Nothing against individual beliefs, but my Dad thinks he's supporting me by telling me "you're fallen" and "Satan is working on you." His solution to my mental health is to "pray" about it and "give it all to God." It just isn't helpful. It makes me more suicidal to see how misunderstanding he is.
My mother is extremely religion, though not that extreme. She doesn't liken my condition to any Satanic influence, but she does say things like "God's plan" and "life is a gift from God" and "leave it to God" as a means of 1) trying to influence me to stay alive, and 2) trying to cope with things herself.
Religion began as a way to help humans understand their world; to perhaps bring them comfort and understanding in a world where so many things seemed strange. Of course, humans, being the flawed creatures that we are, have used religion to punish and oppress others for various reasons. I find no fault in those who wish to use religion to bring comfort and peace to themselves or to others. If telling yourself that life is a gift from God helps you feel better about the world and helps you live your life more fully, then that's great for you. But the moment religion is used to make others feel less about themselves or to damage them in some way - physically or mentally - it has no place in society.
Religion began as a way to help humans understand their world; to perhaps bring them comfort and understanding in a world where so many things seemed strange. Of course, humans, being the flawed creatures that we are, have used religion to punish and oppress others for various reasons. I find no fault in those who wish to use religion to bring comfort and peace to themselves or to others. If telling yourself that life is a gift from God helps you feel better about the world and helps you live your life more fully, then that's great for you. But the moment religion is used to make others feel less about themselves or to damage them in some way - physically or mentally - it has no place in society.
