For me,
trying to read through any article citing research on the positive effects on
mental health of religion is an exercise in self-restraint. I’ve rejected the
research I’ve read so far about the positive health benefits of being
associated with a religion (such as living longer). These health benefits are
not because of the primary cause of “belief” or being Catholic or Mormon, but
secondary effects such as dogmatic proclamations to abstain from alcohol and
the social benefits of being part of a community and having close connections
with others. If I came up with a philosophy that proclaimed little aliens are
in our bodies and we must run a mile three times a day so the aliens don’t grow
bigger, it would be deemed healthy. That doesn’t make it any less insane.
There are
so many things that I disagree with in the Duffy (2012) article that it’s hard
to know where to start. First, I immediately reject any notion that having a
relationship with a God is a mental health benefit. The notion behind this is
that “within this relationship, a person forms an attachment with a higher
power or powers, which, if secure, can help that person feel supported and
loved” (p. 53). Now, I suppose that if
individuals have horrible parents then this delusional relationship may be a
necessary adaptation. However, for everyone else, a relationship with a higher
power is at its core the essence of the master slave relationship alluded to by
Nietzsche and Hegel and should therefore be avoided.
For the
research describing how individuals in the study were influenced by their faith
to pick their job, I’d say that’s a stupid study asking a nonsense question. If a person is religious, and you ask them
whether God was influential in anything they do they will say “yes.” If you ask
them did God have something to do with their breakfast selection, they will say
“yes.”
There’s an interesting phenomena
I’ve found in musical genres. When a new genre comes about, everyone sounds
essentially the same. Look at the first rock and roll artists (Berry, Richard,
Presley, Holly) and you’ll notice more similarities than differences in song
structure and style. Then you’ll see the genre split into sub-genres and
innovative experimentations with form. In the 60s, the Beatles, Rolling Stones
and the Who went in very different paths sonically, and you can see in the
White Album adventurous experimentations with genre. There are also splits in
genre into hard rock (Led Zeppelin), progressive rock (King Crimson) and metal
(Black Sabbath). Then you get to the third stage, where experimentation moves
to the point of absurdity and pointlessness. We are living in this stage where
we have dozens of sub-genres for just metal. For the life of me I don’t
understand the difference between black doom metal and epic doom metal, but I’m
sure someone out there has wasted his time doing so.
My point for this diversion is that
this research on spirituality is in this unnecessary third stage where a lot of
pointless, unnecessary work is being done. Does religion or spirituality have
an effect on a person’s career choice? Maybe. Will research on this help us at
all with clients? I don’t think so. There is such a thing as a stupid question,
and there’s more so such a thing as an unnecessary question. These are
unnecessary questions.
It is
natural to have anxiety over death and to seek religion or spirituality to
comfort one over their existence in what is perceived as a cold, irrational
world. That does not make it good, or right. Bringing religion and spirituality
into scientific research is, I think, I mistake. Operationally defining
religious feeling and belief seems impossible to me, as is ascertaining an
individual’s true beliefs and feelings, which are masked being layers of
self-delusion to handle the anxiety over death.
References
Duffy, R. D. (2006). Spirituality, Religion, and Career Development: Current Status and Future Directions. The Career Development Quarterly, 55, 52-63.
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