Do you think becoming religious would be beneficial?

[noname223]

Some religious people say their belief gives them strength. And some of them deny suicide due to their faith. However some people have a bad conscience due to their religion if they think about suicide. When I told my psychologist that i visist a suicide forum he suggested to join a self-aid group against suicidality. This would never work for me. But he says many of them are quite religious. If I was forced to go there this would amplify my suicidality strongly. Lol.

 

[Life_and_Death]

i think it depends on the religion you choose. i personally am kind of doing my own thing where i dont follow one path but my own path instead made up of my beliefs.

 

[Tkmiz_Tsukumizu]

I was raised in a religious household and it didn't really change anything other than open up the door to sexually abuse by those whom I should have trusted in my congregation. If anything Christianity to me has made me even more suicidal. As how can a God allow these holy men to do these things to children for example.
I have digressed enough, to answer your question I have turned to more philosophical questions or views rather than purely spiritual.

 

[Puppy]

My religion no longer gives me an ounce of strength

 

[Mr blobby]

Yes. I am Muslim. And trust me its taken alot for me to sign up to a site like this.

I saw the results of a survey done on this site. Apparently most users of this site are atheists. Even though atheists make up less than 10% of the entire world's population. Makes you think.

 

[Ardesevent]

Religion can help, but I'm not sure how much. I've heard tales of people only living or continuing to live because of their religion, and a belief that their god/gods might one day send a sign that'll save them. I don't see it helping relieve their pain at all, though.

 

[watchingthewheels]

That's a difficult question to answer, one that humanity has been debating for centuries...not going to pretend I can answer that for your definitively.

That said, even though I'm mostly an atheistic objectivish person, I've found certain benefits from certain religious ideas, most recently with Taoism (which is not exactly a religion, depending on how you define it). I still get some benefit from studying Christianity, and even Greek mythology. If I don't see them as physical reality, there are still some psychological/metaphorical/spiritual benefits to be found, IMO.

 

[Aloken]

Religion is a cult hidden in plain sight. It's the true "devil". Now belief and faith, that's what you need. If you have a well rooted belief system, i.e. a good amount of
/unshakeable faith, that's what's
going to help you

 

[loopylou]

No.

 

[watchingthewheels]

Maybe this will help the OP. This is one of those times where I think it's good to get "Radical", i.e, to go to the "root" of a word...define the terms...
What is "Religion", then, at the core? "Relegere/Religio" . "Ligament"- connect, "religion" re-connect. To "bind". To "re-yoke", or "re-link", to "Go through again", return to "the source"...

religion | Etymology of religion by etymonline

"state of life bound by monastic vows," also "action or conduct indicating a belief in a… See origin and meaning of religion.

www.etymonline.com

religion (n.)​

c. 1200, "state of life bound by monastic vows," also "conduct indicating a belief in a divine power," from Anglo-French religiun (11c.), Old French religion "piety, devotion; religious community," and directly from Latin religionem (nominative religio) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods; conscientiousness, sense of right, moral obligation; fear of the gods; divine service, religious observance; a religion, a faith, a mode of worship, cult; sanctity, holiness," in Late Latin "monastic life" (5c.).

According to Cicero derived from relegere "go through again" (in reading or in thought), from re- "again" (see re-) + legere "read" (see lecture (n.)). However, popular etymology among the later ancients (Servius, Lactantius, Augustine) and the interpretation of many modern writers connects it with religare "to bind fast" (see rely), via notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." In that case, the re- would be intensive. Another possible origin is religiens "careful," opposite of negligens. In English, meaning "particular system of faith" is recorded from c. 1300; sense of "recognition of and allegiance in manner of life (perceived as justly due) to a higher, unseen power or powers" is from 1530s.

 

[Someonewhotypes]

I'm not religious, however, I think being religious can bring comfort to people. For example, it makes people feel like they belong to a group, and that's something which makes you feel better. If you believe in religion it also gives you hope. But as is with all the things in life, it depends how you view it I suppose. I mean if you view it as something to fear, I dont think that's productive. If you view it as a form of connecting to a higher being and to the community and helping the less fortunate, doing good deeds, that's very great.

 

[SuicidallyCurious]

It's a waste of time. And most likely you'll just annoy others and contribute to social instability.

examples of religious thinking causing instability in the past year :

imams say "vaccines are unclean and western companies put pork in them to sabotage us"

evangelical US pastors say "the vaccine contains 5g microchips that are the mark of the beast"

Scores of radical Islamist and white Christian identity movement terror attacks

continuing infighting between BJP Indian political party attacking the moslems in Kashmir

radical Orthodox Jews in New York congregate during the pandemic enabling community spread including spread to others who don't care about their beliefs

Continuing Buddhist attacks on moslems in Rakhine state burma

Certain catholics continue to hold mass enabling community spread just so they can take a bite of bread and pretend an alcoholic beverage is turned into blood in their stomach


Religious riots and unrest in Iraq b/w Sunni and Shia factions. Such violence was probably 99 percent less or virtually nonexistent under the secular Ba'ath regime which was destroyed by crusader George bush

Japanese right wing fringe groups continue to maintain divinity of emperors and some concept of sainthood for convicted war criminals , stoking regional tensions with ww2 enemies

millions of African females have their genitalia forcibly removed by moslem and some Christian men

Brazil's bolsonaro suggests prayer will ward off the virus. Per capita Brazil may even have higher deaths than the terribly managed US response to the crisis . The same religious thinking informed the trump admin response - google "Paula white election Praying"

 

[heraclitus]

There is a fundamental difference between "religion" and "spirituality". Religion basically involves signing up to a closed-loop belief system, attempting to explain all experience using the credos of the system while enabling / permitting those tenets to dictate your behaviour.
Spirituality more closely deals with relating to the world around, to the Universe in a loving and non-judgemental way, with following your heart to find a deeper truth - gnosis.
Atheism and Religion are fundamentally opposed; atheism and spirituality are not.
#noname, I'd like to re-phrase your question: given that suicide is quite literally self-murder, can it ever be a spiritual act?
BTW - on this site I have read some profoundly spiritual writing and thoughts.

 

[SmellyRat]

I saw the results of a survey done on this site. Apparently most users of this site are atheists. Even though atheists make up less than 10% of the entire world's population. Makes you think.

Natural selection favours delusional humans. Believing in religion has more survival value and helps give order to a chaotic universe.

It all starts to make sense when you realize humans are by nature delusional that need fairy tales to explain what the purpose is here.

 

[demuic]

I can't force myself to believe in something I don't. There is no religion or spiritual beliefs which can adequately explain the world. It's all clearly made up by humans to make themselves feel better. No one has any divine knowledge. The only thing that makes sense is chaos.

 

[Sensei]

I believe that religion definitely can help some suicidal people, even though it may be a minority. If it makes someone happy and harmonious and saves them from an unnecessary death, then who are we to judge? For the record, I'm not religious in the slightest.

 

[262653]

I doubt the religion will work for me. I can entertain the possibility of being reborn as a superman/superwoman or some sort of a demi-god, or some other cool entity, but the desirability of such outcome doesn't make it any more probable or believable to me.

Is it natural to believe in something that appears to have a good likelihood of being true, and disbelieve what doesn't appear that way even it would make the believer better off? Or is it an acquired human code that binds our thinking and compromises our well-being?

I think the truth can only have an extrinsic value (means to the ends) while good feelings are valuable in themselves.
Truth (or rather, ideas that are highly consistent with the subjective reality?) allows us to predict future and to adapt our behavior for the best expected outcomes, which is to feel in the most desirable way. But what if "the truth" can't lead you to the land of good feelings, and self-deception is the only path available? What if the way to the best feelings is to accept as certain something that is uncertain?

What are your thoughts?

 

[watchingthewheels]

Something to consider: People can point to crimes against humanity commited in the name of religion.
Conversely, one could point to crimes against humanity committed by "godless atheists" (Lenin and Stalin come to mind...)

That said, it has to be said that atheism, as such, is NOT a one-size-fits-all belief system, it only says what it doesn't believe in (a-theism). Marxist materialists, Randian Objectivists, atheist libertarians, and nihilists, for example, might all be said to be atheist, but the atheism isn't what defines them.

So, then, whether or not "becoming religious" in beneficial, ask: to whom? To what extent?

 

[sorella santini]

I wish I could will myself to have some kind of faith or spirituality. I imagine it's comforting.

 

[Bigpink]

Don't bother, may as well believe in fairies

 

[watchingthewheels]

I have a feeling the original poster is going to be more confused at the end of all our competing comments...sorry.
There's that saying, if you have one clock, you get the time; if you have several, you get several different competing claims of time...

 

[signifying nothing]

Tom Robbins — 'I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred.'

 

[Computer Blue]

Personally, I would suggest philosophies rather than religions … such as Stoicism, Taoism and Buddhism.

 

[Outofhope]

Nope. Just escapism. Pain still remains

 

[watchingthewheels]

Something I meant to mention earlier: not only do some people use faith to get through hard times with the hopes of better times, but there's also the aspect of religion that teaches suffering as part of our purpose (something Jordan Peterson has brought up a lot, as well). If the purpose of life, according to one's beliefs, is suffering, whether as punishment, or to build character, whatever, and if that's taken seriously, then one may be readier to handle more suffering than someone who's been told that happiness is the purpose of life, with the goal of reducing suffering. It's a big mental game, in that way, how our expectations and reality meet.

 

[Amumu]

Yes. I am Muslim. And trust me its taken alot for me to sign up to a site like this.

I saw the results of a survey done on this site. Apparently most users of this site are atheists. Even though atheists make up less than 10% of the entire world's population. Makes you think.

Interesting.
But we should focus on the English-speaking world (1.5 billion people), since other people don't necessarily have access to the information

 

[Meditation guide]

Some religious people say their belief gives them strength. And some of them deny suicide due to their faith. However some people have a bad conscience due to their religion if they think about suicide. When I told my psychologist that i visist a suicide forum he suggested to join a self-aid group against suicidality. This would never work for me. But he says many of them are quite religious. If I was forced to go there this would amplify my suicidality strongly. Lol.

If your therapist is so not understanding you as you said, telling you to join a group against suicide, there is a problem.

 

[CivilizationV]

Not the main ones. I'd say we all have our own 'religion' in the sense that we know what habits keeps us happy or stable. Or maybe we don't know all of them, and need exploring, but for sure considering something seriously like Christianity to me seems either impossible, or would have to force myself to do sometwisted kind of thinking, which I wouldn't do and would just keep my ideas about their theology to myself, if expressing them would lead to unconfortable discussions.

 

[WOODESITY]

In my honest opinion, religion is invented tool to control masses, i wouldn't wish anyone to be brainwashed with religion, it is designed to scare masses, put lifetime fear of made up stories, to obey and fear