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.