Loneliness and religion
One of the most popular pieces of advice to lonely people (at least in terms of what’s offered on the Internet) is to find God. Or, as it’s often written, the lonely are to FIND GOD!! Many websites specifically promise that, if you let God into your life, your loneliness will miraculously end.
The relationship between loneliness and religion is really complex. Many studies do show that highly religious people report less loneliness. This is in part because religious individuals are likely involved in group-oriented activities (attending mass, etc.), and because the figure of God can become another “person,” so to speak—someone to turn to with problems, ideas and worries.
The problem is that “FINDING GOD!!” is not so easy for everyone. Not everyone is religiously inclined. Even those who do attend religious services might find themselves feeling lonely during the service, making loneliness seem doubly hard to bear.
I always feel very cautious when I see anonymous people online, or in religious pamphlets and books, urging me to turn to God as an antidote to loneliness. For some people, religion will help. For others, especially those who have lost or who have never found their faith, the advice is completely unhelpful.
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 11:30 am and is filed under the category Religion.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Response to “Loneliness and religion”
ADD A COMMENT
Your name will be published with your comments. If you do not want your name used, simply type in Anonymous or the alias of your choosing. I'm fine with people using made up names. Feel free to be creative!
Interesting perspective. I cannot claim that lonliness has one cause, and accordingly one remedy. I’ve been lonely most of my life, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Not that I was alone. On the contrary, I’ve always been successful in attracting people to me. Still I never managed to be in synch with any person. I get along well with people, but I cannot wait to be alone, as I always feel different. I only have one word for it, I’m an individual. I dont know whether I was born this way, or whether my surroundings made me like this, but what I defenitely know is that I’m not happy. I’m in peace, but not happy. No remedy found, not God, not yoga, not people, not a lover, not family or friends. Don’t know, feels empty.