How Do People Cause Other People to Turn Against God? An Alternate View On the Issue

Have Ego and Empires Ruined the Case for Religion?


You've seen many different types of people in this world ranging from kingdom conquerors to tireless workers to the drug-addicted.  There are certain types who naturally and without thinking about it can take a religion and ruin it or use it to serve a personal agenda.  The profile of these types of people includes:

  1. Exhibitionists
  2. Those with the gift of gab, who like to influence others or hear themselves talk
  3. The Money Hungry
  4. Ones who like to be needed
  5. Persons who do not think for themselves
  6. People with low IQs
  7. People with high IQs
  8. People who are not comfortable being alone
  9. Show offs or Narcissists
  10. Liars

As you can see from the list above, these people may leave a lot to be desired, but can they help themselves?


Did People Ruin Religion on Purpose?

Likely not.  I invite you to review the list again and think of these situations from a standpoint of mental illness and medical needs.  Besides those with the gift of gab, it is likely all of the other people in the group suffer some earlier trauma in their lives.  The question then becomes, would they be better served by a therapist or a priest?  Also, should ministers and priests be required to pass psychiatric evaluations before they can be ordained?

Does Religion Prevent People from Seeking Appropriate Mental Healthcare?

It would probably not be a bad thing to mandate psychiatric evaluations and needed mental health care for the clergy, however this recommendation and the title of this post are two very different aspects of the issue.  A study in multicultural counseling states a person's faith may assist them in overcoming mental health challenges.  However, whoever serves as the leader of these people, assuming a leader is needed, should be mentally fit to administer public faith needs.

The National Alliance on Mental Health [NAMH] states faith can assist mental health in the following ways:

  1. Faith encourages meditation and prayer, which has been found to be beneficial to mental health when practiced 10-20 minutes per day.
  2. Spiritual groups bring you together with others in fellowship, which promotes healthy relationships and human interactions.
  3. Religion helps you to understand your experiences in light of historical figures, stories and the experiences of others.  Multiple groups offer magazines, newsletters and social media posts regularly with testimonies of how others have overcome what you may be going through.
  4. Faith-based organizations organize volunteer services and giving for the community.  Mental healthcare professionals teach you that participating in worthwhile activities that benefit others contributes to your own sense of wellbeing.

Were Religions Established Because They Need You or Do You Need Them?

Both.  History teaches that strong faith-based organizations that are in alliance with government help to build laws, culture, hope, identity and ethics, thereby unifying kingdoms.

It is highly probable that even without religious organizations, you would settle into some form of natural observation and awe to develop a form of personal spirituality.  The state of mankind on Earth promotes numerous instances where contemplations within and outside of ourselves can be evoked by nature; prophetic dreams; appearances of disembodied souls; inspiration due to unseen sources and cyclical astrological patterns; disasters; etc.

We must all learn to live in peace, respecting science and understanding other's situatedness, which defines their response to the religious question.  The odd things people do to turn others off to spirituality usually don't come from such a bad place after all.  The need for spirituality is a natural human urge, which needs to be studied and understood, specifically by spiritual leaders and those who govern them.