Is religion ‘The Great Placebo’?

Question

The placebo effect is a technique that has long been used by doctors and other practitioners of medicine. If a patient believes a treatment is doing them good, then some good can be achieved, often inexplicably, even if the patient is taking no more than sweetened chalk dust. This, to me, is a perfect analogy for religion. Of course that means that Atheists, like me, miss out on whatever benefit this placebo effect can give. The thing is, I’m not that disappointed.

What benefits are there? Well, there's the obvious ones like the rare examples of faith healing. But the more common benefit is the emotional well being that many religious people feel. If people are relaxed, calm and at peace with the world, they are less likely to be depressed and anxious which are states of mind that lead to illness and reduced life span.

Answer 1

The point is, that we humans are so presumptuous that we think that we knowing about the power that created life and sustains it, makes us special. Hence the different and absolutely ridiculous concept of religion. Islam, whose founder forced everyone to believe that the creator spoke to him in the desert, and will never speak to anyone else after him, to Christianity whose apostles made us believe that Jesus was a special human being who was born through some magical process without fertilization, or Hinduism, which is such a confused mix of stories about incarnations of the creator that even Hindus have no clue of whom they are worshipping, or Judaism, which believes that of all this complexity - of the entire living world on the earth, that tiny little semi-desert sea-side county-sized nation of Israel is the creator's chosen one!

You know we can live without believing in all of those books. That's religion. And I don't think it matters to anyone except the fascist keepers of religion who claim that because they are able to read those books, they are "responsible for it". Of course, its their only source of power. Who would give a damn for these religion mongers if people didn't believe in the stuff they made them believe? That fascist attitude is only true of Islam nowadays, though earlier the Roman Catholic Church was equally vicious, what with the Inquisition and the papal greed in the 14th and 15th centuries which prompted people like Luther and Calvin to break away. And even the Hindu Brahmins who managed to control a large part of the population by making them believe that they had some shamanic powers.

Yeah I do believe that religion as is understood by traditions and books claiming to be the creator's word is no better than heresy in the true sense of the word. You're better off not believing all of that anyway, so long as you believe that our world is not an automatic, randomly generated phenomenon as those equally fascist, bigoted and narrow minded scientists of yours would have you believe.

Answer 2

Which seems more likely to you, that matter cannot be created nor destroyed, or that matter can be created and destroyed? A few years ago, it was 'proven' that matter could not be created nor destroyed. We now know that to be false with the antimatter theory. And as for medicinal placebo, have you ever heard of mind over matter? Taking pills has an effect on your system, as your system has a subconscious reaction to any pills you previously took, sometimes amplifying the effect. However, placebos do in fact cause a reaction, albeit a mental one. To me, it seems more likely that a higher power crafted this masterpiece than it being random chance. But that is an opinion, not a fact. If you choose to believe otherwise it is your right as an American to do so,

Answer 3

Laurence, That was an interesting read. On the one hand, I would criticize you for distorting their findings: the study was preliminary and small, and didn't give any numbers to back up your use of all caps. On the other hand, it was probably because of your representation of the article that I read it. I would like to see the results of their larger, follow-up study. Also, I don't know what to make of the fact that denomination seemed not to matter. Interesting?

Shermynewstart, I don't follow. What's the new addiction AA puts in place of alcohol? Is it as harmful?

Barbara, can you explain why someone would be interested enough to reply to a question, but so uninterested that the bulk of their response is a yawn?

Dr. Shan, I don't think you understood her point. On the other hand, I'm not so sure I did either; what placebo-like benefits are there?

Answer 4

I have ALWAYS said that religion is like a comfy blanket of security...silencing common human fears and insecurities.

Many MANY people equate religion to a Placebo.

I also am not disappointed that I do not get the benefits of that effect. But I DO think it's important to acknowledge that many people benefit from it. If people need a book and a priest / rabbi / minister etc etc to guide their lives, then so be it.

Answer 5

Hello. Let me answer your question in a different way alright? Religion is man working to reach God, but CHRISTIANITY is the story of GOD reaching out to fallen unregenerate man to REDEEM him from his own sin for which he cannot help himself at all. Mankind ever since the fall of Adam (and Eve) has been in spiritual death and bent to sin, but through Jesus Christ and accepting Him God restores man to be able to live righteously. Man has worshipped gods who actually NOT God at all, and so he soothed his conscious with various ways and means to help him deal with his sins and misgivings. Only in Christ is hope, help, and escape from spiritual corruption. Jesus is also the ONLY way to heaven also, despite anyone's relativism and moral subjectivity. His word and standard still remain solid and untouched. So bypass that placebo entirely and find the truth which will save your soul and take you to heaven. Yes, there may be hypocrites in the Church, but you can still join too! Truth is truth, even if there are a few hypocrites. The Church of God (i.e. NOT the denomination NOR the CATHOLIC Church) is the sole reason things are not far, far worse than they are at present. So come on in... join the family and skip the other.

Answer 6

Bad example of a placebo... sweetened chalk dust is pretty much what an antacid tablet is.

Answer 7

People who get involved with religion to "feel good" do it for the wrong reasons. In the same vein, many do not follow God because it takes death to self, rejection of past personal ideologies, and is generally a difficult journey. Atheists miss out on the good and bad involved but if God exists, they miss out on infinitely more.

Answer 8

About two years ago they proved that the placebo effect was actually leading questions and it really did not exist.

Concerning Christianity, there are very valid facts and fulfilled prophecies pointing to the arrival and death of the Messiah. Many saw Him after he rose from the grave, saw him resurrect, saw the power of the Holy Spirit, and DIED A MARTYRS DEATH because of these facts.

The bible says God does not hear sinners, and that is why you are an atheist.

Want to learn some of these facts, break the bible code at: www.revelado.org/revealed.htm

Blessings, OneWay

Answer 9

Nope totally disagree with this theory. Too many people throughout the ages have written, studied, followed, prayed to their deities.

Answer 10

Maybe atheism is the placebo. If you don't believe why does it bother you so much that others do.