Is religion a form of mental squalor ?

Question

Serious question: I am a psychotherapist and my contact with people of all religions has lead me to see religious thought as frankly beneath us. People deserve better than to limit their minds with religion.

mesuin 1408 what are you on about? There doesn;t need to be scientific evidence for psychotherapy! It is not telling people anything or asking them to believe anything. it is a practical and theoretical structure to allow people to talk about themselves and gain self-knowledge, not "knowledge" of non-existent sky-masters!

WAKE UP PEOPLE - I AM NOT OFFERING PSYCHOTHERAPY AS A REPLACEMENT FOR RELIGION! I MERELY SAID I HAPPEN TO BE A PSYCHOTHERAPIST!

Judd M, Shakespeare wasn't being religious, he was being sublimely creative in an age of metaphysical curiosity.

Answer 1

i am in complete agreement with you, it is and insult to one's intelligence to believe and follow what one does not have proof for just because they have been brought up in a certain way or grew up in a certain enviroment...it is of course an easy way out. to be inquisitive and to look for satisfactory answers, that's how i came to move away from religion at a very early age, why am i doing this, i wondered...no particular reason. i found that i always liked to have evidence of things, and that there are explanations for many things if one looks into them. an open mind is a mind that looks for answers and ultimately finds them. then again, to each his own. one thing is certain, i won't be a sheep.

Answer 2

Religion has been mans way of dealing with two givens; the mental and physical sides of ourselves. In may way we have advanced, but seen this way, psychotherapy is merely an extention of religion.

On the other hand, psychotherapy is limited by the tools of our current science, and generally makes the mistake of trying to use a (supposedly) broken tool to fix itself. Therapists often make unfounded assumptions about mind and do more harm than good. Does that mean we should do away with it and not let the field progress?

There is much in the claims of many religions that is empirically verifiable, and deserves attention. The problem is when religion reduces or contradicts credible evidence based on dogma.

Answer 3

Religion is a natural progression of supersticious behaviour which exists in all living creatures.
An experiment was carried out in which food was dropped at random intervals into plastic boxes with pigeons inside. The birds were seen to carry out certain little rituals such as pecking a particular part of the box or turning round a number of times to cause the food to be released. The birds would repeat this behaviour despite the fact that it didn't affect the timing of the food being dropped.
Similar experiment were carried out with various animals including children and human adults. All displayed similar repeated ritualistic behaviour. Living creatures find it difficult to understand an inability to change a certain outcome and ritualistic behaviour and superstition follows.
Come on, you'll press the button on a lift (elevator) repeatedly even though you know it won't make it come quicker.
Organised religion is merely people with the same superstitions trying to valdate their strange behaviour.

Answer 4

Religion is mind control, -they're, I've said it. These people are religious crack-pots, they're mad. You're right, religion is beneath us, -it's backward, outdated and just a complete fantasy. The bible is made up fiction, all religions are. As long as religion is around there will never be world peace, we need to rid the world of religion. God is mind control, it begs the question: which man made up this ''''god''''? The idea of god isn't as old as the Earth, meaning that it was made up sometime later, making it a load of mumbo-jumbo, -it's arrogant to think that this god, -that we made up, created the Universe, the Universe is a BIG place you know, and we are not the only civilisation that exists in it. Like it or not, religion is made- up fiction and fantasy, people who don't want to face up to reality and accept logic believe in a religion.

Answer 5

Absolutely

Answer 6

How does Psychotherapy compare with Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge?


Even Shakespeare tells you that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy... Horatio.

Or is Shakespeare also too much of mental squalor for you?



For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Answer 7

to all the religious people out there. stop being told what to do and think for yourselves instead. dont dumbly limit your minds by accepting what the thought control police who run your religion tell you what to think.

Answer 8

Yup.

But as we all know, some people like to live in squalor.

Of course, most of them are mentally ill.

Oh.

.

Answer 9

Correct. But belief in a Messiah eliminates the need for religion. If the Messiah has arrived, there is no need for religion.

Try reading the letters of Paul, if only one, possibly Galations.

Answer 10

I'm more inclined to think psychotherapy is a form of mental squalor - there certainly isn't any scientific evidence for it.