Hi
On Thu, 28 Oct 2004, jim guinee wrote:
> He said: "People who have repeatedly failed to stop drinking
> or taking drugs for many years, miraculously stop when they
> find a higher power through Alcoholics and Narcotics
> Anonymous."
> She said:
> 1) Motivation ('repeatedly tried")
> 2) Social support and peer pressure
>
> God says:
> Wait, just kidding (me, not God).
>
> The alternative explanations for studies on spiritual beliefs
> and mental health are plausible, but seem typically
> reflexive.
>
> It's as if some of you want to believe it's anything BUT
> spirituality and/or religiousness.
>
> Just how it looks from my side of the world
It would help Jim G. if you spelled out how you see spirituality
per se working. Are you thinking, for example, that god
intervenes on behalf of religious people (and not the
irreligious) and this heavenly intervention directly causes
improved MH? Or perhaps you were thinking that god punishes
those who don't believe in him and that mental illness is one of
the punishments that he uses?
I suspect (hope?) these are not the kinds of explanations you
have in mind. Probably you are thinking more along the lines of
religion providing comfort or contributing to one's motivation to
improve life or perhaps leading to a sense of personal coherence
that alleviates suffering and associated needs for alcohol and
the like. But like the suggestions mentioned by others, there is
nothing intrinsically spiritual or religious about these
mechanisms. Such mediators could be activated in other ways.
Nor is there anything inherently troublesome to atheists about
these explanations, although we might worry about the long term
consequences of a life built on such foundations.
Best wishes
Jim
============================================================================
James M. Clark (204) 786-9757
Department of Psychology (204) 774-4134 Fax
University of Winnipeg 4L05D
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark
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