Religion has been affecting society for generations and generations. Religion has a lot of positive and negative effects on the human mind. According to Frontier Sin, research suggests that religion reduces suicide rates, alcoholism, and drug use. It improves social connections, creates a sense of belonging etc. Although, this is not always the case. A lot of people—especially teens—battle with having faith and a sense of belonging.
Mina Tran, Mahayana Buddhist, states, “I’ve definitely felt like I wasn’t devoted enough, but never to the point of depression—because to me, religion doesn’t dictate everything, and it never shoulders, so I don’t let it control how I live my life,” in regards with her actions, Tran doesn’t let her religion dictate her life and she has full control, which proves stability and independency.
She adds, “As for navigating them, I always reflect on how religion is an individual concept and is different to each specific person. Just because I don’t pray or tithe everyday doesn’t mean I’m not as devoted as the next person, and due to that, my loyalty to Buddhism hasn’t ever wavered.” Tran doesn’t compare herself with others in her belief in order to not belittle herself or lose faith just because she isn’t performing as well as others. As people say, comparison is the thief of joy.
Meridian University states the beliefs of Mahayana Buddhism consist of understanding the true nature of reality—such as dependency of existence and emptiness. “The liberation of oneself is the liberation of all beings because there is no real self,” according to Mahayan tradition. This hints that being aware of your surroundings and having a peace of mind can improve your mental well-being.
“I’ve definitely run into moments of doubt in my faith and even slacked off on my relationship with God, but it never necessarily made me depressed. It made me sad that I wasn’t giving my all to God but seeing as he never stopped blessing me, I didn’t want to give up on him,” says Joselyne, a part of the Christian belief. “My salvation is the only free thing in this world and I wanted to take that gift of eternal life with God.” Joselyne is deeply rooted into her religion, and her patience and devotion has made her faith never waiver to the brink of depression.
According to Our Daily Bread, there are many sources to turn to in Christian belief if you ever feel down in the dumps, such as: the Church and prayer. In the Bible, depression is never mentioned, yet it is represented often. It shows that depression is never a sin, and that you are in good company if you ever feel depressed enough to the point of taking your own life, states Jersey Church.
Pubmed shows that the US population that identifies as non-religious has significantly increased in the past decade. A large representative survey study examines the group difference between the following beliefs: religious members (N=2401), agnostic (N=189), atheist (N=83), or no preference at all (N=329). Although it doesn’t state that being non-religious significantly improves or declines on your wellbeing, statistics show that individuals who classify themselves as agnostic or atheist have shown better health on individual measures, including BMI, number of chronic conditions, and physical limitations.
“I’ve often felt as though I wasn’t devoted enough to my religion when I was a Muslim. Throughout the numerous attempts to find closure to that faith, I’ve become worn out and less motivated. To prevent myself from ever sinking low into a state of depression, I made the decision to leave Islam,” says Zennie, a part of the Agnostic belief. “It was a hard decision to leave since Islam has consumed most of my life––and although I felt as if I was betraying my family and Islam, I felt like I was betraying myself if I didn’t seek out what was best for me as well.” In regard to his actions, making the choice of leaving behind something that had negatively affected your mental well-being had given Zennie the advantage to explore and not limit himself.
He adds, “Over the past months, I’ve studied countless religions and decided to elect myself as an Agnostic. I believe that there is a higher entity somewhere out there in the universe, but I do not believe in hell or heaven. I don’t believe that we should restrict ourselves or set strict rules, such as wearing overly modest clothes or not being allowed to wear piercings, in order to deem ourselves worthy of going to ‘heaven.’ It feels like I’m trapping myself in a cage that’s difficult to get out of, considering that religion has paved the way for life for many generations and heavily influences marriage. Learning about different religions was my way of coping with my own cultural and religious trauma, and there were aspects in each and every religion that were able to give me closure.”
