Religion = Coping Device?

[denuseri]

Now, for all those who have ever been in a religious household, been to religious events, or even been religious themselves should no where this is headed.

We have all had things in our lives that have been hard to deal with. My question is, Do people use religion to cope with such things?

Some people do, others use any number of other things, some use science or a belief in there not being anything to believe in... in exactly the same fashion. Some even do so with just as much zeal too.

I have found that yes, it is mainly a device for coping. I have been to far to many funerals and the same things are always said:
"I'm so sorry for your loss"
"You're in my prayers"
"He/She is in a better place now"
"God decided he wanted him/her in heaven because of his outstanding love" etc.

Or in fox holes where one may be asking for that same God to save their ass, or when one pleads for the life of a loved one undergoing surgery, or when one prays for well the good of us all, or an end to a war etc. But that in and of itself to me doesn't seem like any real evidence that religion is solely sought out as a coping mechanism so much as how humanity works when confronted with some things.

Is it simply not coping? Do people not use it to feel better? After all, "Knowing" a loved one is always happy, always watching over you and that you will someday join them in eternal salvation in heaven make dealing with ones death easier?

Not all religions share the same beliefs in that regard. Nor does holding such a belief necessarily remove or alleviate the sense of loss one experiences. Especially when no one (religious or atheists) truly knows that their beliefs are right for sure...they can have faith, they can hope, but they don't really know.

Rather than have the "Atheists are right the religious are wrong" argument come into play I would like to hear your opinions and ideas. What are your thoughts?

Like Amber said...some do use it like/for that and others do not.

[Thorne]

Or in fox holes where one may be asking for that same God to save their ass, or when one pleads for the life of a loved one undergoing surgery, or when one prays for well the good of us all, or an end to a war etc.

That old saw is about as true as saying that Catholics don't use birth control. There have been many, many reports of combat soldiers actually losing their faith after watching the random destruction of their friends. They can see, quite plainly, that prayer didn't help anyone.

Wikipedia has an article about this. Check out the "Notable counterexamples" section.

And to add my own points: when my wife had to undergo an emergency C-section, I didn't pray, or ask for God's help. I called my mother, to let her know what was happening. Then I watched the surgery, and thanked the Doctors, NOT God, when I held my son.

And just recently, when I awoke from what was supposed to be a routine test and was informed I had cancer, it wasn't God that crossed my mind, it was concern for my wife. And now that the cancer is gone, I again thank the doctors, not some fantasy savior.

There are, indeed, atheists in foxholes, denuseri. More than you know.