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Fundamentalist Christianity And Clinical Depression


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Fundamentalist Christianity and Clinical Depression - Part 5

 

 

Today I want to think about possible ways that a Fundamentalist Christian worldview can contribute to clinical depression. The reason that I am writing this is because at least 2 of my family members who are hard-core religious fundamentalists are currently under therapy and medication for depression and bi-polar disorders.

 

First I will look at the 6 foundational qualities of the Fundamentalist worldview. Then I will look at what causes depression (according to clinical Psychology) and relate how the the Fundamentalist worldview contributes to these causes and helps to undermine the mental health of the believer.

 

_____________________________

 

 

It is my opinion that the Fundamentalist Christian’s worldview can be characterized by the following:

 

1. Manichaenism - A black and white worldview

2. A belief in Primary Causation

3. A belief in Particular Providence

4. A belief in Determinism or lack of Free Will

5. A belief in Original Sin and innate unworthiness

6. A Calvinist belief in salvation through faith alone

 

Manichaenism - a black and white interpretation of events and morality based on the extreme ascetic Christian Gnostic teaching of the prophet Mani who lived in Iraq under the Persian Empire circa 216-276AD. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_(prophet) This philosophy panders to emotional extremes and tries to send the believer’s worldview into two diametrical poles. This translates into seeing people in the world as Us/Them, or Friend/Enemy; and translating events in the world as Good/Evil, or the work of God/The Devil. Emotions will be restricted to

(A) Elation or ( B ) Horror, Sadness and Depression. Tragic and traumatic life events and PTSD are interpreted in a simple manner as being forsaken by God or cursed by Satan which result in extreme emotional over-reactions. If you embrace the idea of original sin, you will also see yourself or your body as Bad, and God and Heaven and the Afterlife as good.

 

Primary Causation and Supernaturalism believes that there are no natural laws and God causes everything to happen. This helps to undermine view of the world rooted in reality and promotes irrationality. The stability of the world is ripped apart as everything could change at a moment’s notice depending on the whim of God (or the Devil). This distorts the world and makes real events and phenomena inherently uncertain.

 

Particular Providence believes that God has a plan for everyone and everything. As Calvin said: Not a leaf falls except by the express particular will of God. This idea helps to undermine a person’s agency and individual autonomy. In other words, you can’t really choose to do anything in the world or have any effect in the world because at all times, “God is in control.” A believer should be passive in before the grandeur of the Divine Plan. Furthermore, Proscriptive action recommended by religion frequently does not get at any of the true root causes for problems in the world and thus offers band-aids instead of real solutions. If a church member loses their job, or suffers financially, the Fundamentalist church will usually not recommend a radical critique of the economic system, will not recommend the parishioner join or form a worker’s union and will not support the church member in legal action against an employer. (After all, employers and rich people are often benefactors of the church itself and a gift horse should not be looked in the mouth). And Fundamentalist Christianity often includes misogynistic ideas like the inability of women to be ordained as leaders in the church, and limitations on a woman’s corporal autonomy through restrictions on birth control and the right to control her pregnancy. Actions that facilitate autonomy in Fundamentalist Church members will often begin with protests over abortion clinics, and target pregnant single women who are often in very weak emotional and financial situations. These women are very vulnerable and provide an excellent target for a Church member who is also suffering from a lack of self confidence and autonomy. A Fundamentalist church member can feel “in control” and gain confidence by exercising power over the weakest and most vulnerable members of society.

 

Determinism or lack of Free Will includes the Calvinist idea of salvation through faith alone - which provides restricted purpose to a Fundamentalists Christian believer’s action in the world. Good works may be encouraged, but they are not essential for salvation. Thus we see many Christians limiting good works to tithing and arguably uneffecaceous actions which don’t really fix any underlying problems, don’t challenge the existing social order and do not provide or struggle for justice, equality or reform.

 

_________________

According to

http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/think_styles.htm

 

Causes for depression include

 

1. A habitual negative spin on events

2. Plagued by Uncertainty

3. All or Nothing Thinking

4. Problems of control either through

A. Learned Helplessness, or

B. Over Control - extreme paranoia and overcompensation about losing control

________________

 

Negative spin

 

For a Good Event a depressed person will:

 

A. Write off your successes

B. Fail to get any emotional satisfaction

C. Miss out on a boost to your self esteem

D. Fail to get a realistic idea of your abilities

 

A fundamentalist Christian will frequently give credit to God for good events in their life, and fail to give credit to themselves for their hard work, insight or ability. This is part of the Primary Causation and Particular Providence world view. Something good is a “miracle” or gift from God and not due to anything the believer accomplished on their own.

 

 

For Bad Events, a depressed person will:

 

A. Blow things out of proportion.

B. Dramatically increase the negative emotional impact.

C. Fail to see possibilities for change.

D. Take responsibility (or blame themselves) for things outside of their control.

 

A fundamentalist worldview discourages a rational and realistic interpretation of the events of the world. Emotional reactions and interpretations are encouraged, which will cause believers to fly off the handle and overreact to events. A Manichaen worldview will calcify and strictly limit the scope of a believer’s interpretation of, and reaction to events. This will result in an inability to see all possible avenues to change or adapt to circumstances in a healthy way. And a Calvinist obsession with original sin and viewing oneself as being unworthy and sinful will cause a believer to take the blame for bad events.

________________

 

 

Uncertainty:

 

A common trait displayed by those suffering from clinical depression is not being able to tolerate uncertainty. And having to assign a meaning quickly to everything that happens.

High levels of emotional arousal will tend to make you assign meaning to things very quickly, as these levels of arousal are usually reserved for life-threatening situations.

 

Tolerating uncertainty is a prime emotional skill, and as a skill, it can be learned.

The Key Understanding here is that learning how to tolerate uncertainty = ability to generate multiple explanations.

 

The more possible explanations you can generate, and the more effort you put into doing that, the harder it will be to assign an immediate and definite meaning to an event, and the less likely you are to experience a negative emotional reaction or over reaction.

 

Depression literally distorts our perception so that ‘good becomes bad and bad becomes disaster.’ It’s clear that if we only have limited interpretations for why things happen, then change can seem difficult.

 

And Fundamentalist Christianity provides, facilitates and enforces a drastically simplified and speedy interpretation of events. This doesn’t mean that the answer is ‘positive thinking’. We need to look at ways of being more realistic, not jumping to conclusions or racing to extremes.

 

______________________

 

All or Nothing Thinking

http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/all_nothing.htm

 

MOST life events are not ‘completely disastrous’ or ‘absolutely wonderful’ but contain elements of both good and bad. Depression makes people think in absolutes.

 

All or Nothing, or ‘Black and White’ thinking is the thought pattern that allows us to generate a “flight or fight” response to danger. It is still needed in the world today, but not many times a day in relation to non-life-threatening stress, as so often happens with depression.

 

Religious Fundamentalism enforces a Manichean interpretation of events and often insists on the All or Nothing view.

 

Thinking and talking in an ‘All or Nothing’ way is much more emotionally exciting, and so may be difficult to give up.

 

The Key Understanding here is that

More Calmness = Less Depression

 

Research shows clearly that people who experience extreme emotions (‘positive as well as ‘negative’) are much more prone to depression.

 

So, if you are ‘addicted’ to getting high levels of emotional stimulation from experiences, conversations, relationships and so on, it could be time you started doing with less.

 

For less depression, it’s not more happiness we need, it’s more calmness.

 

Remember: A major reason people depress is because of the way they perceive reality. Once your worldview begins to broaden, depression has little to cling on to and will start to lift. Deliberately challenging a Black and White worldview and coming up with alternative evidence starts to break down the depression.

 

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Depression and Control

 

It is common for depressed people to feel helpless, with little control over things. Or, alternatively, to feel that everything relies on them.

 

This extreme perception of control, either too much or too little, helps maintain depression in the following way.

 

•Too little control - the person stops doing things that could improve their situation, perhaps ceasing activities they used to enjoy.

 

•Too much control - person tried to control things they can’t and may become angry or anxious when they realize things aren’t happening the way they wanted. This adds to the emotional arousal that maintains depression.

 

Too Little Control leads to ‘Learned helplessness’. A common feeling that accompanies depression is that of being trapped in an intolerable situation. The depressed person can often see no good alternatives, and without change the existing situation becomes excruciatingly painful (A further result of ‘All or nothing’ thinking), and the person will lose their sense of autonomy and spiral down into depression.

 

Learned helplessness is exactly that - learned. Life experiences can cause ‘learned helplessness’ - by reducing your feeling of control as well as your available options in a situation, it can further add to the depression.

 

The Fundamentalist Christian ideas of Determinism, Supernatural Primary Causation

and Particular Providence reinforce the idea that “God is in control”, “God has a plan”, etc…This can lead to a worldview that denies the believer a range of possible thoughts or actions which might provide relief to their unhappiness or painful situation.

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The illusion of too much control

 

The other end of the spectrum from ‘Learned Helplessness’ is overcompensating for perceived lack of control; becoming a control freak or, as Freud would say - anally retentive to the point of making everyone around you walk on eggshells and constantly feel under threat of your insecurity and potential emotional outbursts.

 

This personality type may also take much too much responsibility for things over which they actually have very little, or no control.

 

Take the real-life example of a depressed woman who felt guilty over a picnic that she had organized being ruined by unexpected rain. The depressed woman somehow blamed herself for the fact that the picnic had been rained out. She saw this event as evidence that she was a failure and a ‘walking disaster area’.

 

Depression can make us ignore evidence which ‘doesn’t fit’ with the depressive focus of mind.

 

As you can see, it seems like the Fundamentalist Evangelical Christian worldview, grounded in Manichaenism, Primary Causation, Particular Providence, Determinism, and Original Sin is completely compatible with a state of Clinical Depression. It seems like each one has the potential to reinforce and feed off the other.

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That was really interesting, especially seeing the Xtian worldview as based in Manichaenism.

 

Are you a psychologist, wester?

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Fascinating article! Thank you for sharing it! I've felt that there was a connection between Christianity and depression for quite some time but mostly through anecdotal "evidence", thanks for the insights. Almost every one of my husband's family, who are all straight laced, super fundie, highly moral people (in the fundie sense) are all depressed or on medication for depression.... I was also.

 

freedom

 

 

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YES! DUDE! That was excellent! I personaly am convinced that there is a link between traditional, Calvanistic, Christian dogma and depression. I went looking on the net to see if any real studies had been done, and was quite shocked to find that there is very little, but I seriously think this is an untapped issue. I have seen it in my own family, and it was rampant (although kept hidden, and not spoken about) in the church I grew up in. You cannot tell a person repeatedly that they are filthy, and wicked, and useless by nature, from the time they are in diapers, and not end up battling depression! Good post!

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That entire article is my mother...she is the absolute real-life example of everything being pointed out. It couldn't have gotten any closer other than describing the specifics of her world.

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That entire article is my father GONZ9729CustomImage1539775.gif

 

He is very black and white in his world views, Republican/Democrat, Muslims/Christians, Mexicans/Whites etc... If he doesn't get a raise or promotion at work he enters severe depression because God is punishing him. He'll experience great highs of euphoria and then deep lows of depression all usually based on his present circumstances because he is constantly trying to find some deeper meaning to some event.

 

Thanks for the very very interesting article, it was a great read!

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The other day I was studying Beck's Negative Cognitive Triad. This is fancy language for negative thoughts of one's self, the world, and the future. I wrote in my notebook, "No freaking wonder people of fundamentalist backgrounds tend to have depression. All or none reasoning, slightest waver from perfection is failure, abstraction means success is ignored, over-generalization that since I am poor at one thing, I am poor at everything." We are taught we are born flawed and sinful, that even God can't love us unless we accept Jesus; the world is a place that is literally going to hell in a hand basket, so sinful that we must isolate ourselves from it; and the future? If we happen to make it to heaven, then our future is good, otherwise devilfinger.gif.

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Very interesting. I have suffered from severe depression all my life, in my case I believe it to be a combination of genetics and being taught how to treat myself like shit by my mother, who does the same thing to herself. All christianity ever did was tell me I didnt feel what I did feel, that everything was a spiritual problem. Kept me feeling suicidal for decades. Everything they taught me about how to recover made no sense whatsoever and only made depressive people worse. I know a couple who took their own lives, and it was touch and go for me for a long time.

 

I think that we can look at depression and its causes, but I have found that everyone is different, we all have so much individual brain wiring and experiences it is often hard to unravel the strands. For those predisposed to depression, christianity is a peculiar kind of evil.

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Depression: "I believe it to be a combination of genetics"

 

My opinion is that this line is put out by psychiatrists fronting for the drug industry who want patients to buy anti-depressant drugs. There are probably some depressive tendencies in certain people's biological makeup, but - in my opinion - not anywhere to the degree that is pushed in psychology and 'therapy' circles today. If anything, it is the genetics of the society itself that cause the problems and not the physical constitution of the individual.

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Cant say I entirely agree on that, but thenit depends what kind of depression you are talking about. There is the kind that is reactive and affected by life's circumstances and worldview, and the other kind that makes you feel like your best friend has just died for no reason, no matter the circumstances. I have been gifted with both. I feel so blessed :wicked:

 

I have also had some adventures with existential depression, but have found a lot of understanding for my worldview and my inner life by exploring Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration. Basically I have always thought people are capable of a lot less self interest than they generally show. For years I thought bad treatment in my direction was a personal punishment for some imagined failing on my part. Now I just realise people suck. It helps.

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I also suffered from severe depression and anxiety all the years (12) I was in fundyville in a deluded state, and many years prior to that, all my adult life, except the last few, I'm now 62yrs of age. I'm the happiest now than I've ever been in my adult life, now I'm free from my ex (who I met when I was just 17 and from whom I escaped just 9 years ago, and now I'm free from cult control (from which I escaped 11 years ago)and the god delusion. FREEDOM!! YAY FREEDOM!! I've had much counselling and psychotherapy, with the aid of medication, to help me through the process these last ten years, without which I couldn't have survived I don't think. I have also done immense amounts of personal work, personal study of many different topics, I've educated myself, finally grew up, explored my artistic talents and just love it. I'm still on medication, a very low dosage of a mild antidepressant.

I'm still educating myself constantly, there is so much to learn and I enjoy it immensely, I'm an atheist, a freethinker, a skeptic, a rationalist, think critically, I love animals (more than people really, except of course my kids and grandchildren), I truly love animals.

Thanks again for the wonderful article.

Actually it's an EXCELLENT article and should be published. Thanks.

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I was chronically depressed as a fundie. Circumstances depressed me to no end. Even afterward, it still took me a while to realize that I wasn't worthless!

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I was chronically depressed as a fundie. Circumstances depressed me to no end. Even afterward, it still took me a while to realize that I wasn't worthless!

 

I was a depressed fundie that lived in denial about it. One time a very nice girl who was a Buddhist asked me, 'why do you do it if it makes you so unhappy?'. She broke right through my denial and I was stunned. I didn't have an answer. Now I know I was trapped in a ridiculous imagination-land charade that caused me to waste my life for 20+ years. Everything about their beliefs leads to depression because it's subversive trash. Trash belongs in the garbage, not in people.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 6 months later...

I have this page bookmarked, and often return to it. It's a brilliant, methodical analysis of fundamentalism's role in the kind of debilitating depression that crippled me for nearly 25 years. THANK YOU. In the future I'm sure I'll be quoting you, even though I have nothing but an alias to go by.

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i was in a state of depresion due to my religion right before i deconverted. i simply came to belive i had no worth with out their god and no matter what i did i couldent acheive its afection.

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I just found this thread now and I just had to comment on it.

 

For me, religion played a vital role in my coming out of a clinical depression (20 years ago) but it also led me into one. The cognitive dissonance that generally occurs prior to and often leads to de-conversion is mind-blowing; it's like the noise of a jet engine roaring in your head. The cognitive dissonance/noise-of-things-that-don't-make-sense is quite tormenting. I started going to therapy to deal with this psychological trauma, but was cured once I lanced the abscess of fundamentalist Christianity on a bleak rainy night with a friend who is a sort of human poultice. My my. Funny how the same drug (religion) can either cure or cause depression in my case.

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It is just a very dark world view (fundamentalism). Dualism, Us-and -Them thinking. I think it leads to paranoia. I really think it is intentional on the part of preachers, etc. It leads to a siege mentality in the people and enforces separation from "the world". Then they are easily lead around. Plus, when you are always looking for an "spiritual" explanation for why things happen, nothing will ever make any sense. Shit happens, there ain't no "all-good" God. Being TOO good is not good. It leads to inflexibility and discord with others.

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...when you are always looking for a "spiritual" explanation for why things happen, nothing will ever make any sense. Shit happens...

 

MWLarry, I sometimes wish I'd become a counselor. I see so many Christians *stuck* waiting for God to do something, waiting for something to "feel" right (God's stamp of approval), or waiting for God to tell them what to do. In the end, they are far from their desires and too old to achieve them, and they are *still* waiting. It is heartbreaking, isn't it? No wonder so many religious folks (Christians, at least) are depressed.

 

Peace.

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...when you are always looking for a "spiritual" explanation for why things happen, nothing will ever make any sense. Shit happens...

 

MWLarry, I sometimes wish I'd become a counselor. I see so many Christians *stuck* waiting for God to do something, waiting for something to "feel" right (God's stamp of approval), or waiting for God to tell them what to do. In the end, they are far from their desires and too old to achieve them, and they are *still* waiting. It is heartbreaking, isn't it? No wonder so many religious folks (Christians, at least) are depressed.

 

Peace.

 

 

Yes, when I first got on the internet and got to talking with Christians online, this was one of the things that made me think something is fishy here. So many Christians wanting, say, a mate, but too petrified to go out and work on finding one, since once the Christian starts doing this, he or she immediately feels that their industriousness is sinful. What a warped way of thinking :(

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So many Christians wanting, say, a mate, but too petrified to go out and work on finding one, since once the Christian starts doing this, he or she immediately feels that their industriousness is sinful.

I have a number of fundy friends who are waiting for God to bring the "right" person along. They practically expect God to lead them right to their door. Now they are beyond the best years of their lives and the dreams are going up in smoke. But yet, they wait. I told one of these friends, "You are one reason I have become an atheist. I can't believe in a God who is making his daughter wait this long, as she nears her "best before" date."

 

Rubbish.

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