2007-09-27 08:05:10 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I'm quite happy, thanks for asking. And I have no unfulfilled longings. It "seems" you are misguided.
2007-09-27 08:09:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
This question concerns the happiness of over 4 billion people. I'd say that humanity, as a whole, has both happy and terrible moments. As for religious doctrine, it may give believers a more positive outlook to believe in a god and an afterlife. But it may also cause a war with one's emotions, depending on what rules a religion has or the way it enforces certain types of thinking (In Afghanistan, for instance, women do not have the same rights as men due to Islam -- some burn themselves in protest -- not happy).
As for whether believers are fulfilled or unfulfilled, check out this video of a Christian play: It's the kind of all or nothing thinking I'm talking about, about constantly seeking happiness in religious beliefs and rules. If the woman does not turn to Jesus, she becomes a tart, drunk, or self-mutilator. There is no gray area to life. Due to religion, she's at war with her own feelings, and I peg this as a specific part of fundamentalist thought. So it can go both ways. I promise it's short, and not graphic.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5&page=1&viewtype=&category=mv
2007-09-27 15:13:15 · answer #2 · answered by Dalarus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religious people are just like irreligious people. It is within every person to be really happy. Everyone has certain unfulfilled longings that has the ability to aspire to anything. No one reaches the apex of their desires.
There is always one more step we would love to take to make life more complete. We want more money, more respect, more peaceful life, more love or more something or the other.
2007-09-27 15:11:29 · answer #3 · answered by mesquiteskeetr 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, religious people really are happy. So are non-religious people. What makes one person happy might not make the next person happy. Waking up one day and deciding you believe in God doesn't automatically mean you are going to be happy for the rest of your life.
2007-09-27 15:21:25 · answer #4 · answered by Nick 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am happier since I became a Christian in 2003, but that is my own personal situation. All people go through various stages in life and various tests. WHEN you ask someone if they are happy will determine the answer. No person is going to be happy all the time or completely fulfilled. Religion may have some reason for people finding their happiness...but I have never heard of finding God causing someone unhappiness.
2007-09-27 15:20:33 · answer #5 · answered by snowbunny 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Religious people can be as happy as anybody else. Those of us who strive to be more than "religious" and have a personal "relationship" with God are able to go beyond happiness. We have joy. Happiness is a reflection of the condition of your life. Joy is a reflection of the position (in God) of your life. Happiness can be changed to sadness based on that happens during your day while joy is different. The world didn't give it to me and the world can't take it away.
2007-09-27 15:19:48 · answer #6 · answered by edcw0214 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would suggest to you that your premise is incorrect. i.e. unfulfilled longing = not happy. Longing for something, whether person, idea, or event does not in and of itself make a person unhappy. Seeing no means of satisfying a longing might lead to unhappiness. I suggest to you that religious people have probably had at least some of their longings fulfilled. Finally, each person ultimately defines for themselves what happiness consists of and it is not necessarily visible to everyone.
2007-09-27 15:17:25 · answer #7 · answered by OE 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Religious people are the same as all others, with the exception that many KNOW the final outcome in Humanities existance. People that have a relationship with Jesus Christ...well that is a whole nuther situation!
2007-09-27 15:10:28 · answer #8 · answered by maranatha132 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most religious people l know are truly happy. The belief that God is always there for them in times of need makes them feel like in cloud nine.
2007-09-27 15:11:07 · answer #9 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having a relationship with God (notice I did NOT say "being religious") gives you a peace that no one can explain if you've never experienced it. It doesn't mean that we are always happy and smiling; we have problems and ups and downs just like everyone else ("the rain falls on the just and the unjust").
2007-09-27 15:09:17 · answer #10 · answered by lady_phoenix39 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Some are happy. . .some are not. . .same with any other group of people in the world.
I am a Christian, I am happy. . .do I long for things. . .sure. . .and I will for as long as I live. . .each day loving what I have and yet wanting to know more. . .life's a journey for me and the day I stop longing for anything will be the day I die.
2007-09-27 15:08:54 · answer #11 · answered by sparkles9 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋