Jamie_L

Believers are the majority. They have churches full of people who support them and reinforce their beliefs. Government leaders tell them they are good people. And, of course, they have years of practice at maintaining cognitive dissonance, so they can take any bad event and explain it away as part of the magical sky-god's plan to look out for them.

Non-believers are a minority. An often maligned and despised minority. Few of us have "churches" or even circles of friends with common beliefs. Government leaders attack us in the media as well as in law. And we don't have faith that some magical sky-king will take care of us.

Based on that, I'd say that it's quite possible non-believers are more prone to stress. *Shrug* It's not like I abandoned the notion of a loving god who would help me live forever because I thought that would make for a cheerier outlook. I abandonned it because it wasn't true.

Jamie

M87

"Religion is the opiate of the masses." - Karl Marx

I always thought that pretty much summed it up. Religion seems to be a complex way of trying to delude yourself into happiness, just without chemical assistance. I'm a very happy atheist myself - but even if the choice were between delusional/drug-induced happiness or reality based stress, I'd take the stress every time.

Gotta add that many drugs can make you depressed, guilt-ridden, jumpy, paranoid, etc. Religion often tends to have that affect, too!

[ August 30, 2002: Message edited by: M87 ]</p>

ex-preacher

I think Barna missed the key finding: Atheists and agnostics outnumber evangelicals. Hallelujah! Out of 1,000 people, he found 77 atheists, but only 69 evangelicals. Somebody needs to inform the media that Ellen Johnson should be getting more airtime than Franklin Graham.

Another quote comes to mind, regarding the happiness stats.

"The fact that a believer is happier than an unbeliever is no more to the point than the fact that a drunk man is happier than a sober one."

George Bernard Shaw (I'm quoting from memory, so I may have messed it up)

Sign me,
Another happy atheist

Perchance

What about individuals who are endlessly amused by them? .

Seriously, though, even if it were true that all evangelicals were happier than all non-believers, I still wouldn't want to be one. I can't imagine living like that. Most of the world is controlled by Satan or at least destined for hell, Jesus is constantly involved in the lives of his followers, God is angry and jealous, we're right and they're wrong, women are supposed to be submissive, the Bible is true even if it does contradict science...

If that's the alternative, bring on the worrying moments and the sense of loneliness!

And I am actually grateful that I don't have to worry about eternal damnation and fate. I would think the price of believing in those things would be greater than any comfort or joy I might derive from religious beliefs, unless I mastered the smug self-assurance that I was one of the select going to Heaven.

-Perchance.

Godless Sodomite

This is what sets off my bullshit detector regarding the poll. As you've pointed out, evangelicals look at the world as if they are an oppressed minority fighting against the deceptions of satan and his minions. We aren't talking about cafeteria xians who pick and choose the beliefs that most give them warm fuzzies. How is being on constant guard against devils and worrying about the salvation of your loved ones stress free? Fighting against imaginary demons and convincing yourself that you are immortal doesn't suggest to me that they are at ease with life. Quite the opposite, really.

-Jerry

Walter_Mitty

Or:

SharonDee

Albion

Well, one of the things that makes me stressed is the prevalence of people in the US government who seem to buy into all this end-times stuff. If the Bible predicts a global war followed by tribs and raptures where the unbelievers will finally get what they so richly deserve har har, who are they to stand in its way, after all? And as long as they're yearning to spend eternity with Jesus and have decided that life on Earth is about equivalent to hell - and are in a position to help prophecy along a bit on account of being right up there in the government - I'm going to stay worried.

That guy's missing the point. It's him and his cohorts that are the source of a lot of our stress.

Aerik Von

Amen

sullster

People who live in the real world and not a fantasy world, would tend to be more stressed. Being stressed at times is the price paid for living a life without the crutch of metaphysical illusions.

The supposed "happiness" of theists is indicative of a life lived with blinders on. Religion is an opiate and many users of opiates do not wish to face life. Life is hard and stressful. I admire those who live with life's realities and deal with them without the "weak man's crutch" of religion.