Topic: Mental Health Problems More Common Among 'Spiritual But Not Religious'

[Jetavan]

According to a study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, people who identify as "spiritual but not religious" are more prone to suffer mental disorders than either those who employ a religious framework or those who are neither religious nor spiritual.
....
According to CNN, the new study supports previous American research on the topic, including past studies by Tanya Luhrmann, a Stanford University psychological anthropologist who found that "organized religion provides three outlets that benefit churchgoers' well being: social support, attachment to a loving God, and the organized practice of prayer."

The salutary effect of social support makes sense, but I wonder if the study differentiated (1) the "spiritual-but-not-religious" (SBNR) who have secular social support but no religious social support, and (2) the SBNR who lack both religious social support and secular social support (a recipe for disaster).

[Andrew Crook]

"organized religion provides three outlets that benefit churchgoers' well being: social support, attachment to a loving God, and the organized practice of prayer."

"'When you become spiritual but not religious, you are losing the first two points and most spiritual but not religious people aren’t participating in the third,'

I would say that depends on the person's idea of spirituality.  Their concept of god could be very loving and compassionate, and non-judgmental.  Some people choose to find social support outside of spirituality, such as friends at school, or co-workers.  I have also noticed that psychologists seem to have an incessant need to diagnose problems which aren't there, all so they can make more money.  Granted many times the diagnosis is needed, but not always.  We also have plenty of young people who are more than willing to seek therapy, because it's the "hip" thing to do thanks to our Self-help revolution.

[vamrat]

1- Religion provides a framework.  If you don't have one solid guiding concept you are going to develop some pretty severe cognitive dissonance.

2- Spiritual but not religious and religious but not spiritual are both pretty worthless.  You need both.  If you have religion but no spirit it's pretty much just LARPing.  It might be fun but you'll get made fun of in memes and by orthonorm.  Being spiritual but not religious means that you are not really focusing on God.  If you focus on spirits that aren't God or His Angels...what are you left with?

[tweety234]

1- Religion provides a framework.  If you don't have one solid guiding concept you are going to develop some pretty severe cognitive dissonance.

2- Spiritual but not religious and religious but not spiritual are both pretty worthless.  You need both.  If you have religion but no spirit it's pretty much just LARPing.  It might be fun but you'll get made fun of in memes and by orthonorm.  Being spiritual but not religious means that you are not really focusing on God.  If you focus on spirits that aren't God or His Angels...what are you left with?

well they could be theists, but not believe in specific religions. That's what it means to be spiritual but not religious.

[Jetavan]

Jan. 19, 2013 — New research links loneliness to a number of dysfunctional immune responses, suggesting that being lonely has the potential to harm overall health.

Researchers found that people who were more lonely showed signs of elevated latent herpes virus reactivation and produced more inflammation-related proteins in response to acute stress than did people who felt more socially connected.

[J Michael]

1- Religion provides a framework.  If you don't have one solid guiding concept you are going to develop some pretty severe cognitive dissonance.

2- Spiritual but not religious and religious but not spiritual are both pretty worthless.  You need both.  If you have religion but no spirit it's pretty much just LARPing.  It might be fun but you'll get made fun of in memes and by orthonorm.  Being spiritual but not religious means that you are not really focusing on God. 

If you focus on spirits that aren't God or His Angels...what are you left with?

Whiskey?
 

[dzheremi]

You mean mental problems other than considering yourself "spiritual but not religious"?

[JamesR]

Because they don't have any sense of direction or discernment. Religions offer both the comfort and answers that many people are looking for, yet at the same time guides people and tells them what they shouldn't do. "Spiritual" but not religious is dangerous because it seeks to attain the sense of comfort and answers offered by religion WITHOUT the guidance and rules. They become their own judges and discerners. And what happens? They screw up and end up in pain--like a medical student attempting surgery without the guidance of a real surgeon.

[PeterTheAleut]

1- Religion provides a framework.  If you don't have one solid guiding concept you are going to develop some pretty severe cognitive dissonance.

2- Spiritual but not religious and religious but not spiritual are both pretty worthless.  You need both.  If you have religion but no spirit it's pretty much just LARPing.  It might be fun but you'll get made fun of in memes and by orthonorm.  Being spiritual but not religious means that you are not really focusing on God.  If you focus on spirits that aren't God or His Angels...what are you left with?

well they could be theists, but not believe in specific religions. That's what it means to be spiritual but not religious.

That's what it means to you? The problem I have with this "spiritual or religious" lingo is that we don't have one clear, unified definition of what it means to be "spiritual but not religious" or "religious but not spiritual".

[Shiny]

1- Religion provides a framework.  If you don't have one solid guiding concept you are going to develop some pretty severe cognitive dissonance.

2- Spiritual but not religious and religious but not spiritual are both pretty worthless.  You need both.  If you have religion but no spirit it's pretty much just LARPing.  It might be fun but you'll get made fun of in memes and by orthonorm.  Being spiritual but not religious means that you are not really focusing on God.  If you focus on spirits that aren't God or His Angels...what are you left with?

well they could be theists, but not believe in specific religions. That's what it means to be spiritual but not religious.

That's what it means to you? The problem I have with this "spiritual or religious" lingo is that we don't have one clear, unified definition of what it means to be "spiritual but not religious" or "religious but not spiritual".

That's because it's all relative, right tweety?