divorce, unwanted pregnancy and poverty than the least religious areas. Now, I don't know if people with problems are likely to turn to religion or if religious people are likely to have problems.

My own feeling is that religious thinking encourages reliance on magical (and therefore nonexistent) solutions rather than trying to find a practical solution.

[LanternWaste]

10. I'd imagne it's culture dependent rather than religion...

I'd imagine problems are more often than culture dependent rather than religion dependent; and that person for person, personal problems are most likely equal across the board regardless of religion, politics or philosophies in that it usually comes down to the person rather than the organization or tenets one is a member of or follows...

[Deep13]

11. Religion is a big part of culture.

There's demographic evidence that shows that the more religious a group of people is, the more likely that they will have social problems. It appears that believing irrational things real does have a negative effect on quality of life.

[LanternWaste]

13. There is also research showing...

There is also research showing that if one is from a poorer demographic, the more likely one will have social problems.

Post hoc ergo prompter hoc.

[Deep13]

17. And the poorer one is, the more likely he or she will be religious.

I'm not saying one necessarily causes the other, but the correlation exists.

[Rambis]

15. As someone said here the other day Miserable Christians

I am still chuckling about it:hi:

[av8rdave]

19. God has a long history of allowing and even causing bad things to happen

even on a grand scale. Therefore, I find it hard to believe she is overly concerned with our daily trials and tribulations.