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I grew up in an extremely religious environment - utterly toxic, in fact. I’m a better and healthier person for leaving it. BUT: I still find myself missing it
by drewbug01 4y ago
I grew up in an extremely religious environment - utterly toxic, in fact. I’m a better and healthier person for leaving it.
BUT: I still find myself missing it sometimes.
What it boils down to (for me) is community - I miss having easy, abundant community. Religion tends to be a communal thing, and it’s not surprising to me that community yields health benefits.
I don’t think America in particular has much in the way of non-religious community. I wish we did.
- silisili 4y agoI think you hit the nail on the head. I think people on the whole are, consciously or not, lonely as hell. I had -some- community as a child, family and neighbors who all were at each other's house at any time. It's all gone for me today, and I find myself wishing for it and missing it. People seem more insular and isolated than ever.
- comfypotato 4y agoI enjoy the joke "the worst part of drug addiction is becoming religious" because recovery from alcoholism/addiction is ultimately what lead me to a religious life. My beliefs provide joy and purpose that get me out of bed in the morning. The friendships I've made because of my beliefs are nice, but they're only part of my experience. I expect that a sense of community plays a large role in the outcome of the study. For me, and I would think for religious folk in general, there's more to it than just community.