In my research, I found many people spoke of the negative connotations of religion in relation to mental health. In his book The Future of an Illusion (published in 1927), Sigmund Freud stated “religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis”. He believed that religion was an illusion and “an attempt to get control over the sensory world”. Similarly, Albert Ellis declared in his book Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (published in 1937) that there is an “irrefutable causal relationship between religion and emotional and mental illness”. Over time psychologists have further studied religion in relation to mental health and there are now many different psychological terms, such as, religious psychosis, Religious Trauma Syndrome, religious abuse and Jerusalem Syndrome – these are all negative mental illnesses. However, I would like to put forward the argument that religion can have a positive effect on mental health. I will be discussing how it can be used to help somebody to find strength and peace through faith and practice. In particular, I will be researching the different ways that people use their religion to aid their mental health in Buddhism and Christianity.
First, let’s think about Christianity as a religion and what it means to be a Christian. It is a monotheistic religion, which means that they believe in only one God. However, one of the most important principles of Christianity is the belief in Jesus Christ and that he was the son of God who died to cleanse their sins through repentance. Many people who are not Christian believe that Jesus was alive but that he was just an ordinary man or a wise prophet. After Constantine declared the Roman Empire as Christian in 3rd-4th Century, there were many bishops who had different ideas about who Jesus was. For example, Athanasius believed that Jesus was one in substance with God, whereas Arius thought that he was only similar to the substance of God. This brought about the idea of the Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In 367 CE, Constantine commissioned the first 50 testaments in the Nicene Creed, this formed the basis of Christianity. It is amazing how exponentially Christianity has grown, spreading worldwide and forming many different denominations, such as, Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism and many more.
Buddhism has very different roots. It emerged from the cultural landscape of Hinduism and can be traced back to a single founder, Siddhartha Gautama. He lived a very sheltered life as he was prince of a small kingdom, but he was intent on searching for an answer to end suffering. After years of meditation and seeking, Gautama finally found Enlightenment whilst meditating beneath a Bodhi tree. As this was during a time where society in India were Hindu, Buddhism shares many traditions with Hinduism but there are also many differences. For example, Gautama found Enlightenment in a calm, natural and peaceful way through meditation, whereas many Hindus attempted to find Enlightenment through practices such as fasting. Rather than being based around worshipping God, Buddhism focuses on knowledge (especially self-knowledge), elimination of worldly desires and determination not to hurt or kill people or animals. A Buddhist’s aim is to reach Nirvana, which is a state of perfect peace where their soul would be free from suffering forever. There are two main branches in Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana. If a Buddhist is in the Theravada branch, they are atheistic and focus on wisdom and meditation. Many of these types of Buddhists believe in a monastic life and become monks or nuns in an attempt to reach Nirvana. Mahayana Buddhists are polytheistic. They do not think that you need to be a monk or nun in order to reach Nirvana and they wish for the salvation of all humanity, rather than looking for an individual escape.
Both religions have very different approaches, practices and beliefs. I would like to explore the different ways that these two religions approach mental health.
In Christianity, as there are so many different denominations and beliefs within the religion, there is not a consensus view on mental health issues and there can often be debates around it. This could be because as the Bible is so old, mental health is generally not talked about; at least not in terms of how we would talk about mental health today. However, there are many passages where biblical figures have been dealing with their feelings, which appear to be what we would today call depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts. For example: Job in Job 3:26 “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.”; Jonah in Jonah 4:3 “Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”; Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4 “…And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”; and David in Psalm 38:4 “For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” I think this is evidence of an awareness of mental health and therefore is something that should be acknowledged by the Christian community and there are many who would agree.
There is often a view within Christianity that mental health can be associated with how close you are with God, which results from time spent praying, reading the Bible and attending church in worship. Sometimes Christians can interpret this and say that if somebody is struggling with mental health, it is a consequence of sin, turning their backs on God or a lack of faith. However, if you look at the three components of praying, reading the Bible and attending church separately and relate them to mental health, you will see that having these practices in your faith are beneficial in aiding mental well-being.
The three main parts of prayer is seeking forgiveness, talking about your worries and needs, and thanking God for what you have. Thinking about these things is a form of meditation and is good for your mental health, often self-help books recommend writing lists of similar themes. Reading the Bible could be beneficial in mental health as there are many verses that are encouraging and strengthening. For example, Nehemiah 8:10 “Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”; Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”; and Isaiah 26:4 “Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord, is an everlasting strength.” These verses also imply that you are not alone as God is with you, which would be comforting for somebody that is struggling with a mental illness. Similarly, going to church or a place of worship with other Christians, gives you a feeling of community and connects you to other people. One of the worst things for mental health is isolation, going to church gives you a support network and a place where you can confide in people.
As mentioned above, one of the main focuses of Buddhism is self-knowledge. Although it is essentially a spiritual tradition, it is overall a lifestyle that centres around the mind and finding Nirvana, a state of inner peace and happiness. Jude Demers is a Buddhist who lives with a mental illness and he states that “Buddhism is known as the science of the mind”. This comes from the idea that when practicing Buddhism, you try different “experiments” on your mind to find what works for you. This is referred to as mental training and enables you to find inner peace. Buddhist doctrine tells us that happiness comes from inner peace.
Meditation is a fundamental part of mental training. Many studies have shown that meditation is beneficial to mental health as it helps to reduce symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. The idea behind meditation is to recognise negative thoughts that have no benefit and to release them. Meditation is a very big part of Buddhism as the founder, Siddhartha Gautama, found Enlightenment whilst meditating.
Another crucial part of Buddhism is showing kindness and compassion towards others. A well-known quote of Gautama is “If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path”, this puts forward the idea that helping others and being connected with the people around you is good for you and your mental well-being. Jason Henninger is an expert in Buddhism, he states “Buddhism gives a person a feeling like being a wave in the ocean rather than feel like one’s life is an isolated phenomenon.” As mentioned before, the feeling of isolation is detrimental to somebody with a mental illness, being in a religion that teaches you to connect with others and to be compassionate will stop people from feeling alone. Helping others also makes you feel good about yourself and enables you to feel a sense of accomplishment, taking your mind off your own worries.
A Buddhist teaching that is often misunderstood is Karma. People often view Karma as “you get what you do”. However, in Buddhism the concept of Karma is the belief that people are able to change circumstances they face in their life through awareness. The idea is that through mindfulness Buddhists become aware of the nature of their surroundings and decide on how they act on it. For example, Buddhists believe that having hope is a decision you make, alternatively losing hope would also be a decision. This doctrine is meant to represent responsibility and empowerment. This can be put into practice to aid people in their mental health. As Gautama said, “The mind is everything. What you think you become”.
Buddhism is a religion that originated and is predominantly in Eastern (specifically Asian) culture. Interestingly, many Buddhist practices have been woven into Western civilisation. Psychologists and self-help books often recommend Buddhist practices, such as mindfulness, yoga and meditation, to help with mental health. It appears Buddhist teachings and practices have become very prominent in Western culture; however, it is more of a psychological approach rather than a spiritual concept so therefore is not the Buddhist religion. This suggests that the Buddhist religion and the practices and teachings within it can have a very beneficial effect on your mental health.
Religion as a whole helps with your mental health in various ways. It gives you a sense of purpose and helps you to realise what is important to you in your life. This enables you to focus on these and less so on the unimportant things. This connects you to the world, having a sense of purpose helps you to appreciate your worth. The belief that you are part of something bigger or that God is in control, relieves some of the pressure for things that go wrong in your life and gives you hope when times are tough. Having a support network within your religious community is a massive benefit to those struggling with their mental health. Finally, many religions teach you to look after your body, for example, in 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”. Similarly, Gautama said “Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care”. Looking after your body and leading a healthy life is crucial to your mental well-being.
I feel my research is evidence of the beneficial effects that religion can have on your mental health. Across the world there are many people in very difficult circumstances and sometimes all they have is their religion. It offers people hope as they have faith and a feeling of not being alone, whether that is the belief that God is with them or a sense of community in others practicing their religion as well. There are of course negative implications from religion as it can have negative effects on you emotionally and psychologically, however I think that this is down to the environment those people are in. If harnessed correctly, religion can have a wonderful impact on somebody’s life.
This piece is actually an essay that I wrote for a Global Religions module. We were tasked with exploring two religions and their attitude towards a social issue of our choice.
GRACEFULL REFLECTIONS 