From: "John C. 'Buck' Field" <info@fieldoperative.com>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: HEA report on religion and mental health
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:54:13 -0500
In-Reply-To: <2CDFE2C8F598D21197C800C04F911B2034941C@DELTA.newhouse.akzonobel.nl>
Note the biased wording of the findings: "not everyone has a positive experience" and
"many people...find practical and emotional help and support from their faith". To
reverse the wording without alter the accuracy, one could say "many people have had
negative experiences" and "not everyone finds
practical and emotional help and support from their faith".
This second wording would support the suggestion that religion is bad for you. Since
relative net is so difficult to judge, one can produce studies to support any possible
benefit. Objective criteria, however, paint a much different picture of occult faith,
its relation to reason, and its impact on mental fitness.
I also would call attention to the lack of clearly defined terms in the study, and
total lack of controls for establishing comparison between faith-based support systems
and reason-based support systems. I'm therefore left with the impression that this
study is a desperate attempt to advertise faith as still having some kind of relevance
to a population which increasingly rejects assertions that invisible hobgoblins are a
priority.
Cultivate A Healthy Mind With Reason, Empathy, And Clear Vision.
Project Management and Technical Writing - www.fieldoperative.com
> PROMOTING MENTAL HEALTH:
>
> THE ROLE OF FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY
>
>Faith and spiritual belief can be good for your mental health and religious
>leaders
>should play a key role in challenging stigma, according to a new guide to be
>published
>by the Health Education Authority (HEA) in partnership with Christian and
>Jewish
>groups.
>
>
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