Religion and mental illness

Believe nothing, no matter where you have read it, no matter who has said it, even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

Buddha

The reason that I love this quote so much is because I truly believe that all religions that I have studied or had exposure to did not address the fundamental issue of human suffering. I was raised as a protestant Christian, and believe me, these people with whom I went to church every Sunday were some that I judged to be the most mentally ill people I have ever had exposure to.

I never once received a lesson in my Sunday Schools or sermons that taught me how to identify suffering, its causes, and how to get rid of it. Quite the opposite, in fact; I am certain that these religions do more harm for mental health than good. I recall attending so-called Sunday School to study how great God was when I was thinking the whole time, "I would like to jump out of that window if only I could fit through there and no one would stop me." There is no singular, magical method of removing human suffering, but if one can understand the causes and identify the patterns of it, the path to freedom is made clear.

No religion -- not one that I know of, including the "mystical" or "organised" forms of Buddhism, addresses the need to solve human suffering. I am referring to my own personal suffering, which was extreme and pronounced until I read the Zen and Buddha's teachings in my early 20's. My advice is to stop going to church or temple and sit and read. Quit your job, move out of your house, break up with your abusive partner or get a divorce. Then, sit and remove your suffering.

Do it now. Otherwise, stop yer whinin'.