My friends, hello and greetings and salutations! Thank you for joining me on my 5th and final part of my series on religion and its effects on mental health and wellbeing.
Thus far, in case you missed it, I have given you, basically, the good , the bad, and the ugly about organized religion. Please see below what you have missed, thus far, in previous posts on the subject:
I shall endeavor to make this final part short and sweet! Actually, I could go on and on AND ON for days on this topic.
I do not have a particular subject for this one. This is more of a summation. I hope I have shown you, if nothing else, the effects that organized religion can have on mental health and wellness overall.
I think one thing I forgot to say, and make VERY abundantly clear, is that if a particular religion makes you feel bad or messes with your head in a very negative way, then I would absolutely question that religion. Others may disagree. In my case, it WORSENED my already existing OCD, which I didn’t know at the time.
Also, when organized religion is in the hands of the wrong people who use that religion to hurt people, then that is very toxic and potentially even dangerous. Religion should make you feel GOOD and uplifted. And it should never, ever be used as a weapon to belittle or hurt others.
For example, judging people for their looks or what they wear or their hairstyle or how they choose to live their life, especially when they are not hurting anyone.
Reminds me of the song Prince wrote for Patti Labelle entitled “Love 89,” that adequately covers what I am trying to convey. Check it out:
I also do not think religion should be used to run a town, city, government, or a country. No matter what anyone’s religious beliefs are, religion should stay out of government and politics. However, we are seeing the rise of right-wing Christian extremism in this country, for example. Funny, how we are not seeing a rise in Hindu, Jewish or Buddhist extremist ideology in the U.S.
Everyone does not believe the same, obviously, and to say that a nation should allow the government or governing bodies to be run based only on any religious doctrine is insane. You cannot and should not force someone to believe what you believe.
To me, that is a mental illness when you believe you have the right to do so.
Organized religion in the hands of the uneducated and the powerful can be an extremely toxic and even deadly thing. But don’t take my word for it. Just research history.
This series was in no way designed to get ANYONE to drop their religious beliefs. However, one should, again, think that if there is ever a moment when you feel your religious beliefs are harmful to you or to anyone else, perhaps you should rethink them.
I would offer this to any religious and/or devout person:
- First of all, you don’t need a religion to make you a good person. Read that again and take all the time you need.
- Secondly, just because you consider yourself a religious and/or devout person does NOT make you a good person. By all means read that again, and take all the time you need.
- In MY opinion, if you as a religious person are not trying to help make this world a better place for someone, and you are just proselytizing and breathing fire and brimstone, and you are just seeking heaven’s gate, no pun intended, then I do not believe your beliefs are worth much. We need your SERVICE not your LIP SERVICE!
- And for goodness’ sakes, please do not use your religion to hurt, belittle or denigrate anyone! The lasting effects on someone’s mind and psyche can be quite harmful, destructive, and devastating!
- And abortion and the LGBTQ community is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! Yes, I went there! And speaking of homosexuality –
Another “rant” on homosexuality and religion. It is unconscionable the negative effects on mental health and the psyche that religion and PEOPLE professing certain organized religions have to say on the subject. I am talking words, tenets and beliefs that have hurt the LGBTQ community and quite honestly have caused MANY of my LGBTQ and nonbinary brothers and sisters to self harm and even to commit suicide. Once again, WORDS MATTER! And this kind of destructive hate towards the LGBTQ in the name of religion and/or God, etc., is EXTREMELY HARMFUL AND TOXIC AND ABHORRENT!
After all, homosexuality is certainly nothing new. Just do a little research and history, and you will see that it was the “Christians” who came along and ruined an otherwise natural – YES, NATURAL – comingling of men with other men, and women with other women.
And if there are any of you who are struggling with your homosexuality or bisexuality, etc., AND your religious beliefs, I want you to know and understand that your feelings are VALID. And you should NEVER feel ashamed for who and what you are, regardless of how you were raised or any religious doctrine. I am not your Higher Power or God or any of that, but believe me, I’ve been through all of this when I was in my own cult of hell. And do not suffer the way I did, mentally and emotionally, over the “taboo” subject of homosexuality and the Church. You are how your Higher Power made you. And in my opinion, NO RELIGION IS WORTH YOUR SANITY! Enough said.
Okay. NOW I’m done with my rant. 😊
I do realize this could be a multi-part series in and of itself – homosexuality and religion or homosexuality VERSUS religion or however you wish to look at it. Perhaps down the road.
As I close out this series, remember if you feel that you cannot cope or need to speak with a professional, then online therapy may be the way to go. You can do this in the comfort of your own home without having to get in traffic to drive to an office. Check it out by clicking on the link below:
So, to answer the original question of is religion helpful or harmful and toxic – I think it can be both, if not handled properly.
And that wraps up my series on religion and mental health. Please feel free to leave me a comment below. So, come back next week as I discuss what happens when you unjustly label someone. Until then, and as always, be mentally well!
DEREK’S DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals. These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance. Thanking you in advance!
I do not own the copyright to any songs or videos listed here.
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